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SERMON
Do you find yourself longing for the days when life was simpler? G. K. Chesterton once said that as we rush to complexity, we yearn for simplicity. The more complicated life becomes, the more we hunger for the simple pleasures of those less bewildering days now long gone, when choices were fewer and simpler, and when morality wasn't nearly as ambiguous as it seems to be these days.
In our lesson from 2 Corinthians, Paul describes the young faith of his readers as "a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." What a beautiful way of putting it. And yet this is one of those cases where I really prefer the wording of the old King James Version. Instead of calling it "a sincere and pure devotion to Christ," it calls it "the simplicity that is in Christ." I like that. That word "simplicity" speaks to a deep longing that I suspect many of us share - especially when there seems to be far too much going on.
Of course people will try all sorts of things trying to simplify their lives. Some of us, for example, are "tidier-uppers." When life begins to get terribly complicated, there is nothing quite so soothing to the soul as cleaning out files, sharpening pencils, making lists, getting organized. In fact, you can literally spend days just getting organized without ever doing anything of substance. But you'll do that because when you're feeling helpless to deal with some monumental issues, managing a bunch of insignificant ones at least gives you the sensation of accomplishing something.
Other people, in an effort to simplify their lives, will try adding something new. Although they're not willing to give them up, the old pursuits no longer satisfy them. So they go looking for a new hobby, a new interest - something they hope will "center them down" and give their life some focus. Trouble is, very often they end up with one more ball to keep in the air as they juggle their way through a life that is anything but simple.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who, in an effort to simplify their lives, decide to give things up. They might try divesting themselves of possessions, of responsibilities, of relationships. And while that is sometimes a prudent move, it can also be quite destructive. Those who seek clarity by reduction will sometimes try to simplify their lives by giving up the wrong things. I know a young man who, in his thirties, walked out on his wife and kids because his life seemed too complicated. Later he discovered that the "simpler life" he was looking for was hollow, it echoed with loneliness.
Now, I'm sure we'd all like to think we know better, that we can avoid these common pitfalls. Perhaps you can. Good for you! But sometimes I think we need to be reminded that true simplicity is not a matter of arranging your schedule, or of good time management, or of taking up this or giving up that. Simplicity is a spiritual quality. In fact, it is one of a cluster of qualities, each of which makes the others possible, and all of which are part and parcel of our character - of who we are, and why God made us the way he did.
Have you ever looked at Shaker furniture? It is remarkably simple and beautiful in its simplicity. Do you know why? I think it's that way because Shaker furniture is an expression of Shaker character. And I suspect that's why the Shaker song "Simple Gifts" has such timeless appeal. "'Tis the gift to be simple," it begins. "'Tis the gift to be free. 'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be." True simplicity is a gift - a gift to our inner life. Simplicity is not a technique to be learned at a time-management seminar. It's a gift to be received.
So what I want us to do today is to recall together, for just a few minutes, some of those qualities of the inner life; qualities which, when we cultivate them, will nurture the gift of true simplicity within us, will help us to recapture what St. Paul calls "the simplicity that is in Christ." Three qualities: integrity, humility, sanctity.
1. The first thing I think needs to be said is that true simplicity is born of integrity. Integrity means being all-of-one-piece. It's where the impulse of the heart, the thought of the mind, the word of the mouth, and the action of the hand are all one, simple, single expression of the whole person. That's integrity. In fact, the word translated "simplicity" in the King James Bible is translated in the New English Bible as "single-heartedness." Integrity means that there is no contradiction in us.
If we had that kind of integrity our lives would be so much simpler. Actually we're touching on something vastly important here. It is that the opposite of simplicity isn't complexity. The opposite of simplicity is insincerity - self-contradiction. Or to put it bluntly: lies. Have you ever noticed how simple and natural the truth is? When you speak it, you don't have to remember what you said. You just tell it. It just comes out naturally - again and again. But if truth is natural, then lies are unnatural. The trouble with lies is you always have to remember them. So my advice is: don't be a liar if you don't have a good memory, because you're going to need it.
The problem compounds itself. One falsehood falsifies your whole world. It means that you have to stop and think and work things out before you say anything. Because once you've lied, the truth might give you away. And it doesn't take long before your life is infinitely more complicated than it was before.
But even worse than that, you can't keep the lie outside yourself. The lie invades your life and becomes part of who you are. Having second thoughts about what you say, you begin to have second thoughts about who you are. Openness, directness, simplicity are all lost. False people living in a false world. What a complicated way to live! If you want to simplify your life, the place to begin is with your own integrity.
And that's so terribly important to our relationships. George Mac Donald, who had such a profound influence on C. S. Lewis, asks, "What is our first duty to each other?" And his answer is: "To be what we appear." Simple, isn't it? And profound! Rare, and wonderful when it happens. Integrity - to say what you mean and mean what you say; to be what you appear - clear, precise, clean, and simple.
