Drawing Closer to God

The Soup Line

 

Let’s begin this morning by using our imaginations.  Let’s pretend we all are in a Soup Line.  You know what I am talking about, where homeless people line up for a free meal.  We are all hungry and the Generous Organization is giving away free soup.  So, we have lined up.  We are waiting until it is our turn to get our bowl of soup. 

 

But there is a problem.  We suspect there is not enough soup for everyone.  At some point, and we don’t know when, the Generous Organization will run out of soup.  Everyone left in line will go hungry.  So, we are feeling a bit uneasy about our place in line, there seems to be a lot of people in front of us.  If we are not close enough to the front of the line when the Generous Organization runs out, we are going to stay hungry. 

 

But this Soup Line is a bit strange.  Instead of operating under the old, “first-come-first-serve” law, the Generous Organization requires the recipients to justify their place in line.  Those who deserve the soup go toward the front of the line.  Those who are undeserving are moved to the back of the line.  That way those who are worthy of the soup will have a better chance of getting soup.  Those who are not as deserving, will not waste any soup.  It is a strange Soup Line.

 

To make it even stranger, the line itself gets to determine the criteria of who gets to move up.  The values, chosen by the line, determine who moves to the front and gets soup and who moves to the back and is left out.

 

So, in our imaginations, we are standing in this weird Soup Line.  We are wondering…  “Who is valuable?  Who gets to move to the front of the line?  What are the criteria?  Who gets to move up and who has to move back.  Am I going to get any soup?”

 

Then, in our strange Soup Line, the criteria are announced…

-The rich get to move to the front.  Obviously, because you have lots of money you are more important than those who have little; the rich get to move to the front of the line. 

-Those who are famous, celebrities, movie stars, are surely more important than ordinary people.  Ordinary people they go to the back.  Celbs to the front.

-The educated are worth more than the dropouts.

-The beautiful are in front of the ugly.

-The athletes have to the front.  Clumsy’s to the back.

-The healthy are in front of the sick.  Whites are in front of all other races.

 Americans are obviously ahead of all other nationalities. 

 

So, rich celebrities with advanced degrees who are good looking athletes from white America are in the very front of the line.  I think you get the picture of how our line is organized.  We have developed a pecking order of who gets the soup.  Now don’t forget we are not sure how much soup there is and those at the end of the line may go hungry.

 

What I haven’t told you is what kind of soup the Generous Organization is handing out.  It is no ordinary chicken soup.  It is not good old potato soap or even chilled cucumber soup.  We are waiting in line for Worthy Soup.  We are all standing in line to receive our portion of worthiness.  Without it we will be hungry for approval.  Without the Worthy Soup we will be hungry for acceptance.  We will miss out on recognition.  We will be without… love.

 

The question is how far up the line are you?  When the soup runs out will you go hungry?  If you are not important; if you are at the end of the line; you may not get any worthiness at all.  And that would be sad! 

 

=======

 

You may suspect our imaginary Soup Line is a metaphor.  Obviously, it is a metaphor of how our culture values people.  We compete for worthiness.  We all want to feel that we are important.  We all have this craving for significance.  We want to be valued by others.  We want others to think we are worth their attention.  We all have an innate need for acceptance.  I know I want a little glory, for me.  Hey, I want somebody to love.

 

So, what do we do?  We mentally form our little soup lines.  We work it all out in our heads… “I am ahead of all those kind of people.  I deserve more soup than women.  I am in front of all those who are a different race.  Certainly, I am worth more than those who have those weird religious believes.  I have a master’s degree.  I am a preacher.  I am further up the line than the short, or the fat or those who talk funny or come from a different place or who have committed some crime or who are fans of some other sports team.”

 

In my own little soup line I can move everyone to the back and attempt to move me to front of my line?  I can manipulate the criteria of who goes to the front of the line, so that I can be first.  I get the first bowl of soup.  “But do I really?  Does my private Soup Line work?  Am I really in someone else’s line?  Whose line am I in?  What if I want to be in your line?  Who decides how much soap I get?  I don’t know.  I just need some soup.”

 

But there is something sad about our soup lines.  There is something wrong with all Soup Lines.  The soup is only… water.  There is nothing to it.  It only quenches the thirst for a moment.  It does not provide any nourishment.  So, the competition continues.  We have to get more.  Surely, if we eat enough soup we will be filled.  We keep thinking if we can be at the front of the line we will get what we desire.  But our soup lines can’t provide any real worthiness because the Generous Organization has none to give.  We can’t give worthiness to each other because we all have empty bowls!  The whole Soup Line thing doesn’t work because the Generous Organization doesn’t have any worthiness to give.  “O no, I may never get any soup no one has any soup to give.”

