FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, ATLANTA, GEORGIA

Sermon by Dr. George Bryant Wirth

 

July 28, 2002

 

THE WONDER OF IT ALL

 

Scripture:  Psalm 19; Matthew 6:25-34

 

Text:  This is the day which the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

 

                                                                             Psalm 118:24

 

INTRODUCTION

 

Last month, just before the beginning of our vacation, I was rushing out the door with a cup of coffee in one hand and my briefcase in the other, headed toward the church for a breakfast meeting.  I was thinking about the laundry list of things that needed to be accomplished that day when suddenly, I stopped in my tracks and looked down into the backyard.

 

Barbara put a birdfeeder there some months ago, but the squirrels found it and claimed that territory as their own domain.  So Barbara installed a squirrel proof shield on the pole to correct the situation, and what I saw that morning was a revelation to me!

 

The birds, sitting atop the birdfeeder, were singing and pecking away at the seeds to their hearts content…and every now and then, dropping some of those seeds down to the ground where the squirrels were waiting to enjoy them too.  You see, there was more than enough for all of those creatures, and the birds had decided to share their food with the squirrels.

 

I watched for a few minutes, then came over to the church and contemplated that scene during the rest of the day.  Later that evening, at the Session meeting with new members, I told the story to everyone as we gathered for worship in the chapel.  And the text which came to mind was from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, when He said, Look at the birds of the air.  They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns.  And yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  (Matthew 6:26)

 

The thought occurred to me back then, and I have been thinking about it ever since, that God has given us a wonderful world in which to live and provided us with more than enough of everything to go around.  If, like those squirrels, we try to keep it all to ourselves, then others are going to be left out.  But if we share what we have received, as those birds were willing to do, then many more people on this earth would have what they need.

 

So Look at – consider the birds, said Jesus.  God takes good care of them, and surely God will take care of you.  Therefore, He concluded, do not be anxious about what you shall eat or drink or wear.  Because your Heavenly Father knows that you need those things (Matthew 6:31-32).  And that, my friends, is The Wonder of it All.

 

I.

 

Sad to say, some of us, perhaps far too many of us, don’t often take the time to consider or pay attention to the wonder of God’s creation.  Why?  Because we have meetings to attend, appointments to keep, long lists of things to do and as Robert Frost once put it, “miles to go before we sleep.”

 

To be sure, our work is important and the tasks we have to accomplish require time and energy and effort.  But when the things that we do become all consuming, when we sense the overwhelming feeling of being overloaded and our stress level hits the ceiling, when our “lives are like over packed suitcases, bursting at the seams” (Henri Nouwen, “Making All Things New,” Harper and Row, 1981, page 23), and we see the signs of physical, emotional and spiritual fatigue, then we are going to miss out on the wonder of all that God has made.

 

Halford Luccock, writing a generation ago in The Christian Century magazine, described the dilemma with this poem which I think ought to be posted on every refrigerator door today: 

 

“If your nose is close to the grindstone rough, and you hold it down there long enough, in time you’ll say that there’s no such thing as brooks that babble and birds that sing.  These three things will all your world compose: just you, the grindstone and your sore old nose.”

 

And it is precisely then that we need to listen again to Jesus, who still says to us, Consider the birds…consider the lilies…do not be anxious about all those other things, for your Heavenly Father knows what you need.  The question, of course, is “Can we do that?  Can we take the time and make the time to consider and pay attention to the wonder of God’s creation all around us?”

 

II.

 

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the word “vacation” means “rest, respite, intermission…a period of freedom from work, a time of recreation.”  Well, as you know, Noah Webster didn’t think that up by himself.  It comes originally from the Bible, the book of Genesis, chapter 2, where it says that on the seventh day of creation, God finished His work…and rested…so God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, because on it, God rested from all the work which He had done… (Genesis 2:2-3).

 

Now it seems to me that if God Almighty needed a vacation, then so do we!  It might be a week at the lake or the beach, or some time up in the mountains, or a trip with your family, or a few days in a quiet place where you can read and sleep and re-charge your batteries.

 

I get concerned about those who say, “I just can’t get away this summer,” because I don’t think we’re talking about a luxury here.  We’re talking about something that is essential, about taking a break from business as usual to restore our bodies and souls, to focus our attention on the people whom we claim to love the most and to consider the beauty and the glory of God’s creation.

 

That is why I am so grateful to this church for allowing me the time to be up in New York State at Chautauqua Lake where I can read and write and plan and prepare for the worship and preaching ministry that will take us on through into the summer of next year.

 

I also like to fly fish for bass, watch the sun rise over the lake, listen to the wind blow through the trees and feel the temperature drop and a gentle rainfall in the evening.  The first few verses of Psalm 19 come alive for me at Chautauqua:  The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork.  Day to day pours forth speech and night to night declares knowledge…their voice goes out through all the earth and their words to the end of the world.  That is what I have seen and heard in that sacred place for more than 25 years, and every summer at Chautauqua, I am overwhelmed by The Wonder of it All!

 

Moreover, this vacation has afforded me the time to pay attention to my family and friends.  Barbara and I are learning to play golf together, which is actually a lot of fun, as long as I don’t try to give her instructions.  We celebrated the 4th of July weekend with our daughter Aly and son Matthew, who continue to amaze and delight us as they grow up into young adulthood.  I officiated at a wedding here in Atlanta for a dazzling young couple who are just beginning their journey in marriage, and returned to Pittsburgh for a surprise party as two of our closest friends rejoiced in their 50th wedding anniversary.

