Tents

But just as we have the same spirit of faith that is in accordance with scripture—“I believed, and so I spoke”—we also believe, and therefore we also speak, because we know that the one who raised Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and will present us with you in his presence. Indeed, everything is for your sake, so that grace, when it has extended to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

Living by Faith
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For our slight, momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen, for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.

For we know that, if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1 (NRSVUE)

Friends, sometimes we get so caught up on what we think is important, that we lose sight of what actually is. For those of you who get our Friday Email, you may have seen the update on Household Huddle this week. Now, for those of you who don’t know what Household Huddle is, Household Huddle is what was born here in Oldtown when we realized that the old Sunday school model was no longer working. Rather than separating children by age and sending them downstairs into classrooms to learn about their faith while the grown-ups worshipped here in the sanctuary, we started an all-age, come as a family gathering before worship, which acts as a pep rally, or a time to get ready for worship. We have found that if families learn about their faith together, they are more likely to talk about and experience their faith outside of church. And if rather than sitting in a classroom and learning about worship, kids actually get to experience worship, their faith deepens and they come to know that they too are an important part of our church.

I know this has been a long explanation, so I’ll try to get to the point. Our Christian Education Ministry works to plan educational programs for all ages, and Household Huddle is just one of the programs they help facilitate. Well, when they met after Easter, it was decided that just like school takes a summer vacation, Household Huddle would too, to give families a little more time on Sunday mornings so that their summer could be a little more relaxed. Now, usually, when kids hear that school is out for summer, the announcement brings cheers of excitement, and we figured the Household Huddle vacation would too. But on the contrary, our young people voiced complaints. If they are going to come to church, they want their Household Huddle because it gives them a chance to connect with others, learn about what will happen in worship, and get a deeper understanding of the scripture so that they can better understand what they are hearing in worship.

I’ll be honest, I was shocked! I had focused on the thought that everyone loves a break, especially a summer vacation, but the kids helped me to understand that Household Huddle is not something they need a break from. Household Huddle is what helps make church and worship relevant for them! We as adults had gotten so caught up in what WE thought was important that we lost sight of what actually was. So, we listened and heard our young people loud and clear, and because of that Household Huddle has returned. Now, we have shortened the time a little bit for the summer, starting at 9:30 instead of 9:00, but we’ll still have plenty of time to connect and prepare ourselves for worship by learning a little more about the story before we head into the sanctuary.

I had a similar experience about ten years ago when I found myself all caught up in what I thought was important when in reality I had totally lost sight of what actually was. My family and I were going camping for a week up in Maine. Now, we don’t normally camp, so let’s just say I got more than a little stressed about the details. Now going on the trip was my husband and I, our two daughters and their boyfriends, my son and one of his friends, and our coon hound Rufus who was about a year old and about forty pounds. The thing that kept me up at night worrying was the tent! For some reason, my husband and I thought it would be the best idea to get one tent that could fit all eight of us and the dog. So we searched high and low and eventually found a ten-man tent for sale on Craigslist. My husband contacted the person, and we drove all the way to Lynn, MA, to meet them in a parking lot to buy their ten-man tent. Looking back, we could have probably stayed in a cheap motel for the week for the same price we paid for the tent, but we were camping. It was going to be great, and the tent was going to be our castle.

We set the tent up out in our backyard to air it out and to fix a few little rips that it had. Of course, we left it there a little too long and killed the grass in a large portion of our backyard, but we needed to make sure that the tent was perfect! My husband had a giant roll of poly, and we cut a piece to lay under the tent at the campsite. We figured if the ground got damp, it would keep us warm and dry. But, to be honest, warm and dry are not words that would ever come up in conversation when thinking of that trip.

When we got to the campsite in Maine, we all worked together to pick the spot where the tent would go. We untangled the lines and hammered in the tent stakes, and before we knew it, the tent was ready. This was going to be our home away from home, and it was going to be awesome! The kids rushed in with their sleeping bags to claim their spots, and Rufus smiled as he laid across as many sleeping bags as he could. “Why didn’t we ever go camping before,” I thought to myself, “This is great!” We then cooked dinner on the fire and made s’mores, before heading off to bed. Once we were all inside the tent and settling in, the humming started. It sounded as though there was an army of mosquitoes inside our tent, and though it was hot, I pulled the sleeping bag over my head and prayed, asking God to help me fall asleep quickly. Then I guess, having been so focused on getting to the campsite and setting up our amazing tent, that we never checked the weather report. At about midnight, the first crack of thunder shook the ground we were sleeping on, and then the sky opened. It rained, and it poured all night long! Our amazing tent kept us dry… for about forty minutes, and then the rain started gushing in! Soaking wet, with our flashlights in hand, we all ran for the minivan. The thunder and lightning continued for what seemed like hours. I sat in the front seat feeling defeated and sad that the tent hadn’t protected us in the storm. That’s when I heard a giggle from the back seat. The giggle was joined by other giggles and, finally, a roar of laughter. I turned around to see all the kids laughing and having the time of their lives together. They didn’t need a perfect tent. They had each other and a week of adventure ahead of them. From that point on, I didn’t worry about the tent or where we would sleep. We slept on the beach one night, watching the stars. We slept around the campfire singing songs. We slept in the tent a few times once it dried out, and we slept in the van another night when the rain returned. By the end of the trip, the lesson was clear. I had gotten so caught up in worrying about the tent that I thought was so important that I lost sight of what actually was: an awesome sense of adventure and the utter joy of spending a week in God’s amazing creation together!

Friends, in our scripture reading today, Paul talks to the people in Corinth about living lives of faith, and he reminds them that the things they worry about are not important. But their belief in God and living out their faith are important messages for all of us to remember as well. Paul says: For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens.

Friends, so many times we worry about our lives. We worry about what we look like and what other people think of us. We worry when we get a tough diagnosis from a doctor or when we find ourselves getting along in age. But as Paul says, don’t worry about your earthly tent (or your earthly life) that is only temporary For in God, you have a house not made with human hands but an eternal home in heaven where there is no pain and no suffering, and where you are held lovingly in the hands of God and filled with joy beyond measure.

So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead, stop worrying about the things beyond your control. Learn to live in the joy of each moment, knowing that you are held safely in the hands of God now and forever! And even when your earthly tent (or earthly life) or the earthly tent (or earthly life) of a friend or loved one is destroyed or comes to an end, remember that we all have an eternal home in heaven and maybe even a heavenly minivan filled with laughter that surrounds us with a peace that passes all understanding and an unconditional love that has no end.

My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!