Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I’d like to begin our message this morning with a P.S., a postscript, to last Sunday’s message. As many of you may recall, we talked on a subject called "Thoughts on the Afterlife." We talked about different theories of the afterlife and about our own faith; we talked about the Zero Faith theory, the Christian Promise, and the Affirmation of Natural Religion. I thank you for your good words.

But you know what happened after church last Sunday? I was walking down the hall and to my car, and it was as if I had a little inner tap on my shoulder. An idea came to me: You forgot something. And I said, "That’s right, I did." It became clear to me that I had forgotten two important things, and it’s been on my mind all week long. So I don’t feel finished with that sermon unless I tell you these two things that have been tugging at my heart.

First, whether the calendar says a life is long or short, it is a blessing. Our hearts are so grieved when we consider a life that we think of as too short by the calendar standards. I certainly know of lives that have gone into their 80’s that I considered dreadfully short. And there are lives that we all know of that seem cut short in a very small amount of time. But what we ought to do is remember that they are all blessings. So if a person has lived for one day or for 125 years, that life is a blessing. What we ought to do is remember how we were blessed by that life. I’m thinking especially about the folks who told me about the little life that only lasted one day. We prayed for that family here at church. That situation has been on my mind so much, but the thought that comes to mind is: Remind them to think what a blessing that child was. Even if a life is very short, it is still a blessing and we need to thank God for that life.

Second, in the midst of your grief for your loved one who has passed on, it is important to come to a point of allowing them to love you from the other side. This insight was given to me in the midst of my own deep, deep grieving. It was an agreement I had to make; it was a yes I had to say, to life. Life is forever different when someone passes over, but love never dies when you allow that someone to love you from the other side, and you allow yourself to love them. You indeed do not let go; you just hold on in a different way. And the bridge is unbroken. Love goes on forever. Allow them to love you from the other side as you love them back. End of that sermon.

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I’d like to talk with you today about the beautiful Gospel from Mark. Oh, what a beautiful story this is! Jesus stood up to preach in the temple on a sabbath day, and as he was preaching a man stood up and something inside this fellow said to Jesus, "Would you destroy us, Jesus of Nazareth? Would you destroy us? We know that you are God’s son, and God’s special messenger." Think about what Jesus did. Picture yourself being that person. Jesus looked at that person with compassion, and looked beyond him, and said to the evil spirits that were in that person, "Come out of my beloved child, and let him be." And the Gospel says that the spirits that were speaking at that moment came out of him with great screams and gestures and left him. The people were amazed that Jesus could call forth evil spirits out of the person. They said, "What authority this person has!" It’s a beautiful story.

May I just say one word about the Bible’s words? There’s a wonderful code word in here called "authority". What does that mean? He spoke not as the scribes, but as one with authority. You see, the scribes were the teachers of the Pharisees, the fundamentalists of the day, and the teachers always quoted other teachers. The scribes would say, "Well, according to Rabbi Gamaeliel, things are thus…." But Jesus never used footnotes. He spoke right from the heart. And that’s where his authority came from.

So, Jesus called forth those evil spirits from that person. What does it mean for us? The towering truth is that Jesus looked at that person with love and said, "You are more than the things that haunt you. Things that haunt you, get out of my child, and let him be!" I think that’s fantastic, don’t you? Here’s the message for us today: you are more than the things that haunt you. You are more than the things that bother you. You are more than the things that worry you. Hallelujah! And who says so? Jesus Christ says so.

What’s the modern day equivalent to those evil spirits? Negative thoughts, worries, anxieties, fears, and regrets. And Jesus is the one who says to us, "Come out of my child; let my children be who they really are." Isn’t that great? Don’t you just love this man who called forth the junk out of us so we can be who we really are? I think that’s fantastic. That is a timeless, spiritual good.

So, anyway, what’s it for you? May I suggest three things? First, friend, would you remember that you are more than what you do? You are more than what you do. Second, your future is more than what you are worried about. And third, you are the keeper of your soul. I’d like to talk to you about those three things today.

