Minivans Don’t Last Forever
Psalm 46:10; Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Rev. Lou Nyiri
Septemeber 14, 2008

Three Saturdays ago, Alex, my 8 year old son, and I were sitting among the many thousands of fans at the Penn State home opener against Coastal Carolina.  We got into the stadium a few minutes after the game began because we had stopped for an ice cream at the Creamery – the hot spot for something cool at PSU – the flavor of the week by the way was teaberry – my personal favorite.  As we walked from the Creamery toward the stadium when we were but a few hundred yards away the stadium erupted in cheer and applause as Penn State scored the first six of their 66 points that day.

From where we stood outside the stadium it was loud.  When we got inside and found our seats and watched the game we realized something else, when Penn State scores and you’re sitting inside the stadium it’s even louder.  I turned to Alex to ask him what he thought about the 89 yard kick off Penn State returned for a touchdown and I saw him sitting there with his hands cupped tightly over his ears watching the game unfold.  I smiled quietly to myself as I watched him watch the game and thought little more about that scene until we were underneath the stadium just before half time getting a hot dog, pop corn and a bottle of water for about $100.00 – but that’s another story for another time – though as I stood there eating my hot dog I audibly remarked to myself something like, “Wow, it’s so much quieter down here.  I can almost hear myself think now.”

I think much of our lives are spent like that…we fill our lives up with things that occupy our time and often forget to take time away in order to connect with the One who brings lasting change, comfort and peace into life.
The Psalmist wrote, “Be Still and know that I am God.”
In reality, I think the Psalmist is saying, “Quiet down…take some time…relax…and listen…just listen…shhhh…shhhh…just listen to the still small voice of God in this world and in this life.”

We have a hard time listening let alone being still. 
Have you seen the way many of us live lately…a blue tooth in one ear…an ipod in the other…working the keyboard of our laptop with the left hand while the right hand text messages the latest news to a friend.
Have you seen this commercial which shows a hand slipping out from under the covers to text on the latest cell phone while the body the hand is attached to sleeps?
We multi task until we lose all control of our lives.

As we were leaving dinner at Red Lobster on the Friday night before the PSU homeopener, my sister asked me if my cell phone was ringing…I said no after checking to see if I’d missed a call…then she said, “Wait.  Listen.”
It wasn’t a cell phone she had heard, it was a cricket chirping in a nearby bush.
We fill our lives up with so much chatter that we miss out on the blessings happening all around us and within us.
We are so accustomed to getting our information this way, that unless the message rings, vibrates or buzzes prior to being received we don’t pay it any mind.
And yet, the Psalmist tells us, that the one sure fire way to get God’s attention and to become more fully in tune with God’s call on our lives we must “Be Still And Know That I AM God.”

Be Still…
And Know…
That God is God…

It’s easy to talk about.  It’s tough to do.

A few mornings ago, we had an experience in our home that made Candace and I stop and reflect a little about our lives and especially about our Christian lives.
We were giving our son some medicine he needed to take.  It came in the form of a capsule.  Mind you it was a capsule not designed for an 8 year old child to swallow in fact I’m not even sure I could swallow this capsule – (and I’ve got a pretty big mouth).  So we opened the capsule and mixed it with applesauce.  We’d done this with other medications before.  Beginning with the first spoonful Alex was voicing his displeasure about taking this medication.
“Blhhh.”
“Uggh-Oggh!!”
And being the good parents we are we said, “C’mon Alex.  It’s not that bad.  You have to take this medicine.  C’mon.”

Well, he finished the medicine.
He drank much water and ate a slice of butter bread to get it down.  But it was done and it was down.
And then it happened…
Candace was in the bathroom brushing his hair when she cried out, “Blhh.  Uggh-Oggh!!  Lou, did you taste that medicine?”
Well, no I hadn’t.  Read the labels they tell you, don’t take this medication unless prescribed by your doctor.

Apparently, she had a little of the medication on her finger from the mixing and inadvertently tasted it.
So, being the good husband and father I am, I decided to take one for the team and I found some of the medicine that had spilled onto the paper plate we had sat the applesauce on when we sprinkled it, I licked my finger, dabbed it in the powder, tasted it, swallowed it and “Blhh.  Uggh-Oggh!!”
It was the bitterest tasting taste I had ever tasted.
Needless to say, Alex was switched the next day to a liquid version of the same medication that tasted a little like chocolate. 