 

I heard at that party one of my favorite stories about a 75-year-old man who went to his doctor for a physical examination.  The doctor examined him and couldn’t find anything wrong.  He said, “It’s amazing!  You really have the body of a man 25 years younger.  What’s your secret?”

 

The man replied, “Well, when my wife and I were married 50 years ago, we made an agreement.  We decided that we would never quarrel.  So when we have a difference of opinion and it causes friction, and we can see a fight coming on, she just stays in the house and I go out for a long walk.  I guess my good health is due to the fact that for 50 years I’ve pretty much lived an outdoor life.”

 

I like that story, and let me tell you, those friends celebrating their 50th anniversary are as much in love today as they were when they began!

 

Those were all joyful occasions, but this summer has been mixed with sorrow as I participated in the funeral services for two men who were leaders in Pittsburgh and in the Presbyterian Church of Sewickley.  Both of them were on the pulpit committee that called us there in 1977, and as I stood beside their families with tears in my eyes, I realized the profound influence that both of them had on my life.

 

Now The Wonder of it All is that those relationships with our spouses and children, with our family members and friends – those relationships are gifts from God, and we need to pay attention to them.  So before this summer is over, I encourage you to make the time and take the time for the people whom you treasure.  Let them know how much they mean to you, and open your arms and hearts to receive their warm embrace in return.  Life is too short and people are too precious to miss the love and joy and fulfillment which the Lord intends for us.  So don’t miss it, my friends.  Don’t miss it!

 

 

 

 

III.

 

On this final Sunday in July, we are talking together about how Jesus told us to pay attention to the wonder of this world all around us and to the importance of the relationships between us.  And that leads to one last thought about the opportunity we have as Christians to spend our lives on something that will outlast us.

 

That phrase was coined by the philosopher William James and it runs against the grain of something that the late and not so great New York restaurateur Billy Rose once said: “Never invest in anything that eats or needs to be repaired.”

 

Well William James was right and Billy Rose was wrong.  Because as Christians, we have all been called to share our resources with those in need and to spend our lives on something that will outlast us.

 

During the past week, some members of this congregation and our church staff, together with a number of leaders from The Westminster Schools, went on a mission trip to Kenya.  As we were flying over there, I read the Time magazine article written by Michael Lemonick and Andrea Dorfman  about a discovery made not far from Kenya.  They found the fossil bones of the Sahelanthropus tchadensis, probably part of the human evolution all the way back to seven million years ago.  And I was reading that article as we headed by Delta and British Air to Kenya, where over the past ten years we have been privileged to develop a partnership with the Presbyterian Church in East Africa.

 

It began with Kenyan ministers studying in our Atlanta seminaries, many of whom are sitting here today.  They have been able to teach us a great deal about church growth and evangelism, and we have been given the opportunity to share our resources with them in helping to support a hospital and build a Presbyterian college and theological seminary in Kikuyu.

 

Our Session has also voted to establish a sister relationship with the St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Nairobi, a congregation of almost 3000 people who have a vision for ministry and mission in their city and across their nation.  It was good for us last week to talk with the leaders of that congregation and their entire Denomination - 4 million strong - about the possibilities which God holds in store for us in the future.

 

But the primary focus of this mission trip was to spend our time north of Nairobi in Nyeri at Mt. Kenya Academy, a Christian school that was founded more than 20 years ago and has been connected with Westminster here in Atlanta since the beginning.

 

In 1996, 20 of us from First Presbyterian Church visited the campus, and one of our members was so inspired by the spirit and enthusiasm among the students, faculty and administration that gifts have been provided to build Grace Chapel which was dedicated in 1999, and Westminster House for the school chaplain and a student assistant, which we dedicated last Wednesday.

 

During the next several years, a senior school will be constructed on an adjacent property which has already been purchased and was once a coffee plantation called “Zawadi” – the Swahili word for “gift.”  By the grace of God, it is yet another gift that our church will be fortunate to celebrate and dedicate when the new senior school campus is completed.  And The Wonder of it All is that we, as Christians, have the opportunity to spend our lives on something that will outlast us.

 

CONCLUSION

 

Now I don’t know what the summer of 2002 has been like for you.  If you’ve been able to get away for some rest and relaxation, I hope you enjoyed it.  If not, during the month of August or over Labor Day, I pray that you will try to do it.  As for me thus far, I have been overwhelmed by The Wonder of it All – the awesome beauty of God’s creation, the opportunity to spend time with family and friends and the mission trip to Africa which has reminded me all over again that we can spend our lives on something that will outlast us.

 

I think that’s what Jesus meant when He told us, Look at the birds…consider the lilies of the field…and not to be anxious about what you shall eat or drink or wear.  For your Heavenly Father knows what you need.  This morning, as I walked out the back door, those birds were singing down in the yard and they are still dropping seeds to the squirrels.

 

It’s a wonderful world in which we live, in spite of all the pain and sorrow.  And as Christians who trust in God’s goodness and grace, I hope that all of us can say as we get up each morning, This is the day which the Lord has made.  Let us rejoice and be glad in it! (Psalm 118:24)

 

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.