First of all, you are more than what you do. I paid a visit in the hospital this week to a gentleman who had had a heart attack. The family asked me to see him. I’m happy to tell you he’s doing much better now, although we almost lost him. This gentleman was a chain smoker who lived on Maalox, and he never wanted to talk about anything that was bothering him. He’d come home from work and his wife would say, "What’s the matter?" And he’d say, "Nothing, I don’t want to talk about it." Week after week, month after month, year after year, and look what it does. He was telling me about some of his resolutions from his hospital bed: no more smoking ever; he’s going to lay down some of his burdens and move away from his highly stressful job. But the point is, this poor man had given in to one of the biggest temptations we all seem to face. And that is, to identify so whole-heartedly with his job that there was no room left for himself. So I proclaim to you, you are more than what you do.

Friend, I read a beautiful poem that said, "When you work, do it with all your might. Work a modest day, and then go home." Isn’t that beautiful? Work a modest day, and then go home, where you can just be yourself. Home, where you can forget about the job. Home, where you don’t have to be "on" all the time. Work a modest day, dear friend, and then just go home. You are more than what you do. Whatever career you’re in, isn’t one of the biggest temptations just getting so wrapped up in it that you forget where you begin? You are more than what you do. Let Jesus help you take charge of that worry.

Second, you are more than what you are worried about. We can get so wrapped up in our worries that we don’t notice anything else. Have you had something nice happen to you that you really didn’t predict? Has something happened to you this year that you never would have dreamed of happening last year, something good? Of course! I’ve got a list as long as my sleeve – how about you? God has good things in store for you, not just the things you’re worried about. Your road is not just a series of stumbling stones; your road has flowers along it, even in the winter. During that snowstorm last week, I was looking out one of the windows of the parsonage, and I saw some flowers! Did you see the bush that once had buds on it and now the buds are gone and the petals are brown and firm and gray? Yet covered with the snow, they become beautiful little snow flowers. It’s symbolic, don’t you think? Life presents not only bleakness, but also flowers that surround your way. So, be ready for the blessings, not just for the things you’re worried about.

And last, please remember that you have authority, just as Jesus spoke with authority. You have authority too. You are the gatekeeper of your soul. Not long ago I was asked to be a motivational speaker for employees of FedEx over at Newark Airport. As I pulled up to the gate – boy, their security is tight, let me tell you – I went up to the gatekeeper. She was a very serious lady and wanted to make sure all my papers were in order before she let me through. I’m glad to tell you they were in order, and she let me in. I found a parking space and went to give my speech.

You are the gatekeeper of your soul. You decide what goes in and what comes out. Jesus Christ helps you in making that decision. Don’t give it away to anybody. You are the gatekeeper; you decide what thoughts you think. You decide what material comes in, and you decide what you produce and send out into the world.

And so, gatekeeper of your soul, you can say, "Mr. Worry, there’s no parking space for you in my mind. Miss Fear, no entry! Mr. Possibility, please come in. Miss Joy, you are welcome. Peace, you are welcome." You are the gatekeeper of your soul. You have control of the gate.

And one last thought: This one who gives you the power to be the gatekeeper, this one who has authority over the negative and invitation to the positive, his name is Jesus Christ, and he will help you. You are not alone. His power and his presence are there with you.

And may I offer you this thought in closing? As you practice this spiritual discipline of being the gatekeeper of your soul, I invite you to do it with good humor. Humor is a powerful tool. Humor is more powerful than dead seriousness. So when you talk about what you want in and what you want out, remember that humor is an important key. Remember that dogs can’t laugh. We can laugh, but dogs can’t. (Now, someone is going to come after me after the sermon and tell me, "I have a dog that laughs." I’d love to hear about it.) Treat life with humor. Treat it with a light touch. And remember that through the power and the victory of Jesus Christ, you are the gatekeeper of your soul. There’s more to you than what you do, and there are more flowers along your future path than there are worries to come.

God loves you. I do, too. Have a wonderful week. Amen.