Sermon Text- On Purpose- 8.24.25

For Moses, it was the burning bush.  He was out, hiding out, really, with the flocks of his father in law.  Glad to be away from people, politics, and danger since he had left Egypt a wanted man after killing an overseer who had beaten a Hebrew slave.  It was safe in the wilderness with the sheep.  Here, Moses could stay out of trouble and make a positive contribution to his family by helping with the livestock.   He had a community and a purpose.  

And then there was the burning bush.  And the call to free the slaves in Egypt.  And Moses resisted.  He protested.  He tried to get out of it.  But God would have none of it.  And, we know the story.  Moses, along with his brother Aaron, and sister Miriam, were instrumental in helping the slaves escape from Egypt through the Red Sea.  This was followed by 40 years in the wilderness, and then into the promised land.  Moses had a calling.  A purpose.

And so did many significant figures in the stories in the Bible.  Abraham was called, late in life, in his very old age, to relocate with his wife Sarah.  And they were told they would be the progenitors of many nations.  Which did not happen until they were elderly.  You just never know.  Then there was Samuel, who was called into God’s service as a child.  Awakened by God in the night.  And given his purpose.  And we know the calling of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the story of the visitation by the angel Gabriel telling her of her purpose. And Paul being knocked off his horse, struck blind, and being told of his calling.   So many stories of calling in the Bible!

And though its no longer Bible times, many of us today have a calling; we have a purpose revealed to us in some way.  For me, I was walking home from church one Sunday when I was in college, and I was overcome with the feeling that if I made one person feel like this, in my whole life, then I would have fulfilled my purpose.  So I became a pastor.  

This is work we associate with a calling.  Our daughter, Angela, was contemplating becoming a lawyer, until she attended her grandfather’s memorial service.  He had been a pastor.  She heard the stories about him and got her calling.  She wanted to do what he did.  Have that kind of an impact on people.  

And our son, Sterling, in high school, he told me, “I can’t not paint.  You should understand that, Mom.”  And, of course, I do.  And so he went to art school and is a painter living in Los Angeles.  

And there is Robert Reich, the professor, who immediately resonated with teaching and knew that is what he was to do with his life.  The story of his career is beautifully presented in the movie, “The Last Class.”

In the book, The Women, by Kristin Hannah, the main character, Frankie McGrath, finds that she wants to make a difference.  She is from a well to do family in Southern California.  It’s the 60’s.  She decided to become a nurse.  Until she got married.  But after encountering an injured soldier in a San Diego hospital, she decided that she, like her brother who is serving in the Navy in Vietnam, she too, can serve her country.  “‘I could serve my country,’ she said to the man [patient] whose hand she held.  It was a revolutionary, frightening, exhilarating thought.”  [The Women, Kristin Hannah, p. 14.]  Frankie enlists in the army to serve as a nurse in Vietnam.  She finds her purpose.  Which, it turns out, is not validated by her family or by society.  Because she is a woman and the service of women in wartime was not acknowledged or respected.  But she listened to her heart and saved lives.  

This is manifestation of Divine Love, at the heart of reality.  God so loved the world, that not only was Jesus given to the world, but each and every person is given to the world to be a vessel of love.  Of compassion.  Of caring. Everyone one is needed.  Each one of us is here for a purpose. In our Christian tradition we see that purpose as love, of self, love of God, love of neighbor, and love of enemy.  We are here to love. This life.  This earth.  And the people of this earth, whoever they may be.  Our purpose is LOVE.  

Now, because we live in a culture of extractive capitalism, the society around us wants to convince us that we are here to be consumers, to buy things, to spend money, to make money for other people.  We are here to work, so that we have the money to spend to make a profit for others.  We’ll get more into that next week for Labor Day Sunday.  But we are indoctrinated, brainwashed, to see ourselves not as moral beings or as beings of compassion.  We are indoctrinated to see ourselves as economic beings.   Our purpose is to engage with the economy.  To buy, sell, spend, invest.  Where does love fit into that picture?

We are also bound up in a society that is addicted to measuring and counting.  Anything that is worth doing must have a measurable outcome.  We are obsessed with quantifying what we do to justify our actions.  What difference does something make?  How do we know it is a worthy purpose?  Well, there is a measurement to back it up.  

That is not Biblical.  We are never told how many slaves were freed from Egypt.  We aren’t told of the economic implications or the measurable outcomes of most of what happens in the Bible.  Because love, well, it really can’t be measured.  

So as our lives unfold and we are thinking about why we are here and what our purpose is, we are programmed to think in terms of measurability.  And love just doesn’t work like that.  

In my mother’s last months in the nursing home at Westminster Suncoast, she really couldn’t talk much at all and she couldn’t walk.  She couldn’t dress herself.  She couldn’t feed herself.   What was her purpose?  To provide a job for an aide?  Maybe.  But there is one thing she did do.  And she was known for it.  And people used to stop and greet her in the hall way of the nursing facility.  Because she would always smile.  And they loved to see her smile.  They knew that if they greeted Gertie, she would brighten their day with a smile.  So, even in her reduced, compromised condition, she had a purpose.  She could still love with a smile.  How many lives did she brighten a day?  Who knows?  That’s not the point of love.  Of purpose.  

So I think measurability is one thing that can be an obstacle when we think about purpose.  And here’s another thing.  We are in a culture that values being busy.  And there are many tasks we need to do to keep our everyday lives on track that take time.  When we are younger, it’s work, relationships, parenting, keeping up house and yard, helping elderly parents, so many things demanding our time.  And as we get older, there are medical appointments, helping with grandchildren, loss of energy, physical ability and mental acuity slowing us down.  These things fill our days.  So, where is our capacity for love and service?  We are so busy!  Do we even notice where we are needed?

