Christ Memorial was a church plant of Salem Lutheran in Affton in 1948. Our history is God “sowing seeds” and “bearing fruit.” What will he grow in the next 75 years? Martin Luther once said, “Even if I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would still plant my apple tree today.” We continue to plant seeds for coming generations of gospel multiplication. More people loved in Christ, more people sent into the world.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross, and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6) O Lord, you are my sole satisfaction. I am hungry and thirsty for righteousness. I long for you. Amen.
Word: John 12:25
“Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”
Meditation
Loving Life by Megan Roegner
For the most part, I love my life. I love coffee in the morning and a cocktail while cooking dinner. I love reading books and watching TV. I love sleeping and the smell of crisp, clean sheets. I love doing yoga in the evenings. I love ice cream and cheese.
More importantly, I love my husband and my children. I love my parents and siblings. I love my friends, even when they are too far away. I love teaching and working with my students. I love my church and the community we are constantly building.
How then, do I respond to Jesus’s teaching that “whoever loves his life will lose it”? Is loving your life sinful?
English is an amazing language—I can easily say that I love it (just ask me for a lecture on its history, and I will happily talk until your eyes glaze over). But it has its limitations. Love is recklessly used to refer to one’s feelings for one’s spouse and also one’s pleasure in eating cheese.
In fact, I wonder if my trouble with this verse lies in the English language’s trouble in differentiating between two different conceptualizations of what it means to live a happy life. The difference between what the Greeks (maybe even the Greeks Jesus was speaking to!) called hedonia—a pleasurable life—and eudaimonia—a good, or meaningful, life.
When it comes down to it, none of the things that I find pleasurable are worth more to me than the people and the vocations that make it good. And although I can’t guarantee how I would truly act if my life were on the line, I believe I would give my life for the people I love and am charged to care for. In any case, I believe it would be the right and good thing for me to do. Living well means that there is something more important than my life that I am living for.
So I don’t think Jesus is saying you shouldn’t love the people or vocations in your life, nor do I think he is saying that you shouldn’t ever find life pleasurable. Rather, we should not place our desire for these pleasures or our desire to preserve our lives over the lives of others or God’s plans for us.
The paradoxes of the Bible challenge me to think deeply, and this is no exception. We should cherish the blessings and people God gives us and be thankful for them; at the same time, we must hold on to our lives lightly, never confusing the temporary gift for the eternal Giver.
Giver of Life, help us to remember that we don’t live for ourselves. Let us always keep our eyes on you. Amen.
Prayer for Daily Callings
· For my occupation, workplace, coworkers.
· For my work to be good for others, an extension of God’s love and care.
· For the unemployed.
· For growth in my career; not to work for a paycheck but for you and others.
· For discernment, if I should pursue another job or direction in life.
· For my callings at home as spouse, son/daughter, brother/sister.
· For schools, teachers, classmates.
· For eyes to see God’s work around me this day. For the courage to participate in it.
· Not to be comfortable in my callings, but to be useful.
Closing Prayer
O Lord, you are strength for the weak and riches for the poor. I come to you in humility, acknowledging my weakness. All I need is you. Fill my poverty with your power. Amen.