What Matters Most Sermon I: Uppermost In In The Minds Of Most Christians Series

UPPERMOST IN THE MINDS OF MOST MATURE CHRISTIANS IS “WHAT MATTERS MOST”

Mother Teresa was born in 1910 in Macedonia. At a young age, she felt called to be a nun and help the poor. At the age of 18, she was trained for missionary service in India.

At first she was a teacher; however, the poverty in Calcutta motivated her to start a new order called “The Missionaries of Charity”. Her objective was to look after people nobody else looked after. She felt that a fundamental principle of the teachings of Jesus is to serve Christ by doing what she could for “the least of these”.

Moved by the plight of the poor, she left the convent to live full-time among the poor people in Calcutta. For many years, she and a small band of fellow nuns survived on minimal income and food. In 1952 she opened her first home for the dying, helping people to die with dignity. Her work spread around the world so that now there are 700 missions in over 130 countries in her name - including orphanages for children and hospices for the dying.

Mother Teresa’s recognitions include The Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Congressional Gold Medal, and Honorary citizenship of the United States in 1996. In 1997 she stated her strong Christian conviction: “A nation that kills its babies has lost its soul.”

Uppermost in the mind of Mother Teresa and in the minds of most mature Christians is: What Matters Most is life and everything else that is of God and has eternal value.

Meaning in life is not to be found in recognitions or possessions or prestige or power or pleasure, but, in obedience to God’s will, to be and do what He wants us to be and do, no matter where we live and move and have our being - whether we live in Calcutta, India or Jonesboro, Georgia. “Only to be what He wants me to be every moment of everyday . . .” Folks:

We have lived a long life, and we have done our best to contribute to the well-being and advancement of our families in particular and society in general. Most of us have served the Lord in and through His Church and in our task of bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

And now, during our home stretch years, we have the time to do a Life Review (which I encourage you to do) and to thank God for the memories and privileges that have been ours - while continuing to make memories . . .

Perhaps your epitaph and mine will read like that of Israel’s greatest king: “David, after he served God’s purpose in his own generation, fell asleep.” (Acts 13:36)

We were born to serve God’s purpose! In his book, The Purpose-Driven Life, Rick Warren reminds Christians: “You are not an accident. Even before the universe was created, God had you in mind, and he shaped you for His purposes. These purposes will extend far beyond the years you spend on earth. You were made to last forever!” Solomon put it this way: “God has planted eternity in the human heart.” (Eccl. 3:11)

As Solomon approached the “end of his days”, his heart’s desire was to encourage generations after him to understand fully what matters most.

Known for his secular as well as spiritual wisdom, Solomon learned that a lot of the things of this world intended to give security, happiness, and a sense of well-being have little if any lasting value. Like the morning mist, the material part of life is vaporized in the heat of the day – when put to the test of reality.

The wisest person in history thought about: his possessions . . . his power and prestige . . . his pleasures: He had accumulated great wealth . . . become the most admired man in the world . . . had nothing pleasurable withheld from him -but he concluded: None of these things has eternal value.

You can’t take it with you! You never saw a hearse pulling a U-Haul trailer!

As we make our way through Ecclesiastes, you may be prone to feel a little depressed by what you read; but let me put it in a positive light with a quote from a sign hanging on the wall of my CPA’s office (where my income tax returns were filed): “Not to spoil the ending for you, but everything is going to be okay.” So . . .

Let’s wade into the “words of the searcher, son of David, king in Jerusalem”, with a view toward the positive outcome that not only awaits us at the end of the book but also at the end of our journey here on this earth! Ecclesiastes 1:1-14 . . .