First Lutheran Church
February 7, 2021
Super Bowl Sunday
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
The appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
Matthew 4:18-22
As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea--for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him.
“The Two Minute Sermon”
(Today’s sermon will be presented in the form of a “drama.” Here’s the script!)
Announcer: There's two minutes left in this incredible game and the score is tied. Both teams have been impressive today and with two minutes to go - this could go either way! The two-minute warning is over and we're ready to resume the action. Pastor Greg is in the pulpit and we're ready to go.
Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …
Pastor Greg: There is an urgency in today's readings. Paul writes, "the appointed time has grown short." And the disciples respond "immediately" when Jesus calls out to them, "follow me." (Pause) Time Out!
Referee: Time Out for the offense. You have one time out remaining.
(Clock shows 1:34 remaining in the game)
The Offense huddles up …
Pastor Greg: Let’s huddle up in a breakout room.
Deenna: What happened?
Pastor Greg: I didn't recognize the defensive alignment. They shifted some of their key players, and one was hidden in a three-point stance behind that person that sleeps all the time.
(Shot of person asleep in the pew)
Pastor Jasmine: OK that's a good time out. Let's try a new approach, see if we can catch them off guard.
Deena: How about a joke? That'll get them!
Pastor Greg: Yeah, but I don't think I have a joke for this situation.
Deenna: I do!
Pastor Jasmine: I don't know.
Deenna: No, I got a good one.
Pastor Greg: I don't know, remember the last time you told a joke.
Deenna: This time will be different, I got a good one.
(Pause)
Deenna: Come on team, let me give it the old college try.
Pastor Jasmine: Well, Ok, Let's do it.
Pastor Jasmine: We have a substitution. Deenna will be coming in to the game for Pastor Greg.
Announcer: That's a surprise, Deenna is coming into the game. She's a lot smaller than Pastor Greg. But don't let her size fool you. She can be extremely tough when she needs to be. It looks like she's ready to go.
Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …
Deenna: Once upon a time, there was this really inquisitive kid, and one day he picked up his parent's alarm clock and just through it out the window. His parents asked him, "Why'd you do that?" He responded, "I wanted to see time fly."
Referee: Incomplete pass. Clock stops with 1:05 remaining in the game.
Announcer: That was awful. She wasn't even close with that one.
Pastor Greg: Let’s huddle up again.
The Offense huddles up …
Pastor Greg: Well, that didn't work.
Pastor Jasmine: If we can't make them laugh, - let's scare them.
Deenna: Yeh, that'll work. They'll never suspect “that” in a Lutheran Church.
Pastor Greg: OK, go for it!
Announcer: Someone new is coming up to the pulpit. I don't recognize her. She's the newest member of the team, the Intern Pastor. She just joined the team a few months ago. We don't know much about her. Let's see what she's got!
Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …
Pastor Jasmine: Repent! Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand. The time is upon us, the day is almost over, judgment is near. Are you going to heaven, or are you going to Hell?
(Penalty flag is thrown)
Referee: We have a penalty against the offense, illegal doctrine - 15 yards. Clock stops with :52 remaining.
Announcer: The officials are on top of their game today. They caught them quickly on that one. The preacher is called to proclaim the good news of God's loving grace. And that was clearly an attempt to scare the defense into a relationship with Christ. I'm glad the official caught that one, there's no room for that kind of stuff here at First Lutheran Church. It's not a good strategy, even if it would have been allowed, that kind of preaching is never successful in the long run.
The Offense huddles up …
Pastor Greg: OK let's settle down, we're starting to panic.
Deenna: Let's review the situation.
Pastor Jasmine: It’s the beginning of a new year.
Deenna: People are beginning to make plans for the year.
Pastor Greg. They’re starting to think about life after the pandemic.
Pastor Jasmine: They’re hoping for a new beginning.
Deenna: Looking for new ways to use their time and resources.
Pastor Greg: Last year was tough and everybody wants to make the most out of this year.
Deenna: They all want to make the best of it.
Pastor Jasmine: Let’s go with a story on time management.
Pastor Greg: Great idea, do you have a story?
Pastor Jasmine: I do.
Pastor Greg: Let’s break this huddle and get back in the game! On three, 1, 2, 3, …
All: Go Team!
(Jasmine steps up to the pulpit)
Pastor Jasmine: There's nothing like watching a great quarterback move his team down the field to a winning touchdown in the last two minutes of a game. Tom Brady, Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees, and Aaron Rodgers have all been known to perform miracles in those last two minutes. Great quarterbacks are able to manage the last two minutes of a game. To do this they must know the situation, their talents, and the gifts of their team. They know where they are on the field, they keep track of the time, they remind others of the situation, they articulate the goal for rest of the team. They are focused. But even the greatest quarterback can't move the ball down the field by himself. It has to be a team effort. To get the most out of time, to accomplish your objective in life; - you need to know the situation, you need to know your goal, you need to know yourself, and most importantly you need to be a part of a team that is seeking after the same goal.
