THE THREE DIMENSIONS OF JESUS' LIFE

The great civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we commemorate on Monday, was, first and foremost a minister and a preacher.  One of his most notable sermons was delivered at the New Covenant Baptist Church in Chicago on April 9, 1967 and was entitled "The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life."  His sermon was based upon the Book of Revelations, Book 21, which speaks, in part, of the holy city, Jerusalem. "...coming down from God out of heaven."  Revelations describes the city as follows: "The length and breadth and height of it are equal."  Dr. King concludes from this that the city was balanced, and, therefore, complete.  Dr. King then draws the analogy to our own lives, holding that our lives are not complete or balanced unless our length, our breadth and our height are equal.  Our length, he says, is our inward concern for our own welfare; our ability to fully develop our God-given gifts and talents and abilities.  Our breadth is our outward concern, he says, for the welfare of others.  And our height is the upward reach for God. When these three dimensions of our lives are equal, we are then complete.

Coincidentally, the gospel for the Sunday immediately before Dr. King's holiday shows us these three dimensions in Jesus' life.  In the mere eight lines of this brief gospel we hear Jesus referred to by three different titles:  Rabbi/Teacher, Lamb of God, and the Messiah.  His length, his breath, and his height.   LENGTH:  Rabbi/Teacher.  That is what he was called to do in his earthly life; this is how he took care of his own well being and how he used the gifts and talents the God instilled in him.  BREADTH:  Lamb of God.  That shows Jesus' concerns for others by giving of himself, making sacrifices, even unto death.  For us.  HEIGHT:  The Messiah.  Jesus came from God, giving glory to God, and brings us into relationship with God, making Him Our Father.

Our lives can easily become unbalanced if any one of these dimensions becomes greater or lesser than the others.  This is most easily understood with the dimension of length.  If we focus too much on ourselves, we can too easily become less concerned for the welfare of others and less concerned with our relationship with God.  Breadth?  Yes, that too.  Perhaps we try too hard to always be there for others, to do more for others., to be everything for everybody. That might seem like a good thing, but it may not always be so.  It can lead to burnout - which throws our length (our concern for our own well being) out of whack.  Perhaps we seek to do (or overdo) for others out of a sense of piety or guilt.  If we do so because we feel we have to then, again, we are thrown off balance.  Remember what St. Paul told us.  We can do great things - even move mountains - but if it is done out of a sense of obligation, not love, then it is empty.  Height?  It is difficult to think that we can concentrate too much on our relationship with God.  There can never be enough effort expended in that regard, right?  Well, I think of the song "If I Were a Rich Man" from the Broadway musical, "Fiddler on The Roof," where Tevye fantasizes about being so rich he can spend all his day in the synagogue praying and reading and learning.  Sounds nice.  But if we focus so much on our relationship with God that we neglect the needs of those around us (and our own needs) then what kind of faith is that?  As our Holy Father Pope Francis so eloquently says, "You pray for the hungry.  Then you feed them.  This is how prayer works."  

Now all this may sound like it's just a simple intellectual exercise, but each one of us knows the truth of this from experience.  How often do we say that we just don't feel right?  That something is off; something is wrong.  That is a sign that one of our dimensions may be unbalanced.  Have you ever been dealing with a very difficult and trying situation, yet experienced a sense of peace and joy - a completeness?  Now that  is a sign of balance.  But when we are experiencing a sense of unrest, maybe too much anger,  too much confusion, or if we seem lost, out of place., then maybe that's a sign that one of our dimensions has become unequal to the others.  But if we surrender ourselves to Jesus, he will restore that balance, in accordance with our needs. If we are confused, the Teacher may restore us through His teachings.  If we feel unloved, the Lamb of God may restore us through His sacrificial and loving sacrifice.  If we feel alone or abandoned, The Messiah might strengthen our relationship with God and God's family.  Let each one of us pay attention to what is going on inside, give ourselves over to the Lord, and regain the balance in our lives that the Lord wants so much for us.

"Call Me Ishmael"

 

Get a little closer.

 This weeks gospel Mark 1:7-11 John the Baptist is performing Baptism when he announces that Jesus is coming.  He says “'After me is coming someone who is more powerful than me” Soon after that, Jesus was baptized by John and as Jesus came out of the water a voice from heaven   says “'You are my Son, the Beloved; my favor rests on you.” Today I want you to think about what it means to have God’s favor rest on you. What does God’s favor mean to you? Does it mean always getting what you want? Does God’s favor mean that you don’t have hard times in life? I’d like to consider that God’s favor means nothing more than a close relationship that only you can have with God.  A direct link to your God that only you can understand.  I say this because in my opinion there is no greater gift  or favor that God can offer than a personal relationship with the him. Nothing on this earth can compare to what you get when you’re in relationship with the lord. A relationship that isn’t just about praying for things.  I’m talking about a relationship that involves learning and understanding  that God has a plan for your life and it is up to him how it unfolds. The beauty of this kind of favor is that God simply gives it to you.  You don’t need to to be perfect, or the worlds best Christian. You  just need to accept Christ in your life. 

I know of this young man that always seems to land on his feet.  Early last year before the pandemic kicked in,  he was let go from his job.   He had recently purchased a home. He had a wife and a young child to support and his job seemed secure. Well, all of that changed in instant.  All of his friends and family were in shock to hear that he was let go but   and they all offered to help him out if he needed. He refused to get help from anyone. This young  man was so confident that God wasn’t going to give him more than he was able to handle.  He never complained about losing his job. Not once did I hear him say that he was worried about his finances.  He had something special that kept him in good spirits. He had relationship with the lord. Most to this young mans life is devoted to having God at the center of his life.  He speaks to his friends, family and co workers about all of the wonderful things that the lord has done for him all the time.   He always speaks of the relationship that he has with the lord. Recently, I found out that is young man is doing better than ever. A little while ago a company called him in for  an interview shortly after  they hired him. He is now in a job that he wanted before he was let go from his previous job.  I won’t say that God magically got this young man his job.  What I will say is that when most people would have panicked  he maintained his relationship with the lord.  He never once doubted  (at least to me) that the lord was going to be there for him. 

I truly don’t believe that you can live a fulfilled Christian life if you don’t make time to get close to God.  A relationship with the lord brings you through life challenges with the right perspective. You  get to see that Gods’s work isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always exactly what you want but it is what you need. In the Gospel God reminded Jesus that Gods favor rested on him.  Some people say that God was  really speaking to Jesus’s onlookers. Maybe that was the case.  Maybe God does  displays what his  favor looks like to other people so they  can want the same for themselves. I can tell you that after seeing how this young man maintained faith in a dark time. I’d like to get a little closer to the lord myself.  How about you? How much better can your relationship with the lord get?