| "Don't Let Life Fool You" Sermon Preached By Rev. Richard E. Stetler - September 8, 2002 Mathew 18:15-20; Romans 13:8-14
Our families, schools and
places of work, for example, try to mold us into their likeness. We
feel constant pressure to conform, to please and to fit in. There
are subtle rewards for those of us who live up to the expectations
of others. The seductive powers of our world pull us in every
conceivable direction. We can either become confused
by life or we can look upon everything our Creator has made and say
with God, "It is very good." Why was everything in creation declared
"good" in the Book of Genesis? What did God have in mind? We would think that
developing a healthy, enthusiastic relationship with God is an easy
thing to accomplish but it is not. Once again, we have many
alternatives from which to choose. What do we want from God? What
does God want from us? For centuries people have tried to answer
such questions. Think of the implications when we turn to various
"authorities" for help. Imagine yourselves being
among the newcomers to live in our area. How would you look for a
new church? Several churches offer contemporary worship experiences
that feature very upbeat Gospel music accompanied by an ensemble of
musicians who play guitars, drums and a keyboard. Others offer
liturgical services with Holy Communion every Sunday. St. Matthew's
offers a mixture of both formal and informal forms of worship along
with hymns reflective of our traditions. Sprinkled throughout these
churches is a wide range of theological points-of-view. We would
have to consider the fact that not all denominations hold the
Scriptures in the same light. Some believers understand that the
Bible was dictated by God to the various writers. Others look upon
the Scriptures as a life-guiding resource that reflects what people
were thinking thousands of years ago. Confusing? Absolutely!
Because of how differently people understand the Scriptures, the
belief is out there that some people are "right" and others are
"wrong." John Wesley, the founder of our particular denomination, understood that the Holy Spirit is everywhere and can communicate to us in any fashion God chooses. In addition to the Scriptures, Wesley believed that God could also reveal truth through experience, reason and tradition. However, his explanation was merely one among many. How does one choose? Is there
any church "closer to the truth" than another church? These can be
difficult questions for people seeking certainty or some "authority"
that will guide their lives "correctly." Fear can cause people to roam
all over the landscape of Christendom until they find what for them is a
right match. But for others the search is different. There have been numerous studies
conducted to determine why people select one church over another. The
answer might surprise you. The number one reason why people attend a
particular church is that someone invited them. The primary reason why
people stay in a church is because they find inspiration, unqualified
acceptance, and a place to be of service. There is a common thread that
will tie life together in one glorious bundle once people accept it.
What is that thread? When Paul was writing to the
newly formed community of faith in Rome, he said this, "The
commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, do not commit murder, do not
steal, do not desire what belongs to someone else -- all these, and any
others besides, are summed up in the one teaching, “Love your neighbor
as you love yourself. If you love others, you will never do them harm;
to love, then, is to obey the whole Law.” Once people grasp this
skill-building inward commitment, they can navigate anywhere.
People can tolerate theology that
differs from their beliefs. People easily adapt to differing styles of
worship. They enjoy finding ways of supporting a pastor who may be
deficient in a number of ministerial skills. They know how to move with
grace through occasional disagreements without having their feelings
hurt. The truth is that there are no
perfect church families. There is no one church that has the correct
answers even though some communities of faith may make such claims. As
Jesus once taught, "Those who desire to be first will be last."
The
simple test for any congregation is this: Are they building bridges
between people? A very interesting thing happened
within our congregation a couple of months ago that answers this
question very clearly. Dan Blades and a number of people in our church
wanted to give James Young a lasting gift. As many of you know James has
been our custodian since St. Matthew's opened its doors in 1963. They
wanted to do some major renovations to this gentle man's home much as
we do each year for others during our participation in the Christmas
In April program. One problem existed. We did not
have any money for building materials in the church budget. I told Dan
that I would tell the congregation what we had in mind and ask them to
help. Dan told me that we needed about $2,000. When we finished
counting the special offering that Sunday, we had collected $2,363.
With this week's wonderful weather, the crew has been at work. The quality of our worship
experience and the theological views expressed from this pulpit are of
little consequence in comparison to the statement we make when we work
together to make love visible. Some of us give money. Some of us
swing hammers. Some of us do other tasks. Together all the instruments
in the orchestra create the symphony. Such a witness represents a
church family during one of its finest hours. Life can fool us, however! Nearly
everything that we experience has the potential to blur our vision,
unless we have this very fundamental light guiding us. If we do not
have what Jesus and Paul taught as our orientation toward life, we can
find ourselves thinking that we have found salvation because of what we
believe. In the past, people were so
convinced that their beliefs were right that they burned people at the
stake for translating the Scriptures from Latin into German and later
into English. People were so self-assured that their ideas were
correct that they nailed Jesus to a cross and never realized who he was.
"Committed faith" is at the heart of terrorism.
