“A royal waste of time”
Ephesians 5:15-20 (August 18, 2024)
There’s a note my children gave me, attached to a lovely new canoe paddle, as a gift for my retirement – that is, my first retirement. It reads like this: “In hopes that you will always remember to do the things that bring you joy … - the ‘kids.’”
I love the thoughtfulness of that. It was good advice and so I decided to keep the note. In fact, it’s sitting in our car, just under the dashboard. Every time I get in, I see that encouragement to do what gives me joy.
A year ago, someone entered our unlocked vehicle and took several things, including a handful of change and a set of prescription sunglasses. The one thing they left was this note. I guess they thought it had no value. But it does! At least to me.
And it sounds remarkably like the advice given to us in Ephesians chapter 5. “Be careful how you live,” it begins, “not as unwise people but as wise.”
And what does this wisdom consist of? Paul’s advice to the Ephesians was to make the most of the time. Literally, the phrase is to “redeem” time. To buy it up. Take it back and put it to good use. Don’t let a single moment go to waste.
“Because the days are evil,” he says. And while that may sound a bit extreme to us, it was indeed a dark time for that first-century Christian community, in conflict with the synagogue and in growing tension with the state.
Paul says, “Redeem the time.” Be wise, not foolish. Use what you have for good, not evil.
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Would you say the “days are evil?” I feel very fortunate to live at this particular time, and in this particular place. Yet there’s an undercurrent that gives me pause. You can hear it voiced in conversations. Beyond the standard complaints about this or that …
There is anxiety about change in our society, conflict all around us, difficult problems with no solution in sight, threats and dangers looming on the horizon.
Of course, we develop coping mechanisms to keep all this at bay: We seek entertainment to distract us. We turn to consumerism, filling our lives with more possessions. We go to parties. Or we find ourselves drawn into the virtual world of the internet, which is itself addictive.
“Don’t be drunk with wine,” says this letter to the Ephesians. Don’t spend your time on meaningless diversions. But instead, be filled with the Spirit of God.
I want to pause and have you think about what’s filling your life. What monopolizes your time? What do you spend your emotional energy on – your worries, your fears, your frustrations? And now ask yourself this: Is it wise or foolish to live this way?
“Be careful how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time.” (Eph. 5:15)
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I was sitting with some folks the other day, visiting back and forth, and the phrase came up: “Life’s too short!” It’s a familiar expression, isn’t it?
Life’s too short … For what? For getting upset about this or that. For allowing some trivial matter to ruin a relationship. For letting our worry about something overwhelm us or take away the joy of living.
Life’s too short for a lot of things. This is what Ephesians says: Don’t waste your time. Instead, redeem it. Use it for something good, joyful, hopeful!
We only have so many years. What did the Psalmist write? “The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.” (Ps. 90:10)
Toil and trouble. Oh dear. That sounds like another pessimistic assessment. These days, with all the demands upon our lives, time goes by even faster, and seems to be in short supply.
Our passage today calls us to be full of God’s Spirit. The Spirit that brings new life. The Spirit that reminds us of Jesus. The Spirit that is mysteriously present in and through the whole creation, in every place and every time.
This Spirit brings to us the presence of God, and the activity of God.
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“Be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts …” (Eph. 5:20)
Make melody to the Lord. It’s what we do here every Sunday morning. Singing has been part of Christian worship for centuries. The writer of Ephesians commends this practice. He tells us it’s a good thing.
I asked a friend this week why they sing. And this is what they answered:
“I like singing. It comes from the heart. And the mind. I like the feeling it gives. And I like to think that it inspires and encourages people. I like to sing praise to God and about God. I think I’ve been given a talent that I need to use to glorify God.”
The singing this person speaks of comes from the heart and reaches toward heaven. And when it touches the lives of others along the way, so much the better!
Do you sing? At home? In the car? With the radio? Do you hum softly so no one else will hear? Lindsay and I find ourselves singing more than ever, now that we have grandchildren in our lives. Little ones are not self-conscious or embarrassed. We read a book, we sing a song, we clap our hands in rhythmic delight.
Singing is part of our human lives. And it doesn’t all depend on skill or training. It’s a natural form of communication.
Listen … robins sing! Whales sing. “The valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.” (Psalm 65:13)
Christians sing:
“My life flows on in endless song,
above earth’s lamentation.
