“Make It Simple:Facing the Truth”

In the news these days we hear again and again about hoarders, folks who have a problem with the things they possess, whether material goods, or animals, or papers, or whatever. For whatever reason, they aren’t able to control the urge to hang on to everything they own, until pretty soon, their possessions begin to possess them. Often there are tragic consequences, such as the cases where hundreds of dogs or cats are found living in filthy surroundings, or where homes are so filled with trash that they become dangerous firetraps.

Whatever the circumstances, the basic problem is the same – the space that these folks have in which to live their lives is so crowded, so trashed, that life becomes unlivable. And this situation becomes a metaphor, a picture if you will, of the lives that many of us live in this world. As we continue our series on “making it simple,” let’s force ourselves to face the truth about our own lives, our own situa-tions, the hoarding that we do which crowds out the purpose that God has for us in living and in life.

Let’s start with a basic metaphor: “Life is a container.” We begin our lives with an empty box – Scripture says that “we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out.” But almost immediately, we begin to fill that box with things, with thoughts and ideas and material goods, some of them worthless and some of great value. I was reminded of this yesterday as we attended the birthday party of a two-year-old and watched her open her gifts. Package after package was torn open, toy after toy was glanced at, then cast aside as Mommy and Daddy and others urged, “Come on, honey, more presents to open.” Pretty soon, the room was littered with gifts, the child had become tired and confused, and the party was over. But at Christmas and the next birthday and days in between, there will be more to come.

Our lives are containers, and our bodies are containers. We put things in, things like food and water and air, and those things serve their purpose and they come out. That of course is a part of nature, but many of the things that come in and out of our lives aren’t as tangible as those things. Even so, where do we find ourselves without them? Think of the expressions we use when things and people come and go: “Her life is so empty since her husband died.” “He is so full of himself.” “The house seems so empty since she went away to college.” “Since he’s been sick, he seems like just an empty shell.” Life is a container, our bodies are containers, and when those containers are too empty or too full, our lives are out of balance.

Writing about Jesus in Philippians 2, Paul says that Jesus “emptied himself”. What could that possibly mean? Some writers have commented on these words by saying that Paul is talking about the humility of Jesus, Jesus giving up his divine power and authority and setting it aside. But could we take that saying about Jesus and use it to ask some questions about ourselves? When do you and I empty a box? Might it be when there is something in that box that is precious to us, and we want to give it away? I’ve known family members who doled out their precious things, day after day and year after year, so they could have the joy of seeing their loved ones get pleasure and use out of the things they treasured.

We might also empty that box when we have more than enough, and so we want to give away our surplus. We have more food than we need, so we give to the food pantry. Our clothes closets are overflowing, so we fill a bag and deliver it to the Salvation Army. Or we might empty that box as a sign of hospitality. Guests are coming to stay, so we empty a drawer or clear out a closet to allow them to have the space that they need. What are the things that fill the box of your life? What have you taken out to share with others? And what is going to fill the space that you have made?

Jesus emptied himself, Paul says – he did not regard equality with God as some-thing to be exploited. Jesus could have kept that equality with God, hoarded it like a treasure, locked it away never to be used or shared – but he didn’t. Jesus took on our humanity – he emptied his closet of all the regal trappings of divine king-ship, and gave them all away, and of his own free will, he dressed like one of us. Jesus wouldn’t be a name-dropper – he would never presume to use his position to glorify himself. Although he could have had nothing but the best, could have made a fortune, could have been the richest of the rich and the most powerful of them all, he chose to live as the poorest and the lowest and the least.

What did Jesus have to give away? Things like grace and power, forgiveness and love, healing and hope. In his life and death, in his preaching and healing, in his suffering and compassion, everything that he had to give has touched our lives. Jesus touched us, and we were healed. The power went out from him, and it has continued to flow throughout the years. Jesus taught us not to be afraid of empty-ness, because he could fill that emptiness with himself.

And so, dear friends, we need to face the truth this day, the truth about Jesus and the truth about us. We can stuff ourselves full of the finest food and the richest goods, but until we follow Jesus, we have nothing at all. Jesus emptied himself so that your life and my life would not be empty, so that all that we do would not be in vain. Jesus emptied himself in humanity and suffering and death so that God could fill him with an exalted name, so that all creation could worship and confess his Lordship and give glory to God.

And Jesus emptied himself so that he could give away all of those divine gifts, so that we might discover that in his service, our lives take on meaning and joy. Face the truth, brothers and sisters – can anything else in the container of your life give you the same meaning and the same joy? Can you afford to empty yourself of all that stuff that you’ve been hoarding, to let it all go and let God do his wonderful work in you, filling you up with all the joy and the peace and the freedom of Jesus?

Paul says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for God is at work in you.” After a good workout, our bodies are cleansed, emptied of toxins and made ready for action – isn’t that how we want to be so that God can be at work in us? Yesterday Bp Hanson urged us to find our voices, to climb up to a mountain-top and tell the world, “Here is your God!” Now that’s a workout! In order to make that climb, we need to face the truth, to unload the baggage we’ve been hoarding, to empty ourselves as Christ emptied himself, so that we can be filled with the power and purpose of God. Let’s face it – let’s make it simple – let’s empty the box and be filled again today, as Jesus fills us with himself, in Jesus’ name. Amen.