Father Gary’s Sermon

Inspired from Matthew 7:21-27

Proclaimed on May 29, 2005

The great symphony conductor Arturo Toscana was having trouble getting his orchestra to play the way he thought the music should sound. He apologized to them in his own way by saying, “The trouble is that God keeps telling me how to play the music, and you -- you keep getting into the way.”

This, tragically, is what our Gospel reading addresses today. It is a troubling reading for Jesus is speaking to the religious people of this day; people who in many ways may have taken their faith more seriously than we do. By all human standards, these people would have been considered very good and decent people. These are the ones who seem to say the right things, they go to church every Sunday, and are pillars of the community. Yet, to these very people Jesus threatens to say, “Away from me, you workers of evil, I never knew you.”

Jesus then went on to clarify his words by comparing faith development to building a house: building it either on sand or building it on a solid rock foundation. A faith built on the sand is a simply a faith of words, it may look and sound beautiful, but it will not stand against the realities of life. However, if the faith is one placed in action, and solidly built on the example of God’s love, it will withstand and overcome any forces that come up against it. In essence, authentic faith does not reduce the Lord’s name to a magical formula; the sacraments into merely an emotional experience; or church membership into simply showing up for Sunday services. An authentic faith that exemplifies the house built on a rock is a faith that translates what we profess into practice, converting lip service into community service.

Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers, makes a similar distinction. Many of us are familiar with him from his humorous television commercials where he was always smiling and wearing a white short-sleeved shirt with a red tie. In his book Dave’s Way, he discusses the difference between “Shirt-sleeve Christians” and “Roll-Up-Your Shirtsleeves Christians.” A “Shirt-sleeve Christian” is one complains about how godless the world is, but does little about it. They tend to care more about the church steeple than about people in need. While a “Roll-Up-Your Shirtsleeves Christian” digs into life, gets involved, teaches and practices the Gospel values, and supports good causes with their time and finances. However, Dave was not just one to talk about these distinctions. His was a life of rolled up sleeves.

Dave was born out of wedlock in New Jersey in 1932. A Michigan couple adopted him. His adoptive mother died five years later, after which his adopted father moved around a lot, tracking down work, and marrying two more times. During the summer months Dave would stay with his adopted grandmother who taught him to love the Lord and the Bible. When he was only twelve Dave started working full-time in restaurants and eventually dropped out of school when he was fifteen. While working for Col. Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, Dave made his first 1.5 million dollars. He did this by the time he was thirty-five by turning around the fortunes of four failing restaurants in six short years. This eventually led to opening his own chain of fast food products that he named after his daughter--Melinda Lou--nicknamed Wendy.

Dave was greatly bothered about the fact that he was adopted when he found out about it. In time he came to realize that his adoptive family had given him a very good home. He therefore set out to use his success by becoming an instrument to help other families adopt children who needed a home. In 1990, Wendy’s International added adoption coverage to their maternity benefits. Eligible employees can get paid leave and up to $4,000 in assistance when they adopt a child. The Company also provides even more resources if the child has special needs. Dave was once overheard to have said, “I’d rather get one of these children a home than sell a million hamburgers.”

In addition, he established the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption to raise public awareness. He also gave the profits from the sale of his books to this foundation, while making numerous personal appearances in support of adoption, even giving testimony before a congressional committee.

Dave Thomas passed on to the greater life this past January. Perhaps the judgment he is receiving of the Lord is different from that orchestra lead by Arturo Toscanini when he stated, “The trouble is that God keeps telling me how to play the music, and you -- you keep getting into the way.”

Maybe Dave’s life is more in line with the story of another great composer Giacomo Puccini who grew ill while writing his last opera “Turandot.” Puccini was also Arturo Toscanini’s mentor. He told his students, “If I do not finish this opera, finish it for me.” He soon died with the opera unfinished. For three years his students worked together to complete what became his greatest opera. Finally, the day of performance came and his finest student--Arturo Toscanini--directed the orchestra. When they came to the place where Puccini had died, the orchestra stopped. Toscana laid down his baton, turned to the audience with tears in his eyes, and exclaimed: “This far the Master wrote . . . and then he died.” There was a stunning silence throughout the concert hall as the reality of Puccini's tragic death struck at the heart of every listener. Then Toscana whispered, “But the disciples finished his work!” and picking up the baton led the orchestra through the remainder to the grand conclusion wherein the audience thunderously gave their approval. The Master had spoken and in 39 unduplicated minutes his disciples had finished the work in joyous obedience.

This is not only the possible legacy of Dave Thomas, but it is the reality behind our Gospel reading today. We--the Lord’s disciples--are challenged to ask ourselves whether the spiritual houses we are building are built on sand or upon rock. If we are building what appears to be beautiful faith on sand, we will certainly hear, “Away from me, you workers of evil, I never knew you.” But if we are building a faith on the rock of Christ’s life and love, intentionally completing what Christ began in not only words, but in deeds, the mission of Christ will survive and his music will continue without--as Toscana bluntly stated--our getting in the way.