“I want it to matter”
Holly Springs 1/6/19
If you have your bibles with you today I want you to turn to Isaiah 44:24, again that is Isaiah 44:24: here is what it says:
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,
Now that is not the only place in God’s holy word that mentions God knew you before you were born. You will see this in Psalm 71:6: 6 Upon you I have leaned from before my birth; you are he who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
And of course you remember this one from Psalm 139: 13-16:
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Do you know that is one of my favorite pieces of scripture? To know that God knitted me together is awesome. I can remember when my mother used to knit, and what started out as just a ball of yarn would soon become a beautiful sweater, pair of slippers or beanie hat to keep my head warm. Understand you are beautiful because God knitted you together.
O as we begin the New Year I want you to think on that for a moment.
You may not know the name Tyler Trent. But let me tell you a few things about him: He liked Mahi Mahi: grilled, not blackened. And he liked Starbucks coffee: something with peppermint, preferably. He liked pizza – thin, not thick – and popsicles. And Pepsi Max.
Toward the end, with the cancerous tumor eating into his lower back and then spreading all over his body, Tyler didn’t have control over much. A bag hung next to his bed, connected by a tube to kidneys that weren’t functioning on their own. His legs weren’t working. Or his left arm. But with his right hand he could type on his phone.
And he could eat. Lord, could he eat. Doughnuts with sprinkles. Waffle fries from Bub’s Burgers, extra marshmallow sauce. Pancakes. Sweet tea, no ice. Those are just some of the items I brought Tyler over the past few months. It was our ritual: “Tyler,” I’d text. “I’m coming to see you.”
Two McDonald’s breakfast burritos for $2, he’d text back, with a smiling emoji.
“Tyler,” I’d text another time. “See you in an hour.”
Black cherry malt.
You don’t have cancer, I told Tyler one time. You have a tapeworm.
You’re not dying, I told him another time. You’re pregnant.
He smiled. Always, he smiled. Want to feel like a hero? Make Tyler Trent smile. Those are the words of Jack Doyle a sports writer in Indianapolis.
You may have heard of Tyler Trent, if you have it’s because he was in the news recently. Tyler 20 years old a student at Purdue University loved his boil makers.
Tyler fighting was also fighting cancer for the third time in his life and wanted badly to be at the Purdue vs Ohio State university football game.
Now I know not many of you are big football fans, but Tyler did get to go to that game. Not only did he go but he was on the sideline and got to watch his beloved Boil Makers beat the buckeyes of Ohio State.
When the game was over every staff member, player and coach came by Tyler and told him he was the reason they won the game. Tyler smiled at them and said Boil up and hammer down, that’s the Purdue university chant.
Pretty cool story right?
Well it doesn’t end there. You see we’ll only see his smile in pictures, now. He’s forever 20, now that his battle with cancer has ended. Last Tuesday evening, surrounded by family at his home in Carmel. The former Purdue student’s fight and resolve and optimism which was intoxicating, uplifting and remarkable came to an end.
But his story does not end with his death. He was the honorary captain at the Music City Bowl in Nashville Tennessee where his Boil Makers lost to Auburn 63 to 14.
It was shortly after he saw his team beat that he said “I just want it to matter”
He wasn’t talking about the game, he wasn’t talking about the popularity he had gained over the last three months of his life and he wasn’t talking about the fact his team gave him the credit for beating their arch rival.
No Tyler Trent was talking more about his life and his fight with cancer.
As I stated earlier this was his third fight with cancer. He had won two rounds but would loose the third and he wanted it all to matter.
He wanted it to matter so much that he left much of his body and DNA to have research done to help find a cure for the type of juvenile cancer that he had fought with since age 10.
So what about you? I know some of you have faced cancer and won, some of you have had loved ones that faced it and lost and for that I deeply saddened.
But what about you, do you really and truly want your life to matter?
I want you to think back to our scriptures that we read at the beginning of this sermon. Not if, but BECAUSE God knew you before you were born, because HE knitted you together you have worth. I have preached on that before. It is my hope that you believe that.
It does not matter how much money you have in your pocket or bank account right now, the type of car you drive, the clothes you wear or the house you live in that gives you worth. It is the fact that God created you is what gives you your worth. And you are more valuable than gold.
But does your life matter? Are you making it matter? Because you have worth because you were created by a loving God the answer is yes you matter.
But you can do more. You can show other people that you believe in the one true God.
How many of you openly pray when you are at a restaurant? I am not talking about bowing your head and saying a silent prayer. I am talking about opening your mouth and audibly praying. When you do that people notice, you are making your life matter.
How many of you truly trust God with your money? If you did you would tithe the full tenth. Giving is not tithing. Because you may not like how the Church is spending God’s money you withhold a portion or you don’t tithe at all. When you tithe, when you give the tenth you are making your life matter, because you are saying I trust you God, I trust you with everything that you have already given me..
How many of you are reading the Bible? How many of you have family time where you read the Bible together? Don’t tell me you don’t have time. If you have time to run and play ball, do scouts, dance or any other activity you have time to read the Bible together. When you read the bible as a family you are making your life count.
I can’t help but think of Matthew 7:16 -20: 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
If you want a life that matters your life will be one that bears good, ripe, juicy fruit.
You know I can stand up here until I am blue in the face and preach that you were made by a loving God and that you have worth no matter your circumstances, but until you believe that, you will have a hard time making your life matter.
Invitation and pray as led.
