Chris Taylor’s Sermon – 4/27/08
A Gentle Defense
Psalm 66:8-20
1 Peter 3:13-22
Little Carol wanted a bike for her birthday, but when she asked her mom her mom suggested that she go up to her room and write a letter to God telling him why she should one. Carol has not been a very good girl the past year, and her mom thought this would be a good way for her to reflect on her behavior.
So Carol went up to her room, sat down at her desk, and began to write. “Dear God, I’ve been a great girl this past year. Please give me a bike for my birthday. A red one. Signed, Carol.”
Looking down at the letter Carol knew it wasn’t true, and so she tore it up. She tried again. “Dear God, I’ve been a pretty good girl this past year and I sure would like a red bike for my birthday. Could you do that for me, please? Signed, Carol.”
Again, looking at the finished letter she realized that this one wasn’t really true either so she tore it up and threw it away. She tried a third time: “Dear God, I really haven’t been very good this past year and I’m really sorry, but I’ll try to be better if only you would please give me a red bike for my birthday. Signed, Carol.”
Looking at this third effort she just knew it wasn’t going to get her the bike she wanted. Frustrated and angry she tore this one up, too. She went downstairs and, visibly upset, asked her mother if she could go over to the church. Her mom was thrilled. She thought she was finally getting through to her little girl, “Sure honey. Just be home in time for dinner.”
So Carol walked down the block to their church. She went in and walked all the way down the center aisle to the altar. There she cast a furtive glance around to see if anyone was watching, and then she took the statue of the Virgin Mary and slipped it under her jacket. She ran out the church and up the block and all the way back up to her room.
She sat down at her desk and began to write: “Dear God, I’ve got your mama. If you want to see her again, send the bike. Signed, You know who.”
Being good is what we are talking about this morning. It starts here with the opening line of our text: “Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?” Peter here is talking about moving beyond mere words and actually putting our faith into action. And the action here, specifically, is an eagerness to do what is good.
Now this isn’t about earning God’s approval. It has nothing to do with changing God’s attitude towards us. This is important: we aren’t talking about somehow making God love us more. God already loves us, and this love is in no way dependent upon our own choices.
No, this has everything to do with our response to God’s love, and with choosing that life that God has created for us. It is about choosing the good life. Look up to verse 10 (a quote, here, from the 34th Psalm): “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; let them turn away from evil and do good…”
Do you want life? Life at its best? God has shown us the way. Do what is good. And goodness here is all about the way we relate to those around us.
The other day I was in a store and overheard a woman talking to somebody who was clearly a stranger to her. What caught me was the kindness in that woman’s voice, the generosity of spirit. I don’t know if she was a sales clerk or customer or what. It doesn’t matter. What matters is the simple warmth and the goodness that she brought into that encounter. I found myself wondering “Why not?”
Why not choose goodness each day? Why not choose warmth and kindness as we make our way through life? That woman was a blessing; she was bringing light into the lives of those around her. And even more, I think she, herself, was blessed.
How do you feel when you reach out to someone, and when you choose what is caring and good. There is a sense of rightness, isn’t there? A sense of connecting with what is truest and best and deepest in ourselves.
That’s because of the way that we were created. We were created in God’s image, and God’s very nature, God’s essence, is love. Choose love, then, and we are going to be choosing what is truest and best of who we are.
Malice, anger, bitterness, hatred – all those things are absolutely contrary to our nature. They are like mixing sand with gasoline. They are poison to our system. Hold onto them, nurture them, and they can destroy our lives. There is simply no way that we are going to feel anything except lousy.
No, it is in choosing what is good that we begin to live into this life as God intended. It is in choosing what is good that we begin to experience this life in all its richness and abundance.
And what is true of us as individuals is certainly true of us as a congregation.
The last couple of weeks Bonnie and I visited two different churches here in Pittsburgh. Each of them were beautiful, gothic structures. Each had a long and rich history in this city. Their services were traditional. The organs and choir were a joy. The preaching was outstanding – it was such a blessing to be able to worship with Bonnie and sit together under someone else’s teaching. So there were all kinds of similarities between the two churches, but there was one striking difference.
In the first, after being greeted by the usher (who did a great job, by the way of making us feel welcome and showing us to a seat) we weren’t greeted by a single other person before the service, during the service or after the service. We even went down to the fellowship hall for some coffee and goodies. Not one person reached out to us to introduce themselves or to make us feel welcome.
The second church was very different. We arrived early, and noticed all kinds of people smiling and greeting each other as they entered the sanctuary. It was clear that they were glad to see each other; and that they enjoyed being together. And later on, they extended that joy to us – so many of them reaching out to us during the service. Afterwards, one of them spent at least half an hour with us talking about the architecture and the history of the church. It was a wonderful experience.
This is part of what Chet Karas was talking about earlier; this idea of hospitality. Our big goal isn’t about new members. The members are just our way of pushing us towards what is far more important in our minds: the way we treat each other, the kind of community that we become.
It all begins with a choice; the choice to do what is good. There is no better defense, no more compelling witness that we could offer to the hope we find in Jesus Christ. It is a call to love. It is an invitation to be a blessing to those that we encounter. It is a choice, and a way of life, that begins right here each and every Sunday morning.