Snuffed Out

"Snuffed Out"

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

October 29, 2017

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Romans 12:11a-b

Matthew 5: 13-16

Revelation 2: 1-5 

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside our minds

Help us to be more than our lives

           For your eyes show us the way

           Your mind knows the truth

           Your being is the life.

Amen.

We’re continuing this morning with the Marks of a True Christian, where we have been studying what Paul said a True Christian should look like, should embody, the marks that would distinguish the Christian from the regular folks of his day, that would be the identifying factors, so they are not necessarily prescriptive, like laws would be, commanding how we should be living, but instead are descriptive of how people could be, living in the grace, no basking in the Grace of what Paul has set forth as the gift of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is the type of person made possible by the grace of Jesus Christ. So the challenge is each week to hold a mirror up to our faces, not to condemn ourselves for failing to live up to them, but instead inspire us to try, to seek, to get better, to improve, to keep fighting and driving ever onward, and upward, in these ways, And this morning the phrase from Marks of a True Christian is no different in its challenge to us, and in its importance within the life of our church, and that is, “Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit.” But before we go any further with it, I want to go back, like we always do and look at where we are going with this series, and of course also where we have been, so here are the Marks of the True Christian according to Paul, Romans 12: 9-21, again me reading from the New Revised Standard version for just this reading today, the other’s I have taken from NIV, so they will match the pew Bibles this morning. . . .

⁹ Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰ love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So do not lag in Zeal, and be ardent in Spirit. . . Before we start, I'd like to look at the words of our verse for this morning. Two words stand out because we rarely use them in our every day speech. One is "zeal" and the other is "ardent." Zeal is a little more familiar. The dictionary says that zeal is "eagerness and ardent interest in the pursuit of something." And there is that other word, "ardent," right in there. Now in the dictionary "ardent" is "characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity" ^[2] And there is that word zeal, in zealous. Do you see why I kept this verse together intact? They are both talking about the same idea. The dictionary gave similar synonyms for both: fervor, fiery, hot. The Greek Root word for the word translated as ardent is the verb "leo," which means to boil. Literally "leontes" which is translated in the NRSV as ardent means boiling over as if out of control. Sounds a little bit also like the root for Lion, and perhaps that is a good image for our minds as well, and perhaps not the lion you may see lying in the shade in the zoo, or in the shade of the African Savannah, even, but the symbolic, mythical, lion, majestic, strong, true. . . of one mind, the lion on the hunt. . . intent, energetic, completely focused on the task. . . .

I’m going to read to you two different descriptions of churches both of which are written by those from the outside, voicing their perceptions of the goings on within the church. I want you to try to figure out which one is describing a Presbyterian Church and which one is not. The first:

The church has spread with its appeal focused especially on the common people. The churches are convened sometimes by mere enthusiasts, who, in these meetings read sundry fanatical books, and use long extempore prayers and discourses—sometimes by itinerant strolling ministers, and at present by a permanent preacher, who is well known to be intimate with known evangelical rabble rousers. Their sole purpose is to spread their religion to all parts of this colony, using emotional frenzy, undermining the true church at every step.[1]

Ok that is the first, here is the second.

The church is in a low state. A surprising negligence appears in attending on Publick worship; and an equally surprising Levity and Unconcernedness in those who attend. Godliness is not common. There is a general malaise in the congregation. The sermons are dull and thue people are contented by the stale teachings from the pulpit.[2]

Which is the Presbyterian Church as described in those two passages? Is the Presbyterian Church the one described as filled with emotional frenzy, or is the Presbyterian Church the one described as stale and dead? People on the outside never quite understand do they. Many look at Presbyterians today and stereotype us in certain ways. Frozen Chosen, perhaps?

