Every year as the old year comes to a close, the national media highlights the most influential people who have passed – an in memoriam for those who have died. 2011 saw the passing of perhaps one of the most influential designers and entrepreneurs of the last century – Steve Jobs. The creator and founder of Apple Corporation and the inspiration behind the personal computer, Steve often spoke to his employees about the importance of time – of using time wisely. Jobs believed that our time is limited – so we shouldn’t waste it living someone else’s life. He always told his design team not to be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. He told them never to let the noise of other’s opinions drown out their own inner voices. And most importantly, he encouraged his employees to have the courage to follow their hearts and to trust their intuitions. You already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. This was Steve Jobs’ legacy – to use our time wisely.

There is so much truth in Steve Jobs’ philosophy of time. The time we have is limited and thus so very valuable. I read recently:

• To realize the value of a year, ask a student who failed a final exam.
• To realize the value of one month, ask the mother of a premature baby.
• To realize the value of a week, ask the editor of a weekly magazine.
• To realize the value of one day, ask a daily wage laborer with kids to feed
• To realize the value of an hour, ask two people in love waiting to meet
• To realize the value of a minute, ask someone who barely missed the train
• To realize the value of a second, ask the person who just avoided a crash
• To realize the value of a millisecond, ask the person who won the Olympic silver medal

All time is limited and thus so very valuable. And still we waste time! As Steve Jobs so deeply believed, we waste time by striving to live someone else’s life – when we spend all of our days trying to live up to other’s expectations of us – our parents, children, spouses or our bosses. It isn’t wrong to please other people, but we have to be authentic people. We have to claim who we are and love who we are and live who we are!

We waste time when we get caught up in dogmatic thinking. This is especially true of churches. Dogmatic thinking keeps us from looking at the future with a newness and freshness that brings life. Just because that is the way it has always been done, doesn’t mean that it’s the only way to do it! In our church community and in our personal lives we have to try new things, and begin new adventures, and dream new dreams because our time is valuable!

And mostly we waste time when we ignore our inner voice and fail to follow our hearts. Steve Jobs wasn’t a particularly religious man and yet he believed that there was something sacred within each human being that I call the voice of God. Every Sunday I finish the liturgy by blessing you. I remind you that God goes before you to guide you and is behind you to encourage you; that God is above you to watch over you and beneath you to support you. And then every week I end by saying: And may you discover the power of God within you and know that God will always be your friend. What I mean by that is that the sacred is within you, and if you reflect and listen to this voice, then God will lead you well.

And so as we embark on yet another year I pray that you will use this year wisely. I pray that you will again realize how precious is every year and month, every day and hour, every single minute and second. Do not waste this time. Dream great dreams for yourself and stop trying live up to everyone else’s expectations of you. Do not plod through another year dogmatically doing things the same way – take some risks, strike out anew, and live differently. And most of all listen to that voice within you – the voice of the Divine. Have courage to follow your heart this year and may you discover the power of God within you and know that God will always be your friend. Happy New Year my Messiah Church friends!