Thomas Laird Jones 

June 20, 2010

SCRIPTURE: Luke 4: 16-20

"I HOPE YOU DIE BEFORE YOU'RE FINISHED"

TEXT: “They all died in faith, not having received what    was promised, but having seen it and greeted it from afar..."(Hebrews 11:13)

Jesus died with tasks unfinished. And so should you. And so should I.

I refuse to reveal confidences of persons either living or dead, but at the time it happened I received permission to share the experience I now tell.

Frances Schuman, then in her 70's, was dying of cancer. In her final days I spent most of an afternoon with her talking about a good many things, including her impending death. At one point I said, "Frances, I sense that you have no fear of death." Without hesitation she replied, ”That's right. I have no fear of death. But," she continued, "I am sorry, because I have so much more that I still want to do." I have so much more that I still want to do.

in all honesty, what is it that you still want to do in your life? And how significant is that which you still want to do? There never may be any more important questions for you or me.

I think the statement of Frances Schuman is simply great: "I have so much more that I still want to do." These words have to do with purpose in life.

In Luke 4, Jesus is in the synagogue, as was his custom on the Sabbath, for corporate worship. Using some words from the Old Testament, he expresses his purpose for life. In effect He sums up what He still wanted to do with his life:

-to preach good news to the poor

--to release captives

--to heal

--to work for freedom for all who were oppressed

--to proclaim God

And Jesus did not finish all of that before He died on a cross. Jesus still had so much more He wanted to do.

There is further Biblical stimulation for this theme in Hebrews, which tells of persons who died, so to speak, “with their boot on, still accomplishing purpose when interrupted by death.

Just over a year ago, local community leader Blair Ewing died. Blair spent his life serving our community: County Human Relations Council; seventeen years, some as President, on the Montgomery County Board of Education; President, Montgomery County Council; and, at the time of his death, Vice-President of the Maryland State Board of Education. In it all, he was the champion for the poor, the most vulnerable, those most at risk in our society. Last May, one week after being in our home to work together on a policy of huge importance to children and youth with learning disabilities, I e-mailed some gathered information about a program which would be helpful. Blair responded, “A very good concept; I’m not sure how much help I can be. I just learned I am terminally ill.” One month later he died in an hospice. But even in that hospice, Blair Ewing spent his final days---his final hours---even his final minutes dictating memos and on the phone having to do with education policies and programs to benefit children and youth who have learning disabilities! He died with important tasks still being accomplished!

I am convinced that the Bible is clear: it is intended that Christians die prematurely, still doing important God-given tasks! Of Christians always it ought to be possible to say 'That person died before he/she was finished." Frances “still had so much more she wanted to do.” The death of  Christians ought always to be that way! You still ought to have marvelous important things that you want to accomplish.

There is so much more yet to be done with your life and mine. Any Christian who ever thinks that she/he is finished with important tasks just does not understand Christian commitment. Christians should die before they are finished.

To avoid misunderstandings, in parentheses let me clarify: when talking about death here we are talking about the biological end of life, but not in the legalistic sense of death as the last breath one breathes. We are talking about life as the time when one has the mental and/or physical facilities to be striving to achieve God's goals for life. But the truth is that you and I have some such facilities, or we could not be involved in this conversation! The point is, you and I still have tasks to do in this society of ours--no one of us is exempt from what is being said this morning.

Every day we hear and talk about death in our world. It is true that there is more emotion and trauma associated with some deaths than others. For example, the death of a child is usually more traumatic than that of an older person. We say that this is so because a child had all of life ahead--so much more to accomplish in life. However, the other side of that coin is that there should be trauma at the death of an older person, because the older person has lived longer and ought to have so much more understanding of the needs of our society and so many more resources in terms of experience and material goods to do something about those needs.

The tragedy for me is not that persons die with tasks undone; the real tragedy is my sense that in our society today there are so many persons who feel they have finished their tasks--so many persons who believe that they have done their things--so many persons that think their lives have accomplished what they ought to accomplish. Some persons literally die in boredom, having outlived goals which were too short-range and purposes which were too puny! Such persons die never having experienced the magnificent obsession which always ought to stretch us in the future. It is far better that a person die a premature death on behalf of tomorrow, than to die a boring death following the achievement of goals too easy that he/she has outlived.

Whether you are talking about a Frances Schuman who could say "I still have so much more I want to do."; or whether it is a Martin Luther King, Jr., who died saying, "I have a dream."--who never lived to achieve that about which he sang, "We shall overcome."; or whether you're talking about a Peter Marshall who could say, "I'll see you in the morning.", and died before the morning; or whether you speak of a Dietrich Bonhoeffer who died for his faith in a German prison camp shortly before the Third Reich fell; or whether you mention a William Tyndale who was killed because he translated the Scripture into the language of the common people, but at death could pray for the future, "Lord open the King of England's eyes."; or whether you talk about Jesus Christ who was killed on a cross at the age of 33, never having completed the tasks set out in our Scripture--in each of these cases you are talking about persons who died before they were finished. This is how it should be for every one of us: he/she died before finishing. You ought to die before you are finished! Anyone who thinks he/she is finished is to be pitied.

