Sermon Delivered By Rev. Dick Stetler – July 5, 2020
Centenary United Methodist Church Psalm
34:8-22; Matthew 11:16-19 There could not be a better Scripture than our
Gospel lesson this morning to convince us that very little has changed
in human nature for thousands of years.
Politicians for centuries have tried to convince their listeners
that they will bring people together.
There are many reasons why only a few people in history have been
successful in doing so. Individuals have their own opinions which they
perceive are more accurate than the ideas being proposed by the
geniuses who campaigned on what they will do if elected.
The only thing that enables people to unite is by common consent
of the public. This is when
everyone chooses to work together for the common good. In our lesson, Jesus asked a question that
pinpointed why only like-minded people can get along for a while.
He asked, "To what shall I compare the people of today?"
He then proceeded to answer his own question.
He may not have known how applicable his comments were to every
generation that has ever lived. After giving a number of examples of how people
have different tastes and points-of-view, Jesus said: When John the Baptist came, he fasted and drank no
wine. Everyone said, 'He is
crazy.' When the Son of Man
came, he ate and drank wine.
When everyone saw it, they said, 'He is a glutton and a drunk.
He befriends tax collectors and other people who are
good-for-nothing.' (Matthew
11:18f) Because of how hyper-sensitive everyone appears to
be today, people try to speak so that no one is offended by what we say.
We label this skill as being politically correct.
Such people may be impressive in how they express themselves but
who is listening to what they are saying? If they assert themselves too
much, they are attacked by their listeners. (Luke 4:28-30) If they are
polite, pleasing, and politically correct, they are accused of having no
leadership abilities. People with leadership abilities often convinced
themselves not to get involved in many discussions where there is a wide
range of opinions being shared with angry passions. They would rather
watch the circus. It may be a miracle that people communicate as well
as they do. We have learned to laugh at how ridiculous we must appear.
Political cartoons in the Royal Gazette often capture the humor
that can be found in the most passionate exchanges. We love it when
someone stands forth and says, "Will you people stop your whining and
get over yourselves?"
This is why there was only one Jesus. After reading our lesson for this morning, we
realize that nothing has changed in human nature.
We are like children in the market place who shout
at one another. (Matthew 11:16) Freedom to give voice to our thoughts
and feelings can be frowned on by others who cannot move beyond their
let me fix it mentality. Jesus had an answer that could set people
free from ever becoming stuck
in the
verbal quicksand.
Our lesson today ends with these words, "God's wisdom, however,
is shown to be true by its results."
It should not be a surprise to anyone that God's Wisdom
was repeatedly defined by Jesus as living by the Golden Rule. What do we think about someone who
expresses very few opinions about anything?
This is a fascinating question. These people approach everyone
they meet with a spirit that exudes kindness, tolerance, patience, and
forgiveness. Who are
these people who refuse to express how they feel about the
opinions held by others? We know what Jesus taught.
What is intriguing is that for most of his ministry, he never
told people what he was thinking or feeling.
He shared the results of living in the realm that produced only
loving responses to others in spite of what level of awareness the
others were experiencing. Of course, everyone immediately turns to the moments when Jesus did ventilate his frustrations with people. We love to cite the moment when he used a whip and kicked over the tables of the money changers. (John 2:15f) We remember the moment when Jesus scolded his listeners, "How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay here with you? How long must I put up with you?" (Matthew 17:17) What harm is done by listening to how others are
expressing who they are?
They are only revealing their level of spiritual maturity.
When we hear the lies that others are spreading as
truth and we counter their absurdities with our opinions, we
fit right into Jesus' teachings that we are like children
shouting at each other. Jesus loved people right where he found them. (John
8:11) What enabled him to do that?
What did he have that helped him to remain compassionate toward
people who held different points-of-view? He patiently exhibited what he
taught, "God's wisdom, however, is shown to be true by its
results." People who have learned to love in its truest sense
are communicating what the Apostle Paul wrote: Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous,
conceited, or proud; love is not rude, selfish, or irritable; love does
not keep a record of the faults of others, and is never happy with
deception but responds very well to what inspires others to take the
high road. Love never
gives up because its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Loving energy
is eternal. (I Corinthians 13:4-8a) Jesus had a unique way of communicating.
