Dilemmas Are Part Of Our Lives. How Do We Choose Which Path To Take?

This sermon was delivered to St Oswald’s in Maybole,

Ayrshire, Scotland on the 21st September 2014

(a Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries).

Summary: Dilemma are part of our very being; and a dilemma will change your life. So it is vital we select the winning path. How do we do it: Read on.

Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16

“Please join me in my prayer.” Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen. (Ps. 19:14)

Philippians 1:21-30

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which I prefer. I am hard pressed between the two: my desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better; but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for you. Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in faith, so that I may share abundantly in your boasting in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.

Only, live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that, whether I come and see you or am absent and hear about you, I will know that you are standing firm in one spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel, and are in no way intimidated by your opponents.

For them this is evidence of their destruction, but of your salvation. And this is God's doing. For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well-- since you are having the same struggle that you saw I had and now hear that I still have".

Introduction:

What a week this has been, the big election for Scottish independance. Up until this week, I had my mind made up, but towards the end I suddenly realised how serious this election was; and for some reason I became worried as after Thursday, life for us will change.

I have been taking services here for quite a while as you know, and I love it, but have you noticed, I have never discussed politics in my sermons … and today is no exception, I hope I never will.

Why, because I believe that what ever bunch of jokers that is running our country, our Lord is so far above them, and that they at their best, can never be compared to his majesty. And this is good news for us, because it means that Jesus is the Lord of all Lords, and regardless of what government we are under, he is still Lord over all.

This however did not stop us voting this week as responsible citizens, because we were duty bound to vote, and to do so, we had to weigh up both sides of the arguments and decide for ourselves … and this for many was difficult … we were stuck between a rock and a hard place … stuck between two possibilities where the argument could go either way; we were stuck with a dilemma.

Now there are many kinds of dilemmas. Some dilemmas are known as geographical dilemmas because they occur when we want to be in two places at the same time. For example, we maybe love where we have been living for years, but moving would mean a well earned promotion and raise in salary, not to mention the opportunity to make new friends and enjoy some much-needed changes … but then again, leaving would be difficult as we would be leaving friends and family behind. Neither situation is then ideal, both have their benefits, but both have their drawbacks.

There are also emotional dilemmas, these are even more intense; and these take place when we have a strong emotional attachment to something. For example, we know what it is like to have a pet …a cat or dog for instance that we get attached to … then as the years go on, the pet becomes slower as it ages, and we feel for it, forcing us into the dilemma of either spending thousands on vet bills hoping the animal will recover … or do we put the animal to sleep to save it from its suffering. This is difficult decision … an emotional dilemma.

So whenever we are faced with a dilemma, we are pulled in two different directions at the same time. We feel the strain, and we never quite know what is the best thing to do; … regardless of our age and experience.