(Parishioners start pulling out their phone and begin to nervously scroll through their email, messages and calendar apps.)
Referee: We have a personal foul on the defense!
(Flag flies in front of person with phone)
Clock stops with :37 to go in the game
Announcer: They knocked the defense back on their heels with that one! They got caught pulling out their phone, checking their messages and their calendar. They looked nervous. And they weren't the only one, I saw quite a few of the defense players anxiously scrolling through their hand-held devices. The defense is getting worried. The momentum has begun to change.
The Offense huddles up …
Pastor Jasmine: OK we got them where we want them now.
Deenna: Let's go for a score.
Pastor Greg: No, not yet, we need to really set them up.
Deenna: Put me back in the game, Let’s see if we can wake up that those people who have fallen asleep.
(shot of people asleep in the pew)
Pastor Jasmine: Let's wake them up.
Announcer: It looks like Deenna’s coming pack into the pulpit. I don’t know what she’s up to, but you can bet she's not going to tell another joke!
Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …
Deenna: Time, do you realize how precious it is? There are 24 hours in a day, 168 hours in a week, and 8,736 hours in a year, by the time someone is 65 years old they will have lived 567, 840 hours. And if you sleep eight hours a day, and work 8 hours a day, you will lose two thirds of those hours, leaving only 189, 280 hours to be used freely in your life. I know it was a bad joke, but sometimes time really does seem to fly. It makes you wonder. How do you want to use the precious hours that make up your life?
Parishioner: Time Out!
Referee: Time out Defense. Clock stops with :05 seconds left.
Announcer: Ooh, that one hurt. You could hear the groans all the way up here in the announcers booth. The defense is in trouble now.
Parishioner: I'm afraid that they're right. There's so much more I want to do with my life. So many opportunities that I'll never have again. And during this past year, the pandemic stole so many hours from me. I wanted to use my time more creatively, but I ended up just watching more TV. I really wanted to do so much more. Where has all the time gone? What are we going to do?
The Offense huddles up …
Pastor Greg: OK now we're ready to score.
Pastor Jasmine: Let's run a gospel message right up the middle.
Deenna: They're all awake.
Pastor Jasmine: They're ready to hear it.
Pastor Greg: OK, Lets run an I-right, fullback lead, Gospel blast up the middle, on Two!
Ready, 1,2,3
All: Go Team!
Announcer: There's not too much time left only 5 seconds. This could be the game. Pastor Greg is back up in the pulpit, he's ready to go.
Referee blows whistle and starts the game clock …
Pastor Greg: In the world in which we live "time" can make us anxious, it can distort things, it can put pressure on us, and ultimately it can defeat us. It's called “Chronos” time, a straight line that moves ever so quickly forward. Yet there is another kind of time, God's time, “Kairos time,” the fullness of time.
Today God invites us to live in this time. For in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ we enter into a newness of time. Time becomes a gift. "To do lists" turn into opportunities instead of obligations. We are no longer pitted against the clock but instead are set free to live in the moments.
So how do we get to Kairos time, and how do we stay in it?
The fullness of time is a gift from God, a gift of faith. So, when we nurture our faith, we find ourselves in Kairos time. There are a few ways you can nurture your faith.
One, faith is nurtured in worship, in the hearing of God's word and the celebration of the sacraments. In moments of song, mystery, prayer, and silence our life is put back into perspective, we are able to focus, and be free. Faith takes over. Kairos time.
Two, our faith is nurtured by the gift of each other. A person is a person because of other people, the body of Christ, our life together, the powerful presence of God in our life lived out in community - nurtures our faith. Together we remind each other what is really important, we support each other's faithfulness. As we share our hopes and dreams, our struggles and pains with each other, faith becomes active, and we find ourselves in the fullness of time, open to the possibilities of God. Kairos time.
And Three, our faith is nurtured in acts of service, in loving our neighbors. Everything, including time, is put into perspective when we practice love, when we reach out to those in need, when we stretch our life into and beyond the margins. Life is not measured by Chronos time, but is truly measured by love, Kairos time.
So, may we all be drawn by the Spirit to worship, to community, and to service. And may these things awaken and strengthen our faith, setting us free to live in the fullness of time, God’s time, Kairos time. Amen!
(Referee signals touchdown)
(Game Clock shows :00)
The End!