| October 21, 2007
You are welcome to reflect on this message “When Plan A Fails” (Rom 15:22-29) – October 21, 2007
The Apostle Paul was a dreamer, wisher and hoper, who believed in grace. He had future aspirations; something to look forward to, goals to reach. Dreaming’s different from planning. Planning makes life more predictable. Dreaming makes it more hopeful. Both are energizers. In the 15th Chapter of Romans, Paul mapped-out his tomorrow’s. After completing a successful 2-year ministry in Ephesus, he turns to what lies ahead. The scripture says, “he purposed in the spirit,” (Acts 19:21). It’s an interesting expression indicating Paul had high hopes for his exciting calling in Christ.
Jerusalem was his immediate aim. He went to a lot of trouble to collect an offering from the Gentile churches to deliver to the saints in Jerusalem, under the auspices of relief of the poor. But the real reason was to bring peace between Jew and Gentile, which was a huge controversy for the early church. It was a pastoral attempt to heal the breach in the infant church’s fellowship and widen its narrow vision. Jerusalem spelled danger. And Paul went there at the risk of his life. But he’d stop at nothing to bring about unity in the churches. Jerusalem was that important. But my guess is, it felt a lot like work to Paul.
After he delivered the offering to Jerusalem, to patch up a nasty split, he split for Rome. But even Rome wasn’t the end. Paul’s ultimate dream was to take the gospel to Europe. For him Jerusalem was a prequel to Rome, and Rome was a stopover on his way to Spain. Paul had his near-term plans: Jerusalem; an intermediate project: Rome. But his long-term goal was to someday take the gospel to Spain. Twice in Romans 15 he says “I’m going to see Spain.” Spain, Spain! Jerusalem, was his mission, Rome was his desire, but Spain was his heart.
Paul wasn’t one to go someplace where others had already been. He wanted to take the gospel where the story of Jesus was fresh; where God’s Good News hadn’t been contaminated by institutional build-up. He couldn’t wait to preach about grace to those who’d never heard! The dream exposed his soul, upon which Paul built his castles in Spain.
So how did it work out? Paul made it to Jerusalem and sure enough, nearly got killed! By just showing up, he incited a riot. But he accomplished what he intended to do and delivered the financial aid to the Jerusalem church. He gave it all he had, but it didn’t bring about peace. And Paul made it to Rome too. But not at all like he expected. He arrived at Rome in chains, bound as a prisoner, not a citizen. And Spain? Never. Paul’s greatest missionary dream went unfulfilled. He died with the prize in his eyes. Similar to King David never getting to build the temple. There’s a touch of sadness in that. Like Moses perched up on Mt. Nebo, while it fell to Joshua to lead the people into the promised land. Paul can teach us about the importance of making plans, as well as living with the way things don’t turn out. Some of Paul’s goals were accomplished just like he figured.
Some of you have wisely made plans--for marriage and family, for your education or vocation, for retirement. All of us have high hopes for our church. Some things you’ve attempted have happened like you planned and that’s good. The Bible is not against making preparations. The scriptures don’t teach us to leave our brains on a shelf. Or wander aimlessly through life with our eyes closed and our hands out. Yes we plan and pray and trust and go with our best instincts. And sometimes God uses our plans to bless others. Paul intended to go to Jerusalem, to show generosity to the poor. He did that and God blessed it. But no matter how much we plan, or try to make life predictable, controllable -- some things don’t work out like we expected. Then what? God’s greatest saints had to deal with those times when Plan A doesn’t pan-out. Then they had to go to Plan B. And sometimes, Plan C!
Paul always wanted to visit Rome. And when he did, it wasn’t what he thought it would be. Because he was taken to Rome “in chains.” Nobody plans for that! He couldn’t walk the streets as an excited tourist. Or preach at the Forum to bear testimony to Christ. Paul Made it to Rome, but in “house arrest.” The only ones with whom he could share his faith were the guards, because Paul was a Roman jailbird! Plan B. Sometimes you get what you want. But more often, we don’t, even if what we want has to do with serving God. That ought to guarantee Paul would get what he wanted, right? Sometimes life gets us where we want, but not at all how we wanted it. I’m sure most of you already know that to be true. And many more will find it so. Ah the dreams! We start out thinking, “This is what I want to accomplish with my life.” And you may indeed get there. But no doubt by a circuitous route. There’s bound to be many detours along the way in pursuit of any dream worth having. It will mean changing directions, regrouping and trying something different. Plan B. That’s when we’d better learn to be flexible.