Part of his ability was the spirit in which he delivered his
words. That spirit was
always focused on guiding others to safe harbors. It was that
spirit that brought a consistency that others may never develop.
Some people choose to live highly competitive
lives. They are always
striving to be winners in everything that they do.
When there are many Alpha humans striving for the
gold medals, life can become a contact sport that attracts millions of
viewers. Jesus was intentional when he spoke to others why
the first will be last and the last will be first. (Matthew
20:16) Jesus was also detached from needing a particular outcome from
the words that he spoke. He
knew that his listeners had to take total responsibility for their level
of spiritual maturity. Unfortunately, being a servant to others is
not an attractive goal for the majority of people. However,
being such a person gives themselves total control over their emotions.
Expressing loving-energy is a gift to oneself.
There are no worries, no fears, no insecurities, no anxieties,
and no diseases being caused by thoughts and emotions. They have learned
how to bypass becoming their own worst enemy.
When a person's energy is directed
only in the direction of helping others
to find greater spiritual freedom, how does one accomplish that with
consistency? The answer comes to those who understand that they
are angels who are on loan to a world filled with people who are
expressing various stages of their evolution. Their mission is simple.
They come to sow seeds of kindness in everything that they do and
trust God to make the changes in people. One afternoon, I was on my way to visit a patient
in our county hospital. As
I was making the turn to get on to another highway, a police car had
stopped someone. However, as I got closer, it became apparent that the
two policemen where changing the tire on a car that belonged to a very
pregnant woman and her little daughter. I may have been the only person to see that taking
place. That sight made a change in me.
That scene entered my mind this week because of the hysteria in
many places in the United States causing leaders to slash the
budgets or do away with their police departments.
Again, we can see the wisdom of Jesus when he used the metaphor
of children in the market place shouting at each other with their
different points-of-view. The characters and scenery are different throughout
history but the themes are just the same. What did Jesus teach?
"Bring your loving presence on to the stage where the play is
unfolding and God will produce the results."
The world is a wonderful place to practice being a citizen
of the Kingdom of God while still being a Bermudian or any other
nationality. What matters are the results of our living, not our
ethnicity. We opened our
service this morning by singing, To God Be the Glory. That is all
that we need to know in order to live as fully mature adults. God will
do the rest. CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER Loving God, in spite
of our stage presence, our desire for peace can easily become
sabotaged when we become upset by trivia.
Our desire for confidence is often eroded by our numerous fears.
Our desire to love others is often hindered by our knowledge that
we are right and they are
mistaken.
O God, our world
hungers for guidance and for community. Help us to remain attentive to
the knowledge that your will is unfolding just as you planned.
When we trust that understanding, peace is within our grasp.
Amen. PASTORAL PRAYER We thank you, God,
for placing within us the desire of wanting freedom. There is no
better teacher for valuing freedom than to have it taken away.
We have experienced such a draught during the last four months.
Even though some of us are not wise stewards of our choices, we realize
that freedom is the best environment in which to grow and live abundant
lives. Today we are grateful
for our island and for our government that has done its best to keep us
safe from the virus that is sweeping over the world. We are grateful for
the rules that were suddenly imposed.
They were designed to give direction and purpose to the freedom
we did have. Even though we share great diversity of opinions,
many of our values are commonly shared and cherished. When we use
our choices to be in service to each other, we share an abundance that
would not have happened without all of us working together. Each day, we are
given the opportunity to redefine who we are. In spite of our
circumstances, we can choose kindness. We can decide not to hurt
others with our words. We can work on being more forgiving and
generous. We can become the presence that stills troubled waters simply
by being a part of people's struggles. As we ask for mercy from
you, so may we offer mercy to everyone whether they request it or not.
During these troubling times in the world, we are grateful that we are
disciples of your son who taught us to say when we pray . . .
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