We don’t see Jesus consulting his calendar all the time – two healings this morning, followed by an exorcism.  Lunch with the lepers.  Then in the afternoon, walk to the next town, have dinner with a religious leader.  Then offer some teachings lakeside before turning in at the home of a random local.  Oh, next week, we’ll be in Capernaum.  We’re scheduled to give a talk there and to cast out demons. Then we’ll cross the Sea of Galilee by boat.  That night I will calm the storm.  I mean, it just doesn’t work like that with Jesus.  He has space and time in his life, and the inclination, to spend his days fulfilling his purpose which is to show people how to love, God, Creation, themselves, and others.  That is his purpose.

For God to get in and give us a message about what we are needed to be doing to love, well, there has to be some space, some emptiness, some readiness.  Moses was out in the scrub with the sheep.  Plenty of time and room for God to get a word in edgewise.  

We also live in a time where we are trained to expect immediate results.  We click.  We tap.  We post.  We email.  No waiting days or weeks for a response.  We are used to getting the response now.  Instantly.  It’s like feeding the beast.  I want it now.  The likes.  The thumbs up.  But so much that has to do with purpose, well, we may never get a response.  Or the outcome may be a long time coming.  Sharing love and compassion, working for justice, creating a society that honors human rights for all, these things take time.  Twentieth century theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr, once said, “Nothing worth doing can be achieved in a lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.”  When it comes to purpose, to channeling the love of God, we must realize that we may never see the results.  It’s not something that we do so that we get immediate gratification though there are studies that show that helping others does actually improve physical health outcomes.  But we may never see our efforts come to full fruition.  Any teacher can tell you that.  Teachers pour themselves into their students and who knows what becomes of them?  Maybe a few stay in touch but most go on with their lives and the teachers never know what impact they have had.  

Another thing that I think influences our sense of purpose today is that we know so much about what is going on in the world around us and that can make the problems seem overwhelming.  We don’t think we can make a difference.  There’s too much.  And it’s too big.  And what can we do?  

Yet we are here, we are put here, we are intended to be here, to channel Divine Love.  We are here, like Jesus, to make the love of God manifest to the world around us. 

This week I read about a camp for old people and young people combined that took place in California last month. The older people taught the younger people things they don’t necessarily learn today like how to sew, or embroider, or play a musical instrument, or cook.  The camp was started by a high schooler who lives with her grandmother.  The intent was to help teens learn from their elders, and help address the loneliness and isolation experienced by many seniors.  The younger people were thrilled to benefit from these interactions with their elders which included doing things like card making, embroidery, clay, jewelry making, Instant Pot cooking, and fruit bouquet making.  And the elders learned about life today for younger people.  [“Seniors Teach “Lost” Life Skills to Students at Intergenerational Summer Camp,” Nice News, Daily Edition August 22, 2025.]

So, what is our purpose?  To love.  To express love.  If you like to cook, then cook a meal for someone, and better yet, enjoy it with them.  That’s purpose.  Listen to someone’s troubles.  Just listen.  Pay attention.  That’s purpose.  If you have money, share it.  Where it is needed.  To help someone.  Or to make the world a better place.  Give it away.  That’s purpose.  If you like to write, post things that offer insight and encouragement.  Share joy.  Expose injustice.  Write.  Write.  Write.  That’s purpose.   If your are a musician, make beautiful music.  To move others.  To bring joy.  That’s purpose.   Call someone you know who is lonely.  And maybe down.  That’s purpose.  Helping someone carry in their grocery bags.  That’s purpose.  Giving someone a ride to the doctor.  That’s purpose.  Taking care of someone’s children when needed, that’s purpose.  Purpose is an orientation of the heart.  

When we were in Kentucky recently, we did a lot of hiking.  There was a lot of up and down,  uneven paths, rocks and roots and boulders to traverse.  With my arthritic knees that don’t like to bend, it could be a challenge.  I was down on all fours.  Or going up backwards on my butt.  Whatever it took.  In one spot, I was down on all fours, climbing over a rocky formation, and a young man and woman came up behind me.   The man, maybe in his thirties, he kind of hovered near by as I proceeded.  My family had gone on ahead.  I encouraged this couple to go past me and continue on.  I told them I’m slow. Go ahead.  But his man just couldn’t do it. He finally said, “It’s just not in my blood to walk away when I could help someone. . .”  Well, I affirmed that!  And I let him know that my husband, son, daughter, son in law, and soon to be daughter in law were here with me, so it was ok for him to head on.  And then he did.    

Purpose does not mean that you have a grand calling, part of a big scheme, to transform the world, or make a lot of money.  Purpose means that you are trying to be open to letting love flow through you into the world, some way, some how, whatever your situation, abilities, or circumstances.  Purpose means that it’s in your blood to help.  To give.  To contribute.  To speak up.  To listen.  To smile.  To love.  

We may not all get marching orders like Moses.  But the presence and power of Divine Love infuses our world and our reality and calls us to channel love.  As long as there is breath in our bodies, our purpose is to love.  That’s is what we are here to be and to do.  Writing in 1856, poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning picks up on the burning bush and reminds us:  

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God,
But only he who sees takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” 

[Poem:  Aurora Leigh.]

You are welcome to take off your shoes!    Amen!

A reasonable effort has been made to appropriately cite materials referenced in this sermon. For additional information, please contact Lakewood United Church of Christ.