The Puzzle of Life

Reading: Luke 11:33-44

Aim: To encourage the congregation to face life’s problems by becoming open-minded, ready to give as well as receive, in order to help others, whoever they are.

Resources: A complex puzzle, e.g. Rubik’s Cube

What do we have to do to solve a complicated puzzle?

A very good way to tackle a puzzle is to do it in reverse. Then we can understand how it works. The trouble with that is we might get distracted along the way and forget where we got to. So now we’ve not only got the original puzzle, but, also, lots of new problems that we’ve created by getting lost.

What we need to do is fragment the puzzle into ‘bite-sized’ solutions which give us time to reflect on what we have achieved and how to continue to make progress. So with perseverance, we will solve the puzzle . . . . . . . we hope!!!

Many problems in life can be like a puzzle with no obvious solution; we can try as hard as we like to make things better, but we only end up getting in a bigger mess. Does that sound familiar?

How many of us have been fed with so many half truths that we become confused with who we are and we feel as though we have no identity? People claim how wonderful we are, then, in the next breath they condemn us.

How many of us feel as though we are on an emotional rollercoaster: one moment ecstatically happy; the next plunged into the depths of despair? Then nobody wants to know us because we are so inconsistent.

How many of us have risen to face a busy day and rushed around from morning to night only to become so worn out that there is no energy left for family and friends? Perhaps you’re suffering, or have suffered from some kind of illness. Whether it’s a cold or cancer, we still feel as though no one understands our pain.

How many of us feel an aching in our hearts. Maybe we feel as though we’ve let God down; or, even, God has let us down!!!!

What a tangled confused mess we must be!

The problems and tangles of our lives are an outward sign of what the bible calls sin. And as we struggle to sort out our own little mess, we very often forget that everyone else is in the same boat.

Jesus’ main concern was people: whoever they were or whatever their circumstance. Rich or poor, good or bad; Jesus loved them. He loved the Pharisees as much as he loved his disciples. He loved Judas Iscariot as much as he loved his own mother. But most importantly he loved those alienated from God by sin, as much as he loves his chosen servants. Where ever Jesus spoke he gave people hope. He didn’t preach at them as though they were objects. He understood their hopes and fears.

Luke quotes Jesus saying, “When your eyes are good, your whole body is also full of light, but when they are bad, your body is also full of darkness.” It seems our eyes are like the windows in our houses. At night the light from our room spreads into the darkness, illuminating a small area outside. Yet in the daytime we don’t need our puny light bulbs because the greater light from the sun floods through our windows, filling our room with a greater light. However, if we chose to close our curtains, none of our light can reach out into the darkness at night, nor can the sun penetrate the shutters into our private little world. If we try to see the whole picture, instead of being blinkered by appearances or social status, maybe we’ll see past the mask of protection that protects us from being hurt. Prejudice is a crime we all suffer from. Offering a listening ear to some one who we are afraid to talk to or don’t want to associate with may help us realise that they are just as confused as we are, just with different priorities. Then by opening our eyes, we may be able to shine a little goodness to a world that certainly needs it. Who know, we may even smooth off a few of the rough edges of our own puzzle of life. But if we shut our eyes from what we see, we’ll soon be back to square one; but this time the selfish ‘I don’t’ want to know’ attitude will add a new set of even more complicated problems. Soon they will snowball out of control and start to roll in the wrong direction.

If we think of people as being like the bowl described in the reading from Luke, we begin to understand how important it is to not only receive God’s grace, but, also, to give grace to others. When Jesus hung on the cross, he was sentenced to a villain’s death and would have looked as vile and wretched as the thieves either side of him. Though Jesus made his message graphically clear in the manner which he lived and died, he never chose to glorify himself. Even as the most monumentally important person to have ever walked this earth, he had the humility to wash his followers’ feet. He recognised our need and knew what the solution was. To discover God for ourselves!

All of us are the dish that Luke recalls. We cover our innermost feelings and put on a brave face, when deep inside we want to cry out, “It’s me! I’m here! I have needs too!” If we are to begin to tackle our own problems we’ve got to see Jesus for who he really is and what he stands for. We need to see past the hardened exterior of people to discover their hidden needs. Let’s remember that everyone is a fellow human being regardless of race, colour, creed or political persuasion. It’s our job to treat them the same we as we would like to be treated. We should reach out to those around us; not only within our families and friends, but also within the church and the greater community in which we live. The church is hungry for this kind of fellowship. The church as a body of people should aim to become the heartbeat and conscience of our community. How else can we perpetuate this great commission?

Do we talk to God? Do we share our innermost thoughts, needs and actions with him? Regular communication with our creator will help us to know his desire for us. By daily reading and studying his word and constant prayer we will draw closer to God. When was the last time you rejoiced with God when sharing good news. When was the last time you cried before him because your heart was broken at the loss of a loved one? By having a humble heart we too can become transmitters of life as well as receivers. Only then can we start to nourish others with all the good inside us.

The overwhelming puzzle of life may seem impossible to solve, but as long as we keep chipping away at it and learn from our mistakes, we will be able to draw closer to God.

Are we prepared to share ourselves with others?

If we revealed the contents of our lives through our eyes, would we like what we saw?

Do we harbour love or bitterness in our hearts?

Do we get so wrapped up in our own problems that we shut out people who need our special talents?

When life gets tough and the problem seems to have no solution, why not consider this statement:

Has God forgotten me, or have I forgotten God?

Whose Side Are You On?

Readings:  Joshua 5:13-6:5
                  Romans 8:28-39

Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s it all for?”?

“Why does everything I hope for never happen?”

“Why do I have to make so many compromises to my dreams, always experiencing second best?”

Have you ever asked yourself, “Why do I bother?”?

