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Of all the books I have in my study at home and in my office here at the church my favorite book is my Bible. In the Old Testament of the Bible, after what I call the Book of human emotions, the Book of Psalms, and the Book of Wisdom, the Book of Proverbs, is the Book of Ecclesiastes, which is written by a man named Solomon who in his later years took time to look back at his life of which much was lived without God in his life. With this insight Solomon wrote the Book of Ecclesiastes as a way to spare future generations the bitterness of learning through their own life experience that life is meaningless without God.
As I read the Book of Ecclesiastes I envision Solomon as a man of God, wisdom, insight, and a philosopher. And I realized as I read what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is a figure of speech that presents two opposite extremes, but the emphasis is on the time when life begins at conception to the time of death. For it only takes one breath to enter this world and one breath to exit this world and everything in-between is a gift.
Timing is important in our lives and what Solomon wrote is a matter of interpretation as it pertains to where we are in our lives.
Open your Bible to Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, and listen to Solomon’s wisdom insight and general observation of life:
There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to rebuild. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to throw away. A time to search and a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak up. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
We know that true apology begins from within as an expression of what we have done wrong, and change comes about by our developing a plan to implement change. But is there ever a time that an apology is out of line? A time where what has happened is fine just the way it is.
Solomon’s whole point is that God has a plan for all people and God provides cycles of life, each with its work for us to do. And although we may face trials and tribulations we should not let these be a barrier from us loving and trusting in God. The barriers in our lives may be a challenge but without God, life’s problems have no lasting solutions!
Listen closely and carefully, there is a time and a place where we never have to apologize. We never have to apologize for how God has made us. For God never makes mistakes which is why I am an only child but God has a plan for all of our lives. My wife and I have a friend who is approximately five foot tall and she tells everyone she is not short, she is just vertically challenged!
Open your Bible to Luke 19:1-6
Jesus entered into Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. And Zacchaeus sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because Zacchaeus was small of stature. So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, for Jesus was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to that place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, and Jesus received Zacchaeus joyfully.
If you study the Bible you will be amazed at whom God chose to serve him. In the Book of Genesis 11:30, God chose Abram and his barren wife (meaning she did not birth any children), to go to Canaan knowing that while in Egypt Abram would lie, telling others that his wife was actually his sister to spare his own life and Abram and his wife eventually fled to Egypt.
In the Book of Exodus 4:10 we learn:
But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to my servant; but I am slow of speech and tongue.”
Moses was telling God, “God, I ave uh speech prob a lam, I cant speak r r r right. Why due you want t me e e e?” David was the last and the least of his brothers who nobody would think would be worthy to be chosen. And there are numerous examples in the Old and New Testament of the Bible of those God chose that any good church attendee would never pick for they’re not like us! So what is my point? My point is that God will pick who God wants to pick irrelevant of what anyone else may think and or say. After all have you ever studied Jesus disciples?
Is there ever a time we do not have to apologize? Yes, you and I do not have to apologize for who we are. We may have to apologize for our actions, mental and physical, and our behaviors, but we do not have to apologize for who we are.
As Jesus sat in the Upper Room with His disciples on the night of His betrayal, Jesus took the bread, broke it and said, “Take, eat, this is my body broken for you. Eat this often in remembrance of me.” After supper Jesus took the cup, blessed it and said, “Take, drink, this is my blood of the New Covenant shed for the forgiveness of many. Drink this often in remembrance of me.” Jesus did not say, “you may only receive this Last Supper if you have all your teeth, do not wear glasses or hearing aids. You may receive this Last Supper only if you can walk unassisted and have not lost any of your hair or your hair is not balding and or turning gray. You may only receive if you are skinny, have a high GPA in school and have money.”
No, our Lord and Savior said that all are welcome at the table for the Table of the Lord is not a denomination or a status symbol other than the status symbol that we are all sinners and in the eyes of God no one sinner is any better or worse than the next sinner. The table is set and all are welcome to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. You see God in His wisdom doesn’t care what others may think or say.
Why doesn’t God care? Luke 19:7-10,
And when they all saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Our Lord and Savior did not come to judge who’s in and who’s out.
After all, Genesis 1:26-28a
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them,
On this the last Sunday on our series on apologizing if you can’t rest for worrying why would God want you stop worrying. Walter, stop worrying about what the system thinks and know that you don’t have to apologize for how God made you which some may not understand. You and I don’t have to apologize for who we are for God don’t make junk and we are fine just the way God made us. This is the day let us rejoice and be glad in it for we are God’s children and we are fine just the way God made us. We may have to apologize to God for our actions, verbal and non-verbal but not for how we are made by God the potter.
Let us pray,
I was there when you drew the breath of life. And I could hear your voice the first time that you cried. And though you couldn’t see Me I was very near. And there’s something now that I want you to hear. You will always be a child in my eyes and when you need some love my arms are open wide. And even when you’re growing old I hope you realize. You will always be a child in my life. I was there the first time that you prayed. And I heard all the promises you made. And when you fell before me crying Father I have sinned I picked you up and held you close again. You will always be a child in my eyes and when you need some love my arms are open wide. And even when you are growing old I hope you realize you will always be a child in my eyes. You will always be a child in my eyes. When you need some love my arms are open wide. And even when you are growing old I hope you realize you will always be a child in my eyes. You will always be a child in my eyes. Amen
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