Cry of the Heart: Devotion (Psalm 25:1-5)

It’s been going on for many weeks now.  Almost every day, I hear friends and family members say things like:  “I can’t believe it’s started already.  It just drives me crazy.  I’m going to be so sick of it by the time it’s done…

What am I talking about?  Well, Christmas, of course.

I’m going to talk about Christmas this morning, even though we aren’t yet to Thanksgiving.  But first, let’s read the psalms.

As you know, this is the 6^th and final week of my sermon series on the Psalms which I’ve titled, “Cries of the Heart.”  And for one final time I’ll remind you that last summer, when I started re-reading the psalms as I sat at Inspiration Point, I felt a connection that transcended the thousands of years and thousands of miles that separate me from the psalmists.

The emotions expressed in the psalms are just that: raw, honest emotions.  In reading the psalms, I discovered that often, they aren’t to be read as instructions for how we are to live.  Rather, they allow us to read these ancient poems and realize that we are not alone, that the various human experiences and emotions that we have, have been shared by countless others throughout the centuries.  Sometimes what we feel is good, and sometimes it’s not, but it’s all real, all part of the human experience, and all something that we can bring before God.

Today’s cry of the heart is devotion. 

The cry of devotion is expressed well in Psalm 25:  “I offer my life to you, God.”  What an amazing cry of the heart! 

I’d like to think I’ve offered my life to God, that I’ve dedicated everything I do to God.  But really, I’ve offered my life to consumerism, to having nice things, to having fun, and to so much more. 

I want to offer my life to God.  I want to be wholly devoted to God, to following Jesus, and letting God use me to do his will.  And I think the psalmist does, too, because he goes on to say, “Teach me your paths.  Lead me in your truth.”  It’s like the psalmist is saying, “I know where I want to be, I’m just not there yet.  Help me get there, Lord.”

Because we know that true happiness, true salvation, true healing and wholeness, come from devoting ourselves to God.  Psalm 44 says: “I won’t trust in my bow; my sword won’t save me because it’s you who saved us from our foes.”

In Psalm 45, the psalmist recognizes that devotion is more than just lip service.  “Strap on your sword, great warrior… Ride out on behalf of truth, humility and righteousness… Do awesome deeds!”  That is what devotion entails:  doing awesome deeds!  Deeds that bring God glory!  Deeds based on truth, humility and righteousness.

Our middle schoolers are currently taking part in an ongoing project in which we are making and painting shields.  After all, we are God’s heroes, and God’s heroes do awesome deeds.  God’s heroes are characterized by strength and by love.  God’s heroes do deeds based on truth, humility and righteousness.

God’s heroes are devoted to God.  They dedicate their lives to God.

The one who is devoted to God can’t stop singing God’s praises.  Psalm 89 says, “I will sing of your love forever!”  Psalm 101 says “Let me sing about faithful love and justice!  I want to sing my praises to you, LORD!  I want to study the way of integrity.  I want to walk with a heart of integrity in my own house.”

Devotion to God.  It is the earnest, heartfelt desire of the psalmists to devote themselves entirely to the Lord.  They’re not always perfect…like us, they succeed, and they fail.  But their heart is set on God.

Now, about Christmas…or, more specifically, about Christmas and devotion…

The decorations have been up in the malls now for weeks… or so I’ve heard.  Most of the lighted Christmas tree decorations that the city of Long Beach places in various lagoons and ponds are in place.  Holiday themed entertainment is taking place daily at Disneyland, and has been going on for two weeks already.  And all this just drives some people crazy, because it’s not even Thanksgiving yet.

On the other hand, a few people I know can’t wait to get started on Christmas.  They’re already playing Christmas carols at home and at work, listening to KOST-FM which began playing Christmas music, I don’t know, last July or something…

But they seem to be the minority, at least among the people I know. 

I find all this very interesting … and it makes me wonder:  What, exactly, is it about Christmas that drives people crazy?

Some say that Christmas has taken over other holidays, like Thanksgiving.  And that’s a valid point.  Where are the Thanksgiving decorations at the mall?

But I don’t think that’s the real reason people are fed up. 