I catch the sweet, though far-off hymn
that hails a new creation.
No storm can shake my inmost calm
while to that Rock I’m clinging.
Since love is Lord of heav’n and earth,
how can I keep from singing.”[1]
And so the writer of Ephesians tells us to make melody to the Lord in our hearts, in the midst of a discordant world
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“Giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 5:20)
Giving thanks at all times. Not just in church. But at home, at work, when we rise in the morning – now that’s a tough one for me, because I can be a little grumpy first thing. And when we go to bed at night.
One author writes: “Gratitude is a powerful force that can transform our perspective on life. By appreciating the good in our daily experiences, we shift our focus to positivity and find fulfillment. Expressing gratitude deepens our connections with others and fosters a sense of community.”[2]
“Give thanks at all times … and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Really, for everything? Well maybe not. Not for death and disaster and darkness in the world. But thankfulness in the midst of everything. Finding something to be thankful for, even in the worst of times. Looking for that one thing that inspires gratitude and directs it to God. Being thankful for God, whose presence never leaves us.
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘thank-you,’” wrote the medieval mystic Meister Ekhart, “it will be enough.”[3]
It’s interesting – the word for thanksgiving in the New Testament is Eucharist. And Eucharist, you may know, is another way of referring to the Lord’s Supper. It is a meal of gratitude in which we offer our prayer of thanksgiving. “Thank you, God, for the gift of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection.”
Be full of the Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. And giving thanks.
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I guess you may have noticed: This is the language of worship. This is what the Christian community is meant to do with the time that we’ve been given.
We live lives that are full of worship. That carry what we do here every Sunday morning out into the world. How many times have you caught yourself humming throughout the week something we’ve sung at church, or a piece the choir has performed? It sticks with us. And leads us forward.
This is the antidote for “evil days:” Focus on God! Don’t waste time on silly things that do not matter. Keep in mind the very purpose of your being.
In the Westminster Catechism of 1647, the question is asked, “What is the chief end of human beings?” And the answer is: “The chief end of all humanity is to glorify God, and to enjoy God forever.”[4]
What a remarkable thing to say! Our whole purpose in living is to enjoy the presence of God. Is there joy in your relationship with Jesus? Do you relish being in God’s presence? Do you delight in it?
Live wisely, says Ephesians. Live for what matters. Let beauty and wonder and prayer and praise be part of all you do. Know that God is with you. Even when the days are evil. Redeem them.
Wake up every day and say, “God I thank you! Today I will live for you. Today I will sing your song!”
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You may have wondered why I chose such an odd title for the sermon this morning: “A royal waste of time.” Actually, I borrowed it from a book about worship by theologian and author, Marva Dawn.
She talks about society’s expectation that we use our time productively. We’re always so busy, working to accomplish some great and wonderful thing. But worship, she says, is not like that.[5]
Worship is not our usual busyness. It accomplishes nothing, other than putting ourselves in a place of receptivity, where we can be open to the gift of God, and offer ourselves to God.
The world around us may think of that as a complete waste of time. But nothing could be further from the truth! This is how we learn to enjoy the presence of our Creator.
And this is also where we begin to offer our lives to the service of God’s kingdom. And the life that is truly worth living. The thing that makes our joy complete. What did my kids tell me? “Always remember to do the things that bring you joy.”
“Be careful how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time ….”
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Oh yes, there’s one last thing I need to say. And that is, if there’s something you need to do, or need to say. Or something you think you need to be. Don’t put it off, don’t wait for long.
Because life’s too short. It really is. Whatever days we’re given, they don’t go on forever. So make them count. Take whatever God gives you and live it to the full.
Remember to sing the song that God puts in your heart. And give thanks every single day.
For life itself is a gift. And every moment can be full of God’s beauty and grace. If you seek these things, you will find them. May it be so for you. Amen.
[1] Robert Lowry, Bright Jewels for the Sunday Scholl, 1869, alt.
[2] https://swagcaptions.com/gratitude-quotes/, Accessed August 16, 2024.
[3] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/meister_eckhart_149158, Accessed August 17, 2024.
[4] https://www.ligonier.org/learn/articles/westminster-shorter-catechism, Accessed August 13, 2024.
[5] Ministry Matters™ | Why worship is a royal waste of time, Accessed August 13, 2024.