Adventure Calling Series

FAIRY TALE DREAMS:

Adventure Calling

It was the call of adventure that actually drew Bilbo Baggins out the Shire. He had lived there all of his life, among people who never went anywhere. But Bilbo was a little different than the rest of the hobbits that lived around him. Often he could be found sitting on his roof, staring off into the distance, blowing smoke rings from his pipe, and wondering what lay out there. He was curious about what might be over the next hilltop. And yet he had never gone that far in all his life.

All that changed one day, of course. It was a day that began like many others. Before he knew it Bilbo’s house was full of dwarfs and a wizard. It was this day that he received the invitation. An invitation that promised adventure, fame, and wealth (and funeral expenses if necessary).

I think what amazes me most if that despite all the possible danger, despite the idea of something unknown, and despite the possibility of his own death Bilbo runs off to adventure anyway. Not only does he go, but he leaves so quickly that he later discovers that he has left behind his warm hobbit hole, he pipe and even his good, thick coat.

As you may have guess by now we’re going to be continuing the series that we started last week, entitled “Fairy Tale Dreams.” And one of the things that I really want everyone to know as we progress through the next couple of weeks is that we’re not really talking about some dream life you might have someday. Now are we talking about the idea that your life is going to be perfect or that you’ll have everything you desire in life. Most of you know that I don’t believe that. I don’t think we can just wish for something and God is going to give it to us.

I do have to admit though that this series is about you and I having content lives. Quite often I hear things like “I just wish I had a happier family life.” Or it may be, “If only my work life were better.” Maybe you’ve heard people say, “I just want to improve my spiritual life.”

In all honesty I find a problem with those statements. Because quite often it’s the same person making all those statements. What we often forget is that there is no separation in any of those lives. It’s all you. It’s all me. Your work life, your family life, your social life, your spiritual life, all make up a part of you. It’s all one life.

But the real question is how do we get to that point? How do we find what can truly make us happy? How do we get our act together? How do we live that fairy tale life so many of us want to have?

This series is so crucial for our lives. Because this series is about changing your life to become a person that is happier. It’s about becoming the kind of person that God wants you to be. Because what I’ve found in life is that when God is active in your life, when your life is centered around the things that God wants for you, you personally are more content.

But we have to get there. We have to find a way to grow and strengthen our life in Christ. That’s what this series is going to help us understand.

We began last week by saying that every good story begins with a “Once upon a time…” If you recall that once upon a time life begins with the realization that you and I need a savior. We need Jesus Christ. Because you and I are sinners he died on a cross, he paid a price for our sins, and only he can give us the free gift of salvation from those sins. This salvation can truly begin a great relationship in your personal life and in mine.

But it doesn’t end there. Saying the words, “OK. I get it. I need a savior.” And accepting him is only the beginning.

Once you’ve made that decision the true adventure really begins.

Bilbo Baggins knew that what he needed most in his life was adventure. He needed a journey. He needed something that would make him more complete. I think that deep down, even though he would never have admitted it, when he sat outside that hobbit hole he craved a different life. He wanted to be different than everyone else around him. But it took more than a bunch of dwarfs and a wizard to show it to him. It took an invitation.

So we begin today talking about adventure. You see, you have an invitation. You’ve received it already. It’s an invitation to adventure. Jesus, himself, is offering that adventure to you.