Sermons
A Message by the Rev. Harvey G. Throop
Palisades Presbyterian Church
San Diego, California
May 17, 2009
Spiritual Drifting
(2 Corinthians 13:5-8)
"Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups."
(2 Corinthians 13:5 – The Message)
There was an interesting article on the front page of the San Diego Union-Tribune a couple of weeks ago (4/28/09) that was entitled, “Loss of Faith Attributed to Spiritual Drift.” Many of you probably read it. Reporting on a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, the article began, “More Americans have given up their faith or changed religious because of a gradual spiritual drift than switched because of a disillusionment over their churches' policies…”
It went on to say “Almost three-quarters of Catholics and Protestants who are now unaffiliated with a religion said they had ‘just gradually drifted away' from their faith.”
People say it to me all the time: "Oh, we used to belong to Palisades or to such and such a church, but after the kids grew up ... or after we moved ... or after we retired, we just sort of drifted away."
Interestingly, in the Scripture passage we read a moment ago, the Apostle Paul wrote about "drifting." He was in the midst of encouraging those to whom he was writing about living their faith. He was reminding them of Christ's presence within them.
He writes: " Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups" (2 Corinthians 13:5 – The Message ). He was writing about a constant threat in every person's life.
Some people don't drift away from God; they walk away defiantly. They scorn his name, repudiate his church and turn their backs on all things that are religious. That's just the opposite of drifting away.
"Drift" is an altogether different word. It refers to an act that is little noticed and seemingly insignificant. There is hardly any awareness that it is happening.
Boats drift. A boat not secured to the dock will drift away with the tide. A life not carefully anchored to the church will drift away from the Christian fellowship.
Drifting happens in all kinds of ways. By its very nature, it is usually imperceptible. That's what happens to some people. They drift away from church. After participating regularly for years, something will suddenly come up and a Sunday happens when they skip church. A week or two later, the same thing happens. A week or two after that, the same thing, again. Before you know it, they've quit coming.
Some students will drift away from getting their education. "I'm just going to drop out for one semester," they'll say. "Then I'll enroll again." Well, some do and some don't. Perhaps they get a job. "The pay is good and, besides, who needs a diploma if I can make this kind of money," they reason. So taking the short view rather than the long, they drift away from school.
Some folks drift from ideals that rightly order their lives. In the process, they drift to the lowest common denominator, best summarized in the rationale, "Well, everybody's doing it." So what?
This kind of drifting happens all the time. Parents do their best to raise their children with principles and direction. Then, when the children are on their own, they try things their way.
A young man was taught by his mother to tell people when you love them. He walked into a card shop one day and said to the clerk, "I want the best card you have for expressing deep love." The clerk quickly found the best-selling card in the store. The inscription read, "To the only girl I have ever loved!" "Perfect," said the young man. "I'll take six!"
Now, there's a time to go it on your own -- and, yes, drift a little. That's a natural and expected occurrence.
The problem with drifting, however, is that it's so effortless. You don't have to do anything to drift. You don't have to make choices. You just put yourself in neutral and go with the flow.
Some people do that. Usually and unfortunately, the drift is downward ... like water. Water doesn't flow uphill. Now, I know there are exceptions. The Red River in North Dakota flows northward in places. For the most part, however, water flows southward -- downward. So does most drifting.
The writer to the Ephesians cautioned, "We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14).
Life is filled with choices. You may drift for a while but at some point, you choose to continue to drift. Not to choose is a choice. Drifting requires no effort, but it does require a choice -- a choice not to do anything!
Why do some folks end up drifting? Well, they get too busy with other things. They neglect spiritual disciplines that undergird a well-lived life.
The same thing happens with other areas of our living. Diet and exercise are important to one's health. Both require some discipline. One can drift into obesity.
There are a few wonderful people who have drifted away from Palisades. Whenever I run into them, I tell them we miss them. They always give me their "story." "Well, Sunday is the only day I get to relax ... Sunday is the only day we have to do this or go there or see the family, etc."
Those people have made choices. They've gotten busy with other things. They justify their absences but keep changing their reasons.
We drift because we get busy. We also drift because of carelessness. We run with the wrong crowd. Like a poorly anchored boat, we drift away. We drift out where the water is deep and the currents are treacherous, and we have no resources to meet the challenge. It's like a rip tide. The tide that pulls us away never ceases -- never rests!
So many in life struggle with a basic question, "Is it worth it? When I get what I want, will it be worth the price I paid?"
Max Lucado tells of a San Antonio lawyer who decided that it wasn't worth it. Successful, affluent, recently married, nice house. One day he went home, took a gun out of a hiding place, climbed into a sleeping bag and took his life. He left his wife a note: "It's not that I don't love you. I do. It's just that I'm tired and I want to rest." (Lucado, Six Hours One Friday , Multanomah Press [Portland, OR; 1989], p. 32.)
How did he get that way? Only God knows! More often than not, however, that kind of hopelessness comes with drifting from the values that undergird a well-lived life.
So -- what's the answer? The Apostle Paul gives it: “ Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups" (2 Corinthians 13:5 – The Message ).
Max Lucado writes: "Stability in the storm comes not from seeking a new message, but from understanding and embracing one that has stood the test of time and life. The most reliable anchor points are not recent discoveries, but are time tested truths that have held their ground against the winds of change" (Op cit, Lucado, p. 174).
Some of the most beautiful trees in San Diego -- particularly along the coast -- are those that have stood and weathered the strongest storms. So Paul was telling his readers to hold onto their roots! Many of the good things in life require our choosing them. They require our discipline ... our greater attention.
You've seen those lists of "How to be Happy" or "How To Realize a Meaningful Life." Those kinds of things are framed for purchase at card stores or circulated through e-mail. I ran across this list entitled, "26 Steps To Happiness." Actually, they are all -- directly or indirectly -- based on teachings of Jesus. The list included the following:
--Live within your means.
--Return everything you borrow.
--Donate blood
--Stop blaming other people.
--Admit it when you have made a mistake.
--Give all the clothes you haven't worn for 3 years to charity.
--Every day do something nice and try not to get caught.
--Listen more, talk less.
--Take a 30-minute walk through your neighborhood everyday.
--Skip two meals a week and give the money to the hungry.
--Strive for excellence and not perfection.
--Be on time.
--Re-read your favorite books
--Don't make excuses.
--Be kind to kind people.
--Be even kinder to unkind people.
--Let someone cut ahead of you in line.
--Take time to be alone.
--Cultivate good manners.
--Be humble.
--Understand and accept that life isn't always fair.
--Know when to say some things and know when to keep quiet.
--Don't criticize anyone for 4 hours.
--Learn from the past, plan for the future and live in the present."
All those things require a deliberate choice! You can't do these things and drift at the same time!
When life has its trials and our anchors are tested, we need to be secured to the stronghold of Jesus Christ and not drift.
As Paul put it: “ Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don't drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups" (2 Corinthians 13:5 – The Message ).