But so do we, we do the same thing. Of course these are descriptions of our church and the elevate church right, the new and vibrant kid on the block, where all the young folks are going. . . I’ve heard it here, said, it’s just emotion, touchy feely, promise, Christmas, not Christianity, prosperity Gospel, Good Feeling stuff. . . and they might describe us in the way of the second, stale and dead, outdated and old. . . but the truth is these two descriptions are not from churches today, and yes one is Presbyterian, but in fact it is the first one. . . not the second, the vibrant one, the one that is described as a frenzy. . . now of course those are descriptions from an outsider, but how interesting the roles could be so reversed. . . at least for us. Yes the first is a description of what was going on in Hanover at the upstart Presbyterian Congregation at Polegreen, under the pastorship of the Rev. Samuel Davies. . . it was written by the Pastor of the other church being described, the Rev. Patrick Henry (the uncle and namesake of the liberty or death guy we know), who felt threatened by the upstart church, and though his church was state sponsored by the crown in the colony, and the others were dissenters, he still felt threatened, because his church had become stale and dead, as is described. It is interesting to think about, what accounts for the change? To get back on track, one church is not lagging in zeal and the other is, one church is ardent in the spirit and the other is not. Now why is this so important, other than the obvious, to answer that question let’s look at our Gospel and New Testament Lessons.

The first, out of Christ’s own mouth, in the Sermon on the Mount, as presented to us in Matthew 5: 13-16

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. ¹⁵ No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

We’ve heard that before that the job of the church, the job of the Christian, the job of the disciple of Christ is to let our lights shine before others, so that they may see us and give glory to God. . . . our light to be lit and held up on a lampstand. . . and that brings us to our second reading, this one from Revelation. This John of Patmos’ letter to the church at Ephesus, one of the seven churches he writes to, to open up the book of Revelation.

2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:

These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. ² I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³ You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

⁴ Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. ⁵ Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place

I was at a Presbytery Meeting one time, it was actually where I became a candidate for Ministry, you go through these stages, the first is Inquirer, and then Candidate, and each time you go before the whole of the Presbytery. It was nice because it was at the church of which I was under care, the church where I was a member, and they were “sponsoring” me for lack of a better term. . . there in Gloucester, which actually has since left the Presbytery, ironically, but at this meeting the speaker of the worship part, was talking about churches who have lost it. He was about church growth and church vitality, but he was talking about the churches that just didn’t make it. . . and he quoted this passage, and used it as a metaphor, that all churches have a candle, and little things happen over time that just snuffs out the light. . . it was funny my dad and I kept doing it for the rest of the meeting, any time that bureaucratic group think happened in the Meeting. . . we need funding for this, sshmmmffff, we’re cutting funding for this, sshmfff, there will be another mission study looking at how churches can do better at this, shmfff, a new committee must be formed to discuss whether or not the flag in the Presbytery office should be moved from the main hall to a more prominent place, shmmmffff. Awe who cares??? And it was just like most meetings where every cares, or at least wants to be heard, in the moment, but then after the meeting no one really cares at all, now that its over, oh well back to work, shmmmffff.

That Candle became the metaphor for the zeal of the church, the ardency of the spirit. . . but how does it happen, how does a church go from a zealous church to a church with a flickering lampstand, a candle in the wind. . . ?

I’m not sure, but I have my suspicions because I know what robs me of my zeal. One is when people are put in a box and not allowed to be themselves. If I were to hear those two descriptions of church from earlier, the live one and the dead one, I wouldn’t want to be either because I would want to defy the description. No that is not me, I am more than that. You can’t label me accurately, you can’t fence me in, there is more to me than that, because I’m always growing, learning, changing, by the experiences that I have, people are dynamic, and created by God as such. So any labels, descriptions, expectations, of me or other people, they snuff out my candle. . . I believe that individuals were created uniquely by God in His image, and God defies labels, so so should his reflection.

The next is similar. I don’t like it when someone is not allowed to live up to their potential. . . and it is similar to the other one because labels are one of the ways that people tend to stifle potential. I used to hate it when my students had over time developed understandings of their abilities and identities that were less than what they could have been. They had been taught, or led to believe that, this was all they could do, or less. . . which brings me to my third thing that snuffs me out, and that is when systems are put in place to make it so a person doesn’t have to live up to their potential. . . the creation of crutches that make excelling no longer necessary. . . One of my favorite poems gets at this. . . TS Eliots, Choruses from the Rock. . . it is so good, but this one part says:

They constantly try to escape

From the darkness outside and within

By dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good.

How true that statement is of our world. How many systems have we tried to create, so that no one would needs to be good anymore. . . and the cynical piece is, that what  it is saying underneat is that they cannot be good. . . they don’t have what it takes. . .  people can be better, but often we don’t let them be. . . because we make it so they do not have to be. . . I see this, and smmffff my candle of zeal goes straight out, or else I seek to fight it, and as long as I’m fighting against it, my candle burns, but when I give up and give in. . . smfff.

