December 19, 2015
Focus – On Christ

“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.” Colossians 3:1 – 4

“Today we’re big on the concept of instant gratification and acquiring more stuff. But ‘earthly things’ lose their appeal once the bill arrives and the interest on your credit cards starts piling up. When that happens, blessings can turn into curses and rob you of the joy of living. One pastor says: ‘Materialism doesn’t satisfy because it’s tyrannical, and human beings were born to be free…We find we don’t own the house—the house owns us. We’re married to a mortgage. We become slaves to gadgets and garments. After they’re purchased, delivered and installed, we enjoy a fleeting sense of pleasure, but they still dominate, dictate and demand, ‘‘Press me, polish me, patch me, paint me, prune me, plaster me!’’ We spend our best years and the bulk of our money working for ‘‘things” until…we’ve no time left to pursue life’s really enjoyable vocations: visiting friends, having fun, and serving others in need…no time to do good deeds, see places, or visit the people who give us the greatest inner joy. Paul says, ‘‘Godliness with contentment is great gain’’ (1 Timothy 6:6). And to experience that contentment you need to count your blessings every day and thank the One who made them all possible.’ Jon Walker writes: ‘Assume there’s an imaginary line dividing what you can see from what you can’t see—the temporal from the eternal. Our objective in Jesus is to look upon the things ‘‘above”, so we can understand that what we see and feel is not a full and accurate measurement of God’s reality…people are eternal beings, and decisions that seem insignificant now, when seen in the fullness of reality, are of eternal significance.’” (Focus On What Is Above, Lutheran Church Charities Devotions, November 9, 2015)

“…visiting friends, having fun, and serving others in need…no time to do good deeds, see places, or visit the people who give us the greatest inner joy.” When we work too hard, and have to earn so much money to either pay for our bills, or pay for the things we think we desperately need, then the enjoyment of serving others, visiting people, and enjoying time with our families becomes an after-thought. But serving those in need, being present with people, visiting those who are lonely, and paying attention to our families should not be an after-thought – all should be our first thoughts each and every day.

Jamie Foxx and Ariana Grande just released a song called “Focus”. The refrain of the song goes something like this:

“Focus on me, F-F-Focus on Me”

On first blush, it sounds like this song is a microcosm of celebrity – that all celebrities want is for people to look at them, about how ego-centric they can be. Here is what Ariana says about the song:

“I’m not asking to be the center of attention. […] I literally mean “focus on me,” on what I’m all about and what I believe in. The more we focus on each other, as people and not on what we look like, not what we’re wearing, our gender, our hairstyle, our sexuality, the color of our skin, but focus on each other on a soul level. The more we realize how much we have in common, the more we listen to each other, the more one we become.”

Seems a bit deep for a pop singer, but she has a point. When we focus on Christ, we learn not to focus just on ourselves, but to focus on others, and focus on becoming one in Christ. Thank you, Ariana and Jamie…

Pastor Dave