According to my understanding of the Gospel, those who think they have finished their tasks before they die, really are judging themselves that they have made their tasks too small, have set their sights too low, have aimed their lives on trivial priorities. Frankly, this is where our society heads us. Analyze the media blitz that helps us set our life's goals. "One crack at life is all you get. Make it count….. Drink Schlitz Beer!" Is that the way we make life count? Analyzing the advertising to which we respond brings the conclusion that our basic concerns are for the model of cars we drive, the styles of clothing we wear, the kind of pizza we eat, the cell phone style  we use, the trips we take, the cosmetics we put on. Someone has said that future historians will look back at our era as the era most interested in detergents, deodorants, and dog food--trivial, paltry and achievable goals.

Once I went into a room where an adult church school class had met. On the chalkboard were two questions which grabbed my attention. The first, "When you were a teenager what were your goals for life?" In my mind I began to list those goals: an automobile, nice clothing, some athletic letters, a girlfriend, a chance to go to college, desire to be respected in my community. The second question on the chalkboard, "Now at this juncture in life, how many of these goals have been fulfilled?" I suddenly realized that every one of those goals I had had as a teenager had been quickly fulfilled. I have a car (I hate to admit it publicly but there have been times when we had four and five cars--and still I had to borrow a ride to work when all the teenagers were home. And you who have teenagers will understand that!); I have played the sports (I have no idea where my letter sweaters are!); I have some nice clothes; I have a college degree--I have five of them as a matter of fact; I think I'm respected in my community! It does not take long in this affluent society to achieve those kinds of goals. The real question is, "So what?" Goals that are too short-sighted--priorities which are too puny.

Once someone reminded me that you can take an insignificant nickel, place it over your eye, and block from view every good thing on the horizon. And that's what happens when our goals for life are nickel size. That's what happens when the old get tired, the middle-aged get preoccupied, and the young become lethargic.

There's another angle for approaching our theme: the secret to dying before you are finished is huge vision. Christ's vision for a life will always exhaust a Christian before the Christian exhausts the vision. At the end of a life of commitment to Christ, there is still much to be done. Christ's vision for your life will always outrun you.

I ask you honestly, why give yourself to short-range goals and puny visions? Why invest your life in something that is too small when you could invest your life in the whole height and depth and breadth and width of humanity itself--in the now and in the future--of heaven and of earth? When you could invest your life in a vision of equality and justice and the love of God made real in the life of every person on earth? That's the vision!

I understand the discouragement and frustration of looking at all the needs in the world around us: threats of terror; catastrophic oil spill; wars; local community criminal violence; global economic unknowns; 30,000 children dying of hunger each day…. When we look at all the scourges of society around us it does seem impossible--as hopeless as spitting into the ocean to raise the level of the sea. And we are not going to see the end of all poverty or all injustice. We are not going to see the day that every person has responded to the love of God. But unless our vision is to work toward that till the final breath, we are most to be pitied! One theologian puts it this way: "Our assignment is the Cross. And we are called on to expend ourselves on behalf of a new civilization, a new humanity, where no sacrifice is too great, no suffering too deep, no opposition too overwhelming."

The purpose of life is to have the vision--the magnificent obsession of what might happen; and, till life's final breath, to be a part of striving to cause it to happen!

A final reminder: for those who die, still doing the significant tasks which need doing, the promise of God is fulfilled. 'The Kingdom of God shall be yours." And God does not break promises.

The late William Barclay summed up much of this for me: "Above all things, God is the God of the gallant adventurer. God loves the person who is ready to venture for God's name. The prudent, cautious, comfort-loving person is the very opposite of God. The person who goes out into the unknown and who keeps going will in the end arrive at God."

How do you conclude this? Robert Louis Stevenson said, "It is better to travel hopefully than to arrive." There are important tasks yet for you to do!

Really, I guess we are back at the questions where we began our conversation, "What is it that you still want to accomplish in your life? And how significant are those things that you still want to do in terms of Christ's vision for this world and for your life?”

On May 19, 1780, in Hartford, Connecticut, at noon, a terrifying storm arose. The sky became as dark as night. The winds blew and the earth shook. People thought that Judgment Day had come--that it was the end of the world. Chaos broke out. Some persons ran to find enemies to make amends. Some persons knelt in the street to pray. The Connecticut House of Representatives was in session at that time. The Speaker of the House, a Col. Davenport, calmly stood up in the midst of the fear, chaos, and confusion and said, "I do not know whether this is the end of the world or not. If it's not, wouldn't it be a waste of time for us to adjourn? If it is Judgment Day, I for one, want to be found doing my tasks. Therefore, let the candles be brought and let us be found doing our tasks."

Will you understand if I say: I hope you and I go off the stage of history unsatisfied—not having received the promise--because we lived our lives and died our deaths on behalf of a vision which outlived us--working to the end toward a vision which is bigger than we are.

I do hope your purposes are such that you die before you are finished!

And me, too!