 

=======

 

Wait.  Something else is wrong.  Our strange Soup Line metaphor is broken.  There is plenty of worthiness to go around.  There is an unlimited amount of worthiness to share.  No one should be hungry.  There is no need of a Soup Line, at all!  There is real, nutritious glory to be granted to all people.  That changes everything.  I would like to advocate there is plenty of worthiness to go around.  All the worthiness, we could ever consume, is available in… God’s Soup.  God’s soup is unlimited.  It feeds our hunger.  God’s Soup satisfies our desire to be worthy.  There isn’t any need for a soup line, at all.

 

Listen to Ephesians 2:1-10 again.  I read it last week.  Listen to it again with Soup Lines in mind.

 

Ephesians 2:1-10  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.  Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.  But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

Let’s break these verses down.

-You were dead…  We were hungry for value.  We lived in the line attempting to gratify ourselves… doing whatever we could to move up the line.  That is what our Soup Line Metaphor was attempting to do; gratify the cravings of our sinful desires.

-But because of his great love for us… we were taken out of the line by being loved.  We know we are loved by God.  That takes us out of the Soup line and into the grace of God.  We don’t need human Soup Lines.

-And God raised us up…  God gives us the value.  I am valued by the creator of the universe!  The One who is all valuable has valued us.  We need no more significance than to be made alive with Christ. 

-And seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus… There is no greater glory than to be sitting on a throne with Christ.  Use your imaginations again to see yourself on a throne beside the big throne of Christ.  We are not standing in a line with our empty bowls begging for recognition.  We are sitting on a throne beside Christ Jesus!  That is how God sees us.  We are no longer objects of wrath.  We are kings on thrones.  If we could see ourselves as God sees us we would never stand in a Soup Line again.

-He might show the incomparable riches of his grace… We are the object of God’s grace.  That’s what I want.  I want to be the object of God’s grace, because that means I will get the incomparable riches throughout the coming ages!

-It is the gift of God… not something we have to earn.  God’s grace is not something we have to deserve.    We don’t have to move up the line to receive God’s gift.  God’s Soup is not something we have to prove that we merit.

-For we are God’s workmanship…  God, the ultimate craftsman, has made us to be who he intends us to be.  God doesn’t make junk.  God only creates master pieces.  You are God’s master piece.  You are designed by God to do specific, good works; he had in mind, when he made you.  Can you be more valuable than that?

 

Wow.  I don’t have to stand in the Soup Line.  All the worthiness I could ever possibly want I have in Christ.  I am alive… that’s a good thing.  I am on a throne… that’s an amazing thing.  I receive God’s grace… constantly.  I am God’s master piece.  There is no need for any of our culture’s empty recognition.  I have prestige from God!

 

The good news is… there is plenty to around for everyone!  In faith, step up and get a generous portion of God’s Soup!  By faith we are moved to accept this grace.  In baptism we are drowned in the grace of God and come up a new creation.  We come out of the new birth to sit on the throne as God’s Masterpiece.  Wow.  Don’t you want some of God’s Soup?

 

=======

 

Eating deeply of God’s Soup changes who I am.

-Eating God’s Soup changes my need to compete for my spot in the line.  I don’t have to prove that I am better than you.  I don’t compete in lines ever again.

-Eating God’s Soup changes how I can feel with others.  I no longer need to get ahead of you.  I can sympathize with you.  Instead of competing against you, we can share our connection in God. 

-Eating God’s Soup diminishes my pride.  It is all God’s Soup.  Pride and jealousy start to vanish.

-Eating God’s Soup weakens my need for the world’s approval.  I am filled up with God’s approval.  I no longer hunger and thirst for their acceptance.

-Eating God’s Soup allows be to show mercy.  Hey I am not in line.  I can be merciful.

-Eating God’s Soup keeps my heart pure I don’t have to pretend.  I don’t need to lie.  I don’t need to get ahead.  My motives are pure.

-Eating God’s Soup lets me live in peace because I don’t have to win, anymore.

-Eating God’s Soup strengthens me when ridiculed.  What do I care that you tease me.  God loves me.  Hey, I am sitting on a throne with Christ, and you are teasing me. 

 

Eating God’s Soup allows me to live the beatitudes.

 

Matthew 5:3-10  

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. 

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. 

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. 

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. 

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

=======

 

This year we are drawing closer to God.  I wanted to make a brief stop at the Soup Line to remind us that God loves us.  God accepts us.  God lifts us up.  We are His workmanship.  We are tight with God. 

 

 Tim Stidham

November 6, 201

Los Alamos Church of Christ