Beliefs can be very
tricky; making a loving statement with our deeds confuses no one. On Friday evening I brought
greetings to our Jewish brothers and sisters as they gathered in our
sanctuary to celebrate their New Year -- Rosh Hashanah. There were a
number of somber realities surrounding their gathering. Armed security
guards had been hired to protect the congregation. Everyone entering
the building had to be screened by presenting a ticket. Their fear was
that a suicide bomber might slip in among them. We can hardly imagine
such a thing in America. When I told our friends that I
was going to read them a passage from the New Testament. I imagined that
some were sitting there thinking, "Oh dear, we are going hear something
about Jesus." They were right! I read to them our text for
today. This was Paul's interpretation of Jesus' constant theme. Here
are those words again, "The commandments, 'Do not commit adultery, do
not commit murder, do not steal, do not desire what belongs to someone
else -- all these, and any others besides, are summed up in the one
teaching, 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself. If you love others,
you will never do them harm; to love, then, is to obey the whole Law.'"
When I finished, Rabbi Weisman
said, "Oh Dick, in less than one minute you have spoken what I intend to
take 45 minutes to say at tomorrow's service." This lesson is so
simple and so universal that it applies to every person in the world and
will work for every experience that comes our way. When this energy
governs every relationship, God's infinite, creative presence becomes
part of each one. Teenagers find it difficult to
decide which college or university to attend. They do not know what to
do with the rest of their lives. As thy travel into their futures, some
are confused about what to look for while selecting a mate. Is there
anyone among us who ever knew for sure before we made our choices? As we
discuss these matters, how should we direct them? It does not matter if there
are a thousand opinions, a thousand theologies, a thousand
possibilities for our relationships. When our love is focused on others,
we are literally standing in the heart of God. Love casts out fear,
and when we forget that, it is because life has fooled us into believing
that something else is true. This is what we can tell them.
Life fools us all the time. We
can teach the lesson of love day after day. We can rehearse it with
every breath we take. However, life can be so manipulative, so tricky
that we can backslide into forgetfulness. The moment our sense of
justice and fairness generates the expectation that we deserve better
treatment, life has fooled us. I learned this one day after I
received a call from Lois. She had left the headlights on in her VW bug
and when she got into the car to return home from work, the battery was
drained. It was rush hour and she was in the heart of Montgomery
County. I gave her careful instructions
on how to put the gearshift into neutral and roll the car out of its
parking space. I told her how to turn on the ignition, push the car
gently down the incline, jump in, put the gearshift into third and pop
the clutch. "It will start," I told her. After patiently listening to my
instructions she said, " I am in a skirt and dress shoes. I am not doing
that. When are you coming?" I said, "Go into the building and find a
guy who will perform this simple task for you!" She said, "I am not
doing that either. When are you coming?" I said, "I am on my way."
Had I not been thinking strictly
of myself, I would have gone immediately. In the context of our living,
most of us do similar things all the time. Our caring has to suit us.
Requests must come at a convenient time. Life can fool us and when it
does, love comes in second best behind all the things that we want
first. There are times when high ranking
officials in the office display certain developmental disabilities. They
never learned how to use words that encourage, motivate and inspire.
What they know how to do best is to wear their power in ways that are
not supportive to the people working with them. This is our moment to
be who we are. Do not be fooled by this kind of experience. Keep in mind that there are
plenty of times when life tries to fool us into believing that something
else is true. Always remember that when we do not and cannot care
for people of all makes and models, all the lessons we have learned from
Christ, all the beliefs we hold about the authority of the Scriptures
are meaningless. Jesus said, "Many will call me 'Lord, Lord', and I
will say to them 'I never knew you.'"
All people in the world need to
experience God's love; they do not need to hear various theologies and
"correct interpretations" about love. They need to experience being
loved. When God heals others through our presence, know that we are
standing in the heart of God. This is what it means to be created in
God's image. Do not be fooled into believing that something else is
true. Nothing else is. THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Loving God, we
thank you that your love is everlasting. We thank you that you continue
to love us even though you know every page in the book of our
yesterdays. We know that our lives often reflect cross-purposes. We
form our priorities by how we feel rather than on how best to serve. We
know that our pain and hurts can often determine our destiny. We seldom
ask ourselves, "Is this who I really want to be?" In the spirit of
humility, each of us comes seeking the truth that will set us free.
Help us discover the insights that will give love better eyes, ears,
hands and feet. As we seek the wholeness of those around us, we know
that it will come to us as well. Amen. THE PASTORAL PRAYER
Lord God, we gather on this day feeling a
mixture of emotions. In a little while many of us will experience the
consecration of our new building. We feel enormously grateful for your
inspiration and guidance, for all the hours spent by those who were
shepherds of our project, and for the moment when we lay our cornerstone
into its permanent place, clearly marking a new era in our growth.
We also find ourselves near the eve of when,
a year ago, over 3,000 people were murdered in acts of terrorism the
likes of which we Americans have never seen in our land. As we
remember, we also mourn for them and all humanity.
We know the hour is late for us. We know
that Christ gave his life that we might see more clearly what you had in
mind when you created us. We look forward to the day when caring and
kindness will be as automatic as breathing, a day when understanding and
mutual trust will flow from us naturally. Help us remember that from
your Son came 12 disciples, and from them came the rest of us. Lead us
to join hands and celebrate the reality in our lives that your Kingdom
has come on earth as it is in Heaven. All we have to do is choose to
live in it. We pray these thoughts through the spirit of Jesus, who
taught us to say when we pray . . .
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