February 15, 2009
Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
Self Control
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
The Discipline of Athletes
Run! Obtain the Prize!
And what always amazes me is their discipline. Their discipline in diet, in exercise, in practice and in rest. They reach their goal through discipline. Iron-willed self-control.
Jimmy Connors, a tennis player (my childhood hero), once said he practiced certain shots hundreds of time even though he would use them no more than once or twice in any match. Each shot was that important. Jimmy played to win.
Run! Obtain the Prize!
This matter about self-control, self-discipline, is raised for us this morning by the Apostle Paul in a little pep talk he gives to the Corinthians at the end of chapter 9. “Run!” he tells us, “Run!! Obtain the prize!”
But, let us be a little thoughtful before we jump to quick conclusions.
This is not a command to go out and “Jog for Jesus.” Nor, is it the “great commission” that many think they have to follow sports religiously, especially on the Sabbath Day.
This is not an excuse to play hooky on Sunday morning because we’re out doing a sport, like playing golf. Basketball and bowling are not the kind of activities Paul has in mind when he tell the church to run. Paul is talking about the Christian life.
We Beat Ourselves
“Every athlete exercises self-control in all things.” Listen to athletes after a loss and you will usually hear a similar refrain: “We beat ourselves,” they will say. I heard some of the Arizona Cardinals say that right after the Super Bowl. “We beat ourselves.”
And much the same happens on the playing field of faith. There is a sinful self who is opposed to Christ. The “flesh,” Saint Paul called it. Our sinful “flesh.” And we all know its weakness.
Christ has died to offer us the free gift of his forgiveness. And yet, the “flesh” would like to seize that gift and make it something it merits and deserves, a chunk of its entitlement.
Christ fought with sin and death to win a Resurrection victory. But, the “flesh” only blames God for its losses, while thinking that it fights all by itself in the center ring.
Christ coaches us in faithful service. Drills us in a life of praise. While the “flesh” rebels against this kind of exercise.
Christ has made brothers and sisters out of our neighbors. But the “flesh” can only make of them competitors and is out to score points against them at their expense.
Start as Christ’s Disciple
That is why for anyone to be disciplined, they must start first as Christ’s disciple. Jesus has freed us from our sinful “flesh.” We may always beat ourselves, but the victory is won by Christ.
And through his ministry he identifies with all the losers of the world, us folk who are our own worst enemy, and then he offers up his life, so that we might walk away winners, the winners of his grace.
We are free from everything that makes us opposed to God. Our selfish will and self-determination. Our urge for empire…to conquer and destroy. Our desire to be number one. Our want for name and fame.
Christ has freed us from our self-defeating self. We are his disciples now. And our training is for Life, God’s own eternal life. That is our goal. And disciples are always disciplined.
Disciples are Disciplined
Just look at any athlete. They possess a whole host of freedoms that they never use. A pro football player can run in any direction that he chooses. Yet, a running back’s concern is only with the yards, the feet, the inches that take him to the goal.
A boxer is free to swing his fists and beat the air, but he conserves his energy to make contact with the punch that counts.
A race car driver is free to ride the outside track. But if you ever asked him, he only wants the lead position on that narrow path that’s called “the groove.”
And that is true of the Christian life as well. The conduct which best trains for eternal life is that behavior which does not roam all over the field, but presses forward on the most efficient track of what is beneficial, the narrow path, the “groove.”
Christians are free to do almost anything. But it doesn’t count much unless they are headed towards the goal.
A Steady Diet of Word & Sacrament
For example, we Lutherans have great freedom in attending worship. We do not have days of obligation like the Catholics do. And yet, just because we have this freedom, doesn’t mean that any use of it is beneficial.
No athlete would ever start the day without a solid breakfast. And no Christian can expect to exercise faith on an empty spirit. And I can tell in time of crisis, who has had a steady diet of Word & Sacrament and who has been coasting on an empty stomach.
A champion weight-lifter once described his breakfast as 4 eggs, 2 steaks, 6 pancakes, 2 slices of toast, milk & orange juice. How can we expect to bear a heavy-weight burden on a diet of Word & Sacrament that’s anything less than that?
And supplement that diet now with a discipline like prayer and bible study. We are not Muslims who require specific prayers five times a day, but what a difference it can make when we get down into that “groove” of frequent prayer and bible readings.
And we are not Jews for whom tithing, financial giving, is not an option, but a requirement. For a Jew, tithing is a “mitzvah.” A command. A requirement…from God himself. It is not optional. And the community can hold him or her accountable.
But what a beneficial blessing it is for us and others, when we discipline our spending and our debt load. And we get those dollars where they can work in Christian ministry.
Which is exactly what I am seeing here in this congregation, by the way. Despite tough economic times, you folks are funding the ministry of Jesus that you see to be so critical and vital. And what a blessing that is, when disciples, like you, have that kind of self-control and discipline!
No Greater Prize
We could go on and on. The point is this. We are in training for Life. Jesus has given us a great and precious freedom. The freedom to be shaped as Christ’s disciple. And there is no greater prize than that.
© 2009 Pastor Paul Jaster