Repent the Day Before You Die

Repent The Day Before You Die

Rob Gieselmann Pent 27A, Nov. 9, 2014

I was the best man at a wedding in rural Georgia, once – held in a clapboard Baptist Church.         It was May, and the church was not air-conditioned. The bride asked for tall candles to be placed throughout the room. Only – the church, which was already sultry, grew hotter from burning candles, in that Georgia sun.

Halfway through the ceremony, it had grown so hot that the candles began melting sideways – flames shot up and the candles turned upside down. One candle lit the bride’s veil, which I saw in time to put out – meanwhile the other groomsmen frantically ran around the room putting out the flames.

*Pastor William Willimon tells his own story about an old Georgia Baptist church. His was a funeral, and the Baptist preacher lit into the congregation – shouting and fuming, flailing his arms: “It’s too late for Joe! He might have wanted to do better in life, but no more. He might have wanted to straighten up, but now he can’t! But it ain’t too late for you! You might drop dead tomorrow. So don’t wait a day longer!”

On their way home, Willimon said to his wife, “Can you imagine a preacher doing that to a grieving family? I’ve never heard anything so manipulative, cheap and inappropriate.” His wife agreed with Willimon, it was manipulative and inappropriate, but, she added: “The worst part is, what he said is true.”

Rabbi Eliezer, a first century sage, preached this to his disciples: “Repent - on the day before your death.” His disciples asked him, “How can we know what day that will be?” To which the Rabbi replied, “All the more - repent today.” Think about it.

**

Have you ever really observed – looked inside - a Salvador Dali painting? Those surreal images, faces painted into chalices and carved into rock formations, clocks like wilted petals, draped across ledges. The paintings are dreamlike, of real things presented in an un-expected fashion – hence the word - surrealism - Nighttime dreams are like a Salvador Dali painting. People appear in all the wrong places – unexpectedly and uninvited.

Jesus’ parable is a of Salvador Dali dream. The scene feels surreal, for a wedding, the lighting is dark – and reality seems skewed. When I hear this parable, my mind drifts off – just like the bridesmaids themselves. Yawning, waiting, wondering, I want to fall asleep. It is as though clocks are draped across the cliffs and the bridesmaids faces become etched into the rock.

…Don’t you wonder, where is the bride? Why are these young women waiting at midnight for a wedding? And who locks the doors to keep guests and bridesmaids out? It just doesn’t make sense, but I can’t escape the this feeling that Jesus must be saying something terribly important, to paint the words is such skewed fashion.

*Over the years, I’ve heard many people say, I want to change my life. It’s time. I need to start living what I believe. How many of us really do that, live what we believe?

Years ago, I developed a concept called, Earth and Altar. Earth and Altar was a program to help people connect back – not only to the earth in a spiritual way – which sounds perhaps California-ish, but isn’t – It was far more. Its intent was to help people connect back to what they find to be truly important in life.

What to you is truly important in life? It’s easy to say – my family. My friends. Maybe my church. But I don’t mean objects, I mean lifestyle, how you live. As juxtaposed against the way you actually live it. So many people find themselves trapped – spinning their wheels - for all the wrong reasons.

Why is it you do what you do, anyway? Same question applies to families, as well? Why do you do what you do?

In those days, I would often speak about Earth and Altar in terms of parenting. Because good parenting is an enigma – you think you know what it is, but maybe not: The parent who constantly makes his child the no. 1 priority, sends the child the wrong message?

The parent thinks he is telling the child, I love you, but the child hears this: “You are the center of the universe.”

The same subliminal message is sent when parents spend entire days driving children from one sport activity to another.

Parents aren’t chauffeurs, they are parents. Why? When I was a teenager, my dad wouldn’t let us answer the telephone during supper – this would irritate me to no end –

But it taught me something important – about respect of those I’m with – about giving others your full attention. Yet these days, people not only text during supper, they text – egads! - during church! Priorities – and ‘tis the gift to be simple. But many of us are beyond child-rearing days – what about us? And about how we spend our lives?

Sam Keen writes of career first, that work is good – he has worked very hard his whole life. But now he wonders: “In working so much have I done violence to my being? How often, in doing good work, have I betrayed what is better in myself and abandoned what is best for those I love?’

When I would talk about Earth and Altar, these are the questions I pondered, and wanted others to do, as well. How can we live authentic lives? With deeper meaning?

**They say, “You can’t take it with you.” But they would be wrong. You can. Take it with you. In fact, you will take it with you. Most spiritual greats believe that who you choose to become on this earth, by the time you die – is exactly the person you will be beyond the veil. You won’t shed your stunted soul like a snake’s skin when you die.

Which begs the question: Are you paying attention? To your soul? To your faith? To your love? Are you well-exercised in this matter of character, and in prayer? Do you know God? Have you experienced the complete wonder of grace?

I’ve always wondered why the five smart bridesmaids wouldn’t share their oil with the others. Wouldn’t that be the Christian thing to do? But, you can’t borrow faith one person from another, can you?

Like one theologian said, “If you have been careless about your own faith and obedience, well, you will not have any. Which is what Joshua is trying to say, and in his clumsy way, so is that old Baptist preacher at the funeral. Today is the day, not tomorrow. Which is what Rabbi Eliazer meant, Repent on the day before you die.

How will you spend this crazy life of yours, anyway?