2. The second thing I think needs to be said is that true simplicity grows with humility. What is humility? Dag Hammarskjold gave us a wonderful definition. He said: "Humility is to perceive reality not in relation to ourselves, but in its sacred independence. It is to see reality from that point of rest in ourselves." I love that. Humility is to think neither more of ourselves nor less of ourselves than we ought - but to simply be at ease with who we are; to be so at peace with ourselves that we're able to see life unself-consciously. That's humility. And the fact is that, as your sense of being at peace with yourself grows, so does the gift of simplicity.
Have you ever thought what genuine humility could do for our self-consciousness? Those of you who may be painfully self-conscious know how awkward you feel when you walk into a room thinking that everyone is looking at you, and wondering what they think of you. You can't decide if you should try to impress them or just "act naturally." But the problem is that you don't know what "naturally" means. Being self-conscious can be very unsettling - and anything but simple.
Think how wonderful it would be to walk into a room and be genuinely more interested in the people who are there than you are in the impression you thought you were making on them. It would give you an enormous sense of freedom if you could just enjoy people without getting in your own way. And it would simplify your life, because all your interest and energy and attention would be focused in one direction.
Or think about how genuine humility would end our self-conscious competitiveness. Wouldn't it be great to be able to say of someone, "He's really good!" without secretly wondering if he's as good as we are, or if he's so good that he's a threat to us? It would make life wonderfully simple and simply wonderful if we could be glad that someone else is so gifted - without once wondering if their gifts are greater than ours. Humility like that would simplify our lives by getting rid of
that competitiveness that can add so much tension to our days.
What we call "humility" - that sense of being at peace with yourself - is God's gift. Humility is the gift that comes of knowing that you are loved completely, just the way you are. Do you know that? God loves you far more than you know. And God's promise to you is that, as humility grows in your life, you will find that the simplicity for which you long grows with it.
3. There's one more thing I want to say about simplicity. Simplicity is born of integrity. Simplicity grows with humility. But "the simplicity that is in Christ" is the fruit of sanctity. Now, what do I mean by "sanctity?" What I mean by "sanctity" is just this: To seek first God's will for your life; and, finding it, to do it. That is sanctity. The fruit that it produces is the simplicity of loving obedience. And it will simplify your life by giving you a clear sense of priority.
At any point in your life there may be a dozen conflicting claims on your time and attention. There may be twenty useful things that you could be doing. But normally there is only one thing that you must do: and that is to seek first God's will - to ask, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" and then do it. That is the secret not only of sanctity, but of simplicity. There are all sorts of well-intentioned people who sincerely want to do what is right. But their sense of priority is all fouled up. It is absolutely critical that we know what is of first importance, and that we put that first.
This is of great practical importance to me personally. Without a clear sense of priorities I couldn't be the pastor of this remarkable church. But my priorities are clear. As your pastor I am called to serve God as faithfully as I can, to love you as much as I can, and to teach you as well as I can. Those three things have first claim on my time and attention. Of all the things I might do, or ought to do, or could do, these three call for my primary attention.
And you know, when you get your priorities straight, there comes a sense of peace. When you've chosen to seek first God's will and then do it, things become more simple. You find that, having made the big decision, many of the little ones are already made as well. For example, if I'm a Christian, I don't have to discover a new set of values each day for each new situation. Simply being a Christian is enough to decide all sorts of questions about behavior and morality. If I have committed myself to seek first God's will then there are some things I will not do, and others I must do. My responsibility as a Christian isn't so much to discover new answers - but to be obedient and faithful to the truth I already know. For me that's fundamental.
Someone once asked Willie Mays the secret to his success as a baseball player. He said, "When they throw it, I hit it; and when they hit it, I catch it." Massively simple - but those fundamentals contain all the subtleties of the greatest game in the world. The fundamentals are clear; the refinement is inexhaustible.
Every so often we come across people whose lives are wonderfully simple illustration of sanctity. While so many people seem to be living lives of quiet desperation, there are those quiet saints who move from task to task with remarkable serenity. And they are able to do so not because they're so clever, but because they're good. They know what the Lord wants of them, they love him, so they do it - with a measure of grace and humor.
And what does God want you to do? Well to begin with, he wants you to pray - to be in touch with him regularly. What's more, he longs for truth in your inward parts (call it integrity). He wants you to be at peace with yourself (call it humility). He wants your life to reflect what is worthy of honor (call it sanctity). It pleases him when you do your work well, and care for those who are entrusted to your love. If you're longing for simplicity in your life, start there. You'll discover not only what simplicity, but what richness, your life will have.
'Tis the gift to be simple; 'Tis the gift to be free;
'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be.
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn, will be our delight;
'Til by turning, turning, we come round right.
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