"Do You Have a Backup Plan?" - Luke 12:32-40 - August 8, 2004

In our cars we carry spare tires. On my boat I always keep an extra gasoline can. In our home we keep flash lights and batteries unless the power goes out. It’s always a good idea to have a backup plan in case you need one. But, who has a backup plan for their faith? What if, God forbid, your life ends today? Will you be prepared to continue in the next life? Will you be ready when it’s your time?

On September 11th, our country got caught by surprise. As you recall terrorists flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Since that time many changes have been made. We have increased security at airports and public buildings. The government has established the Department of Home Land Security.

There is much debate as to whether or not our nation is safer. Some would argue that it is but others would disagree since so much of the world seems to hate us. One thing I have noticed in the media lately is the dominance of information about terrorists. There are constant warnings about threats. Just recently they expected something tragic to happen at the Democratic National Convention. But, nothing happened.

I suppose one way to make people feel safer is to warn them about impending threats or possible attacks. Again, some would argue that this will make us better prepared in case something happens. On the other hand, it may be making people paranoid about living their daily lives. But, is that the way we should live our lives, in fear? Afraid to venture out, afraid to travel, afraid to go to work?

Here in Luke, Jesus is teaching us another way to live our lives with hope and assurance. He wants us to be ready, not for a terrorist attack, but for the Kingdom of God. "Do not be afraid," he says. He is reassuring us that God is with us. He wants us to be able to meet God, both in the future as well as in the present. He uses the illustration of a wedding banquet. In his culture, waiting the return of the bridegroom required both respect and commitment. In other words it was a practice the people took very seriously.

To further illustrate his point of being ready, Jesus made several everyday illustrations. First, he said to "sell your possessions and give to charity." Last week we heard about the man who wanted to build bigger barns to protect his stuff. Jesus warned that stuff cannot save us, nor will it prepare us for eternal life.

Secondly, he says to "be dressed for action." What does it mean to be dressed for action? Does he mean we should wear a bullet proof vest and carry around an assault weapon, like Rambo? Are we to be always wearing our Sunday best? Does he want us to be fashion conscious and always look as though we stepped out of Vogue magazine? I believe to be dressed for action is to live as though God could walk through the door at any moment. It has nothing to do with the clothes we wear. Rather, God wants us to live with the expectation that God is always a few steps away, ready to walk into our lives.

Who lives like that? Most live as though God is only in the church. Some think that God is far away or that God lives in the heavens. Jesus is not only talking about a future Kingdom, he is talking about a Kingdom of the present. Jerry Fuller tells the story about a blacksmith by Megan McKenna which speaks to this point.

There was once a blacksmith who worked hard at his trade. The day came for him to die. God sent his angel to the smith, but to the angel's surprise, the smith refused to go. He pleaded with the angel that he was the only blacksmith in the village and it was time for all his neighbors to begin their planting and sowing. He would be needed. The blacksmith did not want to appear to be ungrateful and was looking forward to having a place in God' s kingdom, but could he put it of for a while? The angel went and made the blacksmith's case before God. And God agreed. Sometime later, after the harvest, the angel returned to bring the blacksmith to heaven. But again the smith requested that his return to God be delayed. "A neighbor of mine is seriously ill and it's time for the harvest. A number of us are trying to save his crops so that his family won' t be destitute. Please tell God I am grateful for his blessings to me. But could you come for me later?" And the angel returned to heaven.

Well, it got to be a pattern. Every time the angel would come to bring the faithful blacksmith to heaven, the smith would shake his head and explain to the angel that he was still needed by someone on earth. Finally, the blacksmith grew very old and weary and so he prayed to God to send his angel to bring him to heaven. Immediately the angel appeared. "If you still want to take me home, I'm ready to live forever in God's kingdom." The angel laughed and looked at the blacksmith with delight and surprise. "Where do you think you have been these years?"

The Kingdom of God is just as much in the present as it is in the future. To be dressed for action means to live each day as though it can be experienced. I recently heard journalist, Tom Archdeacon, speak. He writes stories about athletes for the Dayton Daily News. He said that he has learned to live as if each day was a surprise. In other words there is always a heart-warming story just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps that is why Archdeacon is an award-winning journalist. To be ready is to live with the expectation that God can surprise us at any time.

A major event that will happen this month is the Summer Olympic games in Athens, Greece. The games are always full of surprises as unknown athletes rise to stardom. At the games they will light the flame which will stay lit throughout the games. Then the flame will be transferred to the next site of the Olympics. The flame is a symbol of unity, a light that brings nations and people together.

Jesus also said to "keep our lamps lit." Our lives are to be a shining example of faith, beaming with compassion, hope, and faithfulness. One of the stories Tom Archdeacon tells is about a weight lifter, David Berger. He played for the nation of Israel in the Olympic games in Munich, Germany in 1972. You may remember that was the year when terrorists entered the camp and took hostages. One of them was David Berger. Unfortunately he was one of the eleven athletes who was killed in the helicopter explosion.

David Berger was 26 years old, aspiring to be a medical doctor. He had a big heart and when the terrorists entered his dormitory he could have escaped. Instead, he stayed and tried to defend his fellow athletes. Berger’s family lives in Cleveland. So Archdeacon went their to interview them. They told him about how their son befriended an Arab man during the Olympics. They missed their son terribly but have done everything they could to continue their son’s legacy.

When Israel was going to attack several locations in Gaza after a Palestinian had blown up a cafe, the Berger’s flew to Israel to lobby the government against retaliation. Their commitment to peace and non-violence was an excellent example of letting their lamps shine.

This year they have a backup plan at the Olympics to protect both the athletes and the spectators. However, to have a backup plan for our faith is to share what we have with others and to be a light to those who live in darkness. "Do not be afraid," Jesus said. God is with us. That I believe is the greatest backup plan we could ever need.

Dr. Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, Sidney, Ohio