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YOUR BUCKET LIST
Philippians 1:20-26
I guess I first heard of the phrase, Bucket List, with the movie that came out a couple of
years ago, called, “The Bucket List,” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. If
you had a chance to see the countdown today, you saw the story put to Tim McGraw’s
song, Live Like You Were Dying. I really liked the movie. It stayed with me a long time.
The story is about the unlikely friendship of Edward (played by Nicholson), a corporate
billionaire and Carter Chambers (played by Freeman), a blue-collar mechanic. They meet
as patients, sharing a room in a cancer ward. Edward owns the hospital, but he has to
abide by his own rules, “two patients to a room, no exceptions!” As Edward and Carter
get to know each other and help each other through their times of sickness, they discuss
marriage, children, jobs, hopes and dreams. Edward had four unsuccessful marriages.
He says, "Only successful marriage I had was me and my work. I started making money
when I was 16 and that was that. Never stopped." Carter said he had been "married long
enough for the both of us" – 60 years. He said: "I wanted to be a history professor… I
made it through two months of City College before Virginia (his wife) gave me the news
(of being pregnant). And then, you know, young, black, broke, baby on the way... Take the
first decent job that comes along. I always meant to go back, but 45 years goes by pretty
fast." Edward says: "Like smoke through a keyhole."
The doctor comes by to visit them. They both have been fighting cancer and chemo and
now discover they each have only 6 months to a year to live. The next day, Edward finds a
piece of paper on the floor that Carter had dropped. The paper was an assignment from
Carter’s Philosophy class to begin a list of things he wanted to accomplish before he,
“kicked the bucket.” As a young man he had things like, “Be the first black president or
make a million dollars”, but now he has things like, laugh until I cry, help a complete
stranger for the good. Edward takes the list and adds things that he feels would be more
exciting and interesting: go skydiving, see the wonders of the world, kiss the most
beautiful girl in the world.
Of course, all of us start wondering, “What would be on my Bucket List? What would I
want to do or accomplish in my life before I die?” Start writing down some things on the
sheet on your table, if you haven’t already started your own list. Is there anything
exciting there, challenging, beneficial to others? I think it would be a good practice for
youth and young adults to do, as well as those of us who are older. What do you want to
accomplish in your life?
Here are some guidelines: 1) Dream big, but also be somewhat realistic – like being a
forward in professional basketball just isn’t going to happen for me. But I could drive a
race car, like the other Mark Martin in NASCAR – I saw the advertisements for it in
Branson.
2) Don’t leave God out of it. As Christians, we don’t want to leave God out of such an
important question. Pray about what God might want you to do, or about something that
positively affects your relationship with Jesus Christ. We might even reframe the
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question: What might God want me to do before I die? Or What might I do to glorify God
with my life before I die? James 4:13-15, “Some of you say, “Today or tomorrow we will
go to some city. We will stay there a year, do business, and make money.” But you do not
know what will happen tomorrow! Your life is like a mist. You can see it for a short time,
but then it goes away. So you should say, “If the Lord wants, we will live and do this or
that.”
3) Don’t include anything immoral, illegal, sinful or unethical. Keep it positive and
uplifting. Make your list consistent with your Christian faith.
4) If God has given you a vision or purpose for your life, your list will reflect your purpose.
The Apostle Paul had a Bucket List that he wanted to accomplish before he died. When
he was young, he wanted to be a great rabbi, and he certainly was on his way to
accomplishing it – but on the road to Damascus, the Lord changed the shape of how that
would happen – and Paul became the greatest Christian rabbi to have ever lived. God
had given Paul a vision or purpose for his life, as the Lord told Ananias about him in Acts
9:15-16, “But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! I have chosen Saul for an important work.
He must tell about me to those who are not Jews, to kings, and to the people of Israel. I
will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”. On Paul’s Bucket List were
things that moved him toward reaching that vision that God had in his life.
On his list was: visit the Christians in Rome. (He did that by being arrested, brought to
Rome and put under house arrest there.) He also wanted to bring the gospel to Spain.
We don’t know that he ever made it there. It’s believed Paul was beheaded in Rome, but
possibly after sharing the Gospel with Emperor Nero. In Philippians 1, Paul is in prison
in Rome when he writes this letter to the Christians in Philippi. Paul wanted one more
chance to return to Philippi to visit the Christians there. In reading this text and
meditating on what Paul said, I feel like this was one of the things on Paul’s bucket list.
In verse 20 he prays, “that I will have the courage now, as always, to show the greatness
of Christ in my life here on earth, whether I live or die.” I added that one to my list.
I had another name for my Bucket List. I called them, Life Goals – maybe a more positive
spin on things – instead of what I want to do before I die, it’s what I want to accomplish
in my life. I have been able to strike off a thing or two. In the year 2000 I accomplished
an educational life goal when I finished my dissertation and received my doctorate
degree. In 1982 I reached the beginning of another life goal – to be happily married to
the woman I love and who loves me. Rhonda and I have been married for 27 years most of those years happily. Tied in with that goal I would add, “That I would do all in my
power to keep my love for Rhonda alive and vibrant – not only to love her, but to be IN
love with her.” So far, so good! Another life goal was to be a father: I became an
instant father when Rhonda and I married, Rhonda’s daughter (now our daughter) Jodie
was 5 years old. Then we had two sons, Matt and Luke. An addendum to that is to be a
good father and grandfather.
Other things I have thought about, but now put on paper for my Bucket List or Life Goals
are (God willing):
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Learn to be fluent in Spanish. Live in Cuba for a month. Write & publish a book. Take a
zoological trip down the Amazon River. Stay in good physical, mental, emotional and
spiritual health as much as it depends on me. Put 100 clean water wells in India and
visit one or more of them. Visit the Church in Cambodia. Find something to laugh about
every day. Help build 5 new churches in Cuba. Spend time with each immediate family
member (wife, children, grandchildren), getting to know and love them better.
Intentionally focus on my connection/relationship with Jesus Christ. (John 15:5). Have
the courage to show the greatness of Christ in my life here on earth whether I live or die.
(Phil. 1:20)
In just a few moments, I would like for you to share with the people at your table some of
the things you have on your Bucket List. It might give you ideas of other things you want
to add on your own list. Don’t make fun of what someone else has – it might be very
important to them – encourage them. This is not a time for comparisons, but for
encouragement.
One more thing before we start sharing: Be careful about letting someone else fill out
your Bucket List, like Edward did with Carter. You might end up feeling like you have to
do something that you have no interest in doing.
Here are some additional things to keep in mind as you consider these life goals:
1) What small steps do you need to take to begin reaching them?
2) Share with others how YOU are doing with the things on your list. Don’t agitate
someone else, about how are they doing. Telling others about what is on your list
sometimes helps us move forward.
3) Your list is not set in stone – in fact it will change. Add little addendums to them.
4) Be as specific as possible - add timeframes and quantities.
Now place your hand on that list and dedicate it to the Lord in a time of prayer. We will
start with silent prayer, then I will pray, then I’ll ask you to pray a prayer with me.