I think the reason people are fed up is that Christmas, for them, is a season of to-do lists, shopping lists, social events that you really don’t want to attend, and just a lot of running around.

And yeah:  who does want to start in on such things any sooner than necessary?

Here’s what I think:  Christmas is, at its core, about being devoted to Jesus, and spreading the love that comes from God with family, friends, and even strangers.  It’s about celebrating the Creator of the Universe who loves and cares for humanity so much, that he became one of us, and God continues to show us how to love and care for one another.

But that is not what Christmas has become.

Christmas has become about selling stuff, buying stuff, and, like I said, a whole lot of running around.

That, I get tired of.  But that’s not Christmas.  Christmas,  I don’t think I could ever get tired of.

I do get tired of shopping and running around and listening to messages that say, “buy, buy, buy.”  I get tired of trying to keep up with what the Joneses next door are doing, decorating my house as well as they decorate theirs, running around to as many events as they do, and buying as many presents as they do. 

So I’ve learned to keep such things to a minimum.  Well, I’ve learned to at least try to keep such things to a minimum.  It’s not always easy. 

I’ve learned that it’s important to devote more of my energy to the real Christmas, and to devote less of my energy to all that other stuff.

The real Christmas does include some decorations in the home and church.  The real Christmas includes spending time with family.  Most of all, the real Christmas involves devotion to family, to God, to loving one another and finding ways to bring peace on earth. 

The real Christmas is about living simply, as Jesus did, and not complicating life with lengthy to-do lists and shopping lists.

No, I’m not 100% successful at devoting myself to the real Christmas.  That other Christmas – the one manufactured by corporate America – is so pervasive, it’s hard not to be influenced by it.  It’s hard not to express some devotion to it.  

It’s like a great stream of water and we’re all in it, and if we do nothing, we just find ourselves going along with the flow.

It takes work to go against the flow.  It takes effort to choose, as much as possible, the real Christmas…

Here’s an idea:  the next time you find yourself getting sick and tired of Christmas–

I know, it’s so strange to be talking about getting sick and tired of Christmas in November.  But for some people, it’s already happening.  For others, it will happen long before Dec. 25.

So the next time you find yourself getting sick and tired of Christmas, ask yourself:  what is it, specifically, that you are sick and tired of?

I bet it’s not hope, peace, joy, or love.

I bet it’s not Jesus.

I bet it’s not spending quality time with family and friends. 

Now if you feel you have to go out of your way to “host” or “entertain” your family and friends, that you might get tired of.  But I doubt you’re tired of the quality time you spend with them.  And, just between you and me, here’s a little secret:  the quality of the time you spend with family does not depend on how lavish your spread is. 

Just ask Martha’s sister, Mary, who chose to simply sit in Jesus’s presence, rather than run around all day making preparations.  I’m sure Jesus appreciated all the effort Martha put into being a good host, running around and all, but what Jesus really wanted was the devotion to spending time with him that Mary offered as her gift.

So once you figure out just what it is that you are tired of, then ask yourself:  why are you continuing to devote yourself to the things that wear you out?  Why do you continue to devote yourself to way-too-long shopping lists, and running around, and fighting traffic, and working so hard to impress people?

Just stop.

Take a breath.  Right now, take a breath… breathing in, feel the Spirit.  Breathing out, feel Christ’s peace. 

Dwell in this present moment, and know how wonderful it is. 

Don’t worry about tomorrow.  Don’t worry about your to-do lists.  Don’t worry about which stores are having the best sales, and what time you need to be there, in line…Just dwell in the present moment and know how wonderful it is… to be alive…to breathe…to be here on this earth, in this moment, in this place…to be surrounded by people who know you, and love you, and care for you, and pray for you. 

Find that peace in your own heart in this present moment. 

When you are at peace… and when you are truly present… then you can be a peaceful presence to those around you. Don’t your loved ones deserve better than the stressed out, mind-somewhere-else you, the you that’s always running around? 

Breathing in, feel the Spirit.  Breathing out, feel Christ’s peace.  

Dwell in this present moment, and know how wonderful it is. 

 And give to your loved ones this Thanksgiving, and this Christmas, the gift of your peaceful presence.

Give to Jesus the gift of your peaceful presence.