The point though is that it’s always easy to tell someone what it is they need to do yet when it comes to doing it yourself it can sometimes be a bitter pill to swallow.
It’s easy to know and to teach like the Psalmist that we must “Be Still and Know that God is God.”
That we must quiet down and listen to God’s voice as God converses with us.
That we must remember time is fleeting and gone before you know it.
Every moment we encounter in life is another chance to make a memory that will last a lifetime – hopefully we’re making the most & best memorable moments we can.

Yet, it’s another thing entirely to do those things.
The life of the faithful person is not about simply remembering to do right things; it’s about seeking the power of the one who can help us become the people God has created us to be.
It’s about connecting with the peace, presence and transforming power of God’s Holy Spirit so that we can make better choices and take time out to be fully present in our families and in our faith.

Every summer our family takes time to go to the great state of Maine and visit Candace’s father, Alex’s grandpa or as he unknowingly and affectionately changed his name this summer to “Gramps.” 
About five years ago, on one of our treks into the backwoods of Maine where Candace’s dad lives (and it is far up there…her dad lives about 45 minutes from Moosehead Lake and about 30 minutes from the entry point on the Appalachian Trail which begins the 14 day to and from trip to Mt. Katadhin the Northern most and final point on the trail)…
We were traveling in to see her father and we happened upon this little bakery known as the Abbott’s Town Bakery.  It is named after the town it resides in.
We stopped to stretch and to call her father to make sure we were on the right path.
As we stretched, I meandered inside and found an oasis of food in the middle of nowhere.
This place is incredible and wonderful.  It has donuts that are named “The Scudder Tire Donut.”
I don’t know what a Scudder Tire is but these donuts could be lug nuts on the Space Shuttle wheels.  They are big…and good.
They’ve go homemade goodies that will leave an impression…needless to stay they cook from scratch and use real butter…hmmm!

So I bought a few Scudder tire donuts…a couple of brownies…an apple pie…a blueberry pie…some whoopee pies…a few cookies…homemade real Maine Maple Syrup baked beans…
Hey, it’s a long ride from this place to Grandpa’s and if the car broke down we’d need some nourishment until help arrived…I was only thinking about my family.
Well, that stop has become an annual event in our trips up to Maine and we stop there every time on the way in and usually once or twice while we’re visiting Grandpa to check out the newly baked goodies.
Two summers ago, Candace and I were returning to Grandpa’s after an afternoon out by ourselves while Grandpa and Alex stayed back at the house having fun, and we stopped at the Abbott’s Town Bakery.
As I pulled our mini van into the parking lot, we pulled into a space next to two married couples who were out for afternoon rides on their Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
They were wearing the traditional riding leathers and sitting on the grass in front of their bikes enjoying an ice cream cone.

As I closed the driver side door in front of these rugged, manly men and their bikes I said with a sly smile on my face to them, “You know, I have never felt like less of a man than I do right now.”
And the four of them laughed out loud while Candace and I smiled and went inside.

When we returned one of the women said “You know, minivans don’t last forever.”
And then she added, “We haven’t always had motorcycles.  We’ve spent time taking our kids around in station wagons, minivans and car pools.”
And then we chatted and talked about our family and their families…where they were from and where we were from.
I have never forgot her words to us that day though, “Minivans don’t last forever.”
If those words are not found in the Old Testament book of Proverbs, then they should be!

Basically she was saying don’t forget to everything there is a season and you’ve got to make the most of each season you are in.
You’ve got to slow down long enough to appreciate the time you’ve been given and the people you’ve been given to share that time with.

That is why – as people of faith – we are continually urged to live in this world in a counter culture way, we are to take time out in life and connect with our God and with those we love. 
We must avoid the urge to multi-task our lives to the point that we lose sight of what’s really important…our relationship with God and our relationships with family members and those we love…They are things to be cherished.

This life will not last forever and what counts most in life is not what we accomplished so much as whom we spent this life influencing and being influenced by.

As we leave worship this morning, may each one of us go home from here into the weeks, days, months and years ahead by taking time daily to “reflect on the seasons of life we are in” and to “Be Still and Know that God is God.”

For it is in those still moments, that life’s chaos can begin to calm down as the Voice of God comes through loud and clear.  Because…

To Everything there is a season…&…Minivans Don’t Last Forever...

Let us pray: (leave ten seconds of silence)  God in the still moments of life give us patience as we listen for your voice; in the fast paced nature of life, help us to slow down and create still moments where we can connect with you AND with each other…in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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