Why bother being kind when the overwhelming response is contempt and hatred? Nobody likes a busy body…….. do they???

People who show a complete disregard for others lives and toss them aside like a used sweet wrapper. How angry does that make you feel?

Pictures in the media show an emancipated child with xylophone ribs holding out an empty bowl, while our world leaders are literally throwing away grain for economic reasons. Does that distress you?

Have you ever asked yourself, “What’s it all for?”?

Have you ever questioned the reality of an immortal invisible God?

I have!!!

In the face of life’s misfortunes and calamities do call out in anguish and despair, “Whose side are you on?”

Do you long to see an end to heartache, injustice, poverty, hatred, war. . . . .

I do!

So what is God’s reply?

How does he answer our plea?

Does he hear or ignore; act or do nothing?

Or are we expecting God to mop up our mess because we don’t know how to deal with it?

We have all either had, are going through, or know we will face, unfaceable problems for which there seems no painless solution. Still we sometimes blame God and say, “He has turned his face against us!” when the truth is, IT IS US WHO HAVE TURNED AGAINST GOD!

Whose side are WE on?

As a teacher I sometimes get problems brought to me. Some may be trivial, others quite serious, but all are important because to that student it’s a matter of life and death!! Hearing the problem is the easy part. It soon becomes complicated when it’s obvious the student wants me to take sides against another student, or even a fellow teacher. Now what should I do?

Let’s briefly consider this story of Joshua on the verge of attacking Jericho. So far everything was going well. They’d won many battles, crossed the River Jordan and had tasted the land of ‘milk and honey’ for the first time; but ahead loomed the mighty walls of Jericho. How could Joshua defeat such a stronghold?

One day Joshua was probably reviewing the situation when he saw a warrior. So he asked them the famous question, “Friend or Foe?” and the curious answer was, “Neither!”

How is it possible to be on neither side?  Why does the commander of God’s army choose to take neither side? Is God really impartial when his people need him?

This brings me back to my pupil . . . . .
Whose side should I take; the victim or the accused?
Who is right? Who is wrong?
The answer in Joshua’s case was that God favoured neither side because both sides are his creation, as we too are God’s creation and he loved both sides, just as he loves us all. BUT HE HAS EXPECTATIONS!

We must love him above all else and love each other equally.

Jericho’s problem was they didn’t love God, they worshipped idols, so the walls of doubt and apostasy must come tumbling down so that God’s true nature could be seen.

The warrior was on God’s side. He didn’t place one principality over another. He served no kingdom gained by human endeavour. He served the living God.
As the story of Joshua unfolds we see how when Joshua sought to be on God’s side he defeated many stumbling blocks that stood in the way of God’s kingdom on earth. But when he turned away from God the wall began to raise once more.

We too have to break down or push aside the stumbling blocks in our lives. We have to defeat the stumbling blocks of doubt, hat, deceit, falsehood, greed, selfishness, envy and any such vices that would block out God’s will for us. How are we expected to see God’s promised land, if there is a mountain of confusion obscuring our view?

Let me give you an illustration of what I mean . . . .

Some years ago Tamara and I bought a house. It was a new house. We watched it being built. Decorated it, furnished it and everything looked good until you ventured into the back garden. Or should I say jungle! So I hacked it down, raked it over, sowed the grass seed, watered it and waited . . . .
Then at last some green shoots emerged. They grew strong and vibrant and before you knew it . . . . I was hacking the jungle down again. Not a blade of grass in sight!

Was it the seed that was bad or was it the soil?

The seed was guaranteed, it said so on the packet, and surely if weeds could grow with such vigour then the soil must be fertile. All things considered the seed should have grown.

So what had I done wrong?

You’ve got it! The reason the weeds came back is because I never dug them up in the first place. So when the shoots of good seed sprung up the were starved and choked by the well established weeds.

I hadn’t prepared the soil properly!

How true this is of our lives. We don’t prepare the fabric of our lives properly. We don’t always dig out the weeds that would choke us. We often cling on to the very things that drag us down and cause us to cry out to God, “Whose side are you on?”

So let’s concentrate on preparing the soil of our lives thoroughly. We need to dig out the weeds that cause us to stumble and obscure our view so that we can achieve our full potential as servants of God’s kingdom. Don’t be deterred.

Talk to God; share your life with Him. Don’t just request things when they are needed. Tell Him about everything. When you’re happy or sad, excited or dejected. Be grateful for all He is and has done and will do. Choose to be on God’s side and things will gradually fall into perspective.

Read about God in the Bible. Learn about how others discovered the nature of our Creator and share in the life He gives today. Rediscover Jesus again and cherish Him in your heart. How can we even begin to know the reality of God if we only peer through the letter box? Open the door of life and experience the tangible God. Reach out and touch Him. Let His love enfold you and know the truth of the words of Paul that . . .
Neither death nor life,
Neither angels nor demons
Neither present nor future, nor any powers,
Neither height nor depth,
Nor anything else in all creation
Shall separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Though the complexities of our life may seem unfathomable, hold on to those words, “Nothing shall separate us from the love of God.

Make ready the soil of your lives and it will allow the seed of God’s unfathomable love to bear fruit the like of which you have never seen or dreamt of.
“What’s it all about?”
“Why do I bother?”

We can defeat such sayings when we are on God’s side. If we act in the will of God we are more than conquerors because any problem will seem as nothing when compared to the joy of knowing that God will never leave us nor will anything ever take God’s love for us away.

Choose to follow God with all your strength
And he will make sense of this crazy world.

Choose to follow Jesus to become more like Him
And the person you become will draw people to you.

Choose to allow the Holy Spirit to guide you through life
And you will never be alone.

Let’s make a difference in this hurting world by sharing Jesus in al we are. Offer life to everyone.