Some of you have known illness and tragedy. That’ll shatter your dreams. Or we get swept along by the tides of time and destiny. “Dreams die hard as we watch them erode, but you can’t hide the fire inside,” sings Bob Seger. That was also Paul in Rome. Bound, battered, baffled. But he still had the fire inside. Rome never dampened Paul’s desire for Spain. Adoniram Judson, the first ABC missionary, was a dreamer like Paul. He felt called to India. He said, “I never prayed for something but it came true.” But he only made it to Burma. Because in the providence of God, things happened that prevented him from getting to India. The British East India Co. didn’t want missionaries disturbing the locals with liberation ideas about gospel freedom. Like Jesus left Nazareth for Capernaum, Judson was blocked by the powers-that-be and went over to Rangoon, where he met lots of detours. Judson too was a Burma jailbird for six years, and had little success. Then like Job, his wife and children died. So what did Judson mean, “Every time he prayed for something, it happened?” Even Jesus didn’t have that luxury. And Paul sure didn’t. The answer-he-wanted never came. But a response came: that God was with him, that “God’s grace would be sufficient,” and that something could still be accomplished when Plan A goes down the tubes. Records show, after 34 years in Burma, 210,000 Burmese Christians were in that country as a result of Judson’s dream of India. THAT was the answer – but never in the shape we expect. Get ready for that. Don’t be surprised because detours are a part of life.
So what about Spain? Where Paul built his air castles, his dream, his heart, his soul? He’d seen the world. He accomplished unbelievable things for the gospel. He said, “Having nothing else to do in these parts, I’m coming to Rome, on my way to Spain.” That was Paul in Ephesus. He’d accomplished his goals to that point. But there’s something else he planned on doing: “Having nothing left to do in these parts, I’m coming to see you. But that’s not where I plan on staying. I’m on my way to Spain.” His childhood home was Tarsus. His spiritual home was Jerusalem. His intellectual home was Greece. His international home was Rome. But his soul was in Spain. The land of his dreams. He wanted it soooooo bad. But he never got there.
So it is with us, whose dreams lie beyond our reach. But who wants a dream you can reach? What if life’s terminus for us is Rome--one stop short? What if our dream castle is built in the air, not on earth? I’m not talking about inconvenient delays or temporary setbacks. I’m talking about never. Crosses. Tombs. Then what? When we realize we’re not gonna make it to Spain. Dreams die hard! How do you rebuild a bubble once it bursts? Shouldn’t the church help us with that?
Some people just die on the inside. Sometimes physically. Other times emotionally or spiritually. But all deadly. Life may continue, but there will be no more dreams and no more light in your eyes. When Plan A doesn’t materialize, some folks just call it quits and cease to live. You don’t have to do that. Paul found purpose in Rome, in a prison cell, for still today we’re reading from the letter he wrote there. Paul built something good with his life, even though it meant he had to rebuild his dream. If God is there, life is there. And all that any place needs besides you...is God. And that’s all we can do with the gifts we have at our disposal no matter how our plans turn out.
My earliest dream was to be a coach. I planned on it. Prepared for it. Dreamed about it. But it never happened. The last thing I thought I’d be was a preacher. Coaching, I’ve had to leave to somebody else. For there’s always this. If we can’t accomplish our dream ourselves, maybe we can pass it on, so that somebody else can. That’s what Paul did. What he wrote in house arrest, became part of our New Testament and has blessed millions for centuries. That’s what Martin Luther King did too. He made it to the mountain-top but he never entered the promised land. And we’re still talking about his dream.
Paul indirectly made it to Spain by his letters from Rome. He couldn’t see it at the time, but the gospel went all over the world because Paul was a dreamer. Because if you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it. Keep dreaming your dreams; building those castles! You might even get to live in ‘em, or you may not. But if your dream is worthy, God will honor it. It may happen in your lifetime or it may happen in somebody else’s. Maybe someone here today is living out some body else’s dream from yesterday. Some dreams are too big for one life.
The Christ of the gospel Paul preached makes it possible for us to accept that which can’t be changed, to meet disappointments with inner poise, and to absorb intense pain without abandoning hope. For we know, as Paul testified -- in Jerusalem or Rome or Spain or here – “all things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Nah, Paul never made it to Spain. But that did!
Prayer
Teach us to pray, not just looking from our air-castles, overlooking glorious vistas of worldly success, but even from life’s crosses we must bear. Teach us to trust in you to the extent that we believe our partial, unfulfilled dreams will turn out well if we stay at it.
Let us learn to see each other with your eyes, and in that way have the mind of Christ. We remember those who found loyalty to you costly, as well as those who remain faithful in the midst of ease. We pray for all who are disabled, in body, mind, or soul. For those recovering from their losses of health, of things important to us, or someone they love.
Forgive our attempts to control things that belong to someone else. Let us learn to respect the freedom of one another. Enable us to grow beyond narrow mindedness; to keep striving to be inclusive, to love spontaneously, to welcome genuinely, and in this way reveal the spirit of Christ.
Prepare our hearts and minds through this worship to be about the work, rather than complain when things don’t work out as we’d like. Equip us to be generous in giving, faithful in worship, diligent in service, winsome in witness, patient in disagreements, forgiving of flaws, and in that way show forth the love of Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Back |
