"Those Misleading Express Lanes" - Psalm 25:1-10 - December 3, 2000

One afternoon I was Christmas shopping and it was time to go through the check out lane. When I approached the cash registers every line was backed up 6-8 people deep. I looked all directions and noticed an "Express Lane - 5 items or less." This was definitely my quickest way out of the store. There were only three people in line and I became the fourth.

But, the line wasn’t moving. The first guy needed a price check. I began looking at my watch and looking for some other line that was moving. The first regular line that I thought about entering seemed to be moving. But, now there were people behind me. I was stuck. I watched helplessly as my original escape line from the store kept inching along while those of us in the Express Lane waited for the clerk to come forward with a verified price.

Finally he appeared. Again I glanced at my watch and noticed that all those shoppers who would have been in front of me in the other line were now safely out the door. I thought to myself, "O well, sometimes you choose wrong and have to wait a bit longer." However, the Express Lane continued to stall since the next customer didn’t have the right change and the clerk was out of one dollar bills. Again I waited and it only got worse. The lady in front of me slowly counted out a pocketbook full of pennies, dimes and nickels for a twenty dollar purchase.

The moral of the story is simply this. Had I not been in such a hurry I would have been gone from the store in a reasonable amount of time. The "Express Lane" was an obvious oxymoron. I had been misled. The quick and easy route was nearly a dead end.

Unfortunately impatience is just one virtue we lack during the Christmas season. There are other ideologies that grip us during this particular season also. We are conditioned by the need to buy presents for our loved ones, spending hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. A world of extravagance seems to drain our resources and inflate our credit card debt. There is also the problem of overindulgence, as we stuff ourselves with holiday food and spirits.

These are the "paths" that lead us to self-destruction. They do nothing to enhance our faith. They mislead us and get us nowhere.

Recently I read an article in The Knoxville News Sentinel that was entitled, "The Road to Nowhere." A few miles outside of Bryson City, N.C., there is a road which is nine miles long and actually ends on the other side of a tunnel. The road was promised in 1943 to replace a state highway that was flooded by the Tennessee Valley Authority. But, because of a dispute between the National Parks Service and Congress the road was never completed.

For almost 60 years the local residents of that area were deprived of their Fifth Amendment rights which guarantee that no property may be taken for public use without just compensation. This fall, President Clinton signed a bill that appropriated $16 million to complete the project. After years of bickering and litigation the "Road to Nowhere" may finally reach its destination of Fontana Village in North Carolina, a road which passes through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park in Southeastern Tennessee.

The residents in that area have lived with this dilemma for years. They have lived with a promise that has remained a "dead end" for six decades. I can personally relate to this because here in Sidney, we have a sidewalk that goes nowhere. The residents on the north end of my block have spent thousands of dollars installing sidewalks. But, it ends about half way through the block since those at the south end filed an appeal and sidewalks have yet to be installed. The sidewalk is now tied up in the courts and it may be years before the city rules on the outcome. So in front of the Wagner household we have a beautiful new sidewalk that ends about two hundred yards to the south of us. In other words, it goes nowhere.

The road in North Carolina has gone nowhere for years and it is possible that the sidewalk on Broadway Avenue may go nowhere for years also. I can appreciate the frustration and despair of the people in North Carolina since we are now faced with "walk to nowhere." The city was in a hurry and kept the pressure on my neighbors and me to install sidewalks. But for what? And for how long?

After reading this wonderful Psalm I am reminded that the real "paths" in life are not paved highways, sidewalks or express lanes, but the paths that God wants us to walk upon. As the Psalm says, "All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness."

So what roads does God want us to take? By love and faithfulness I believe the Psalmist meant paths whereby we are (1) committed, (2) practice patience and (3) trust in God.

We heard ten new people in our midst this morning say "yes" to the faith. They pledged their commitment to Christ and his church. The paths of commitment are many, but for people of faith they embody lifestyles of sacrifice instead of selfishness, giving instead of winning and humility instead of pride.

Like all of you I have been following the never ending story of the presidential election. Many people just want it to be over with. But I believe the worst thing that could happen is for our government to bring this to a hasty conclusion. Most of us don’t understand all the legalities and political posturing. We are more focused on Christmas shopping than who is going to end up in the White House. Politicians, attorneys, journalists are all going down one path while most of us are going down another.

Every now and then a small still voice speaks up and tells us to be patient. Patience is the path for us to follow, to allow the process to take its course. Some day it will come to a resolve. But, patience can be applied to the other areas of our live as well. Yes, even in the check out lane as we wait for our turn. It is a season filled with events and extra activities. We need patience on the highways, patience with our neighbors and patience with our children who are anxiously awaiting the coming of Christmas.

I think if we have learned anything during the month of November it is the very fact that our government is not infallible. We live in a democracy. However, it is not perfect. We as a nation make mistakes. Government is important but government is not the supreme ruler of our lives. Therefore, we must trust that God is still ultimately in control and watching over us.

The path for us to follow is as the Psalmist says, "Make me to know your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long."

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