Now you may ask yourself, how does this happen in church, what does your pet peeve have to do with church, Pete. Now I think the same scenarios take place over time within a church. You get use to each other, and you get used to things as they are, and you don’t see them or each other as dynamic any more and you get used to the labels. You know each other so well so you put each other in boxes. Oh he’s just that way, or she’s just that way. . . smmmfff, and you create systems that sustain the life of the organization by creating as little conflict as possible, smmfff. Oh the Presbyterian Church is full of those, we have a big thick book of order, mostly designed to try and prevent old conflicts from happening again, but does it work, no, it just makes us fearful of conflict and robs us of our zeal. We stop challenging each other to be constantly changing and alive and vibrant, and supportive, because we are more interested in keeping everyone happy and safe,. . . and slowly the zeal of truly rising constantly to our potential collectively and potentials individually, in an ever upward growth pattern becomes stagnant. It happens in organizations and it happens in families, people get used to each other and they just expect each other to always be the same, or in some cases demand it. . . and as the people so goes the institution, flat. . .

The other way it happens is also connected. . . because the church takes on a label and an identity, and rather than being one of vitality it becomes one of holding on. Someone starts something, and it is their baby, they love it, they are fired up about it, and they do it well, but then they die, or move away, or stops,  and it of course needs to continue because its what we do here right, but no one else is quite as fired up about it. They try to keep it going but they aren’t them, and it becomes a burden. It becomes a must do instead of a want to do. . . and must. . . flows from the label, not the actual dynamic personality of someone, right. I am here, and so I “should” pick up the slack, as a church member, it is my duty. . . but your gifts and talents and interests are elsewhere, but what will happen to us if we let this thing go? What is our identity without it? This is the baggage that is constantly being built up, and it weighs a church down because it weighs its people down. Do you know the line that follows, the one about building systems, so that people will not have to be good. . . it is

But the man that is shall shadow

The man that pretends to be.

The man that is. . . who are you, not who do people think you are supposed to be, not what other people have been so you think you have to emulate, but who are you, stop pretending and be that, all else lowers your zeal. . . it is the deathnell of any church because a church is not the building, a church is not a steeple, a church is a people, and stagnant, pigeon holed shells, lag in zeal and are not ardent in the spirit.

It’s the bunny story that I read to the kids during children’s time. I don’t know how the clothes got on, but they are there, and you can’t be a bunny, until you take them off. . . and if you leave them, beware because danger is lurking.

This Sunday, today is Reformation Sunday because it was on October 31st that Martin Luther nailed his Theses to the door Whittenburg. He was reacting to the same situation. Over the years the Catholic Church had added things to what it meant to be a church, and what it meant to be a Christian, and Luther wanted to strip those things away and get at what it truly meant. He said not the works, but instead faith, not the priest, but the priesthood of all believers. Not tradition, but Sola Scriptura, only scripture. . . these principles he used to get back to what was essential to the faith, and the rest had to be stripped. . . and it was difficult, wars were fought. . . Calvin took it a few steps further, parallel to Luther in Geneva. . . and he added the idea to his Reformed faith saying, Ecclesia semper reformanda est, Reformed and always Reforming, knowing that churches and people have a tendancy to add things to themselves, that separate them from the light airy baggageless discipleship that we are called to. . .

What we need to do is get back to the essentials of what makes us. . . which is why I’ve been going through these Marks of a Christian. . . for they are challenging ways to get us to think about what the standard is, how it is impossible, and how we must dynamically be constantly fighting and moving upward, not to attain it, but to be constantly working. . . I want to read another part of the Choruses from the Rock for you. . . this is earlier when Eliot is talking about what the work of humans is, he says “the lot of man is ceaseless labor,” a never ending battle. . . he writes:

Let me show you the work of the humble. Listen.

In the vacant places

We will build with new bricks

Where the bricks are fallen

We will build with new stone

Where the beams are rotten

We will build with new timbers

Where the word is unspoken

We will build with new speech

There is work together

A Church for all

And a job for each

Every man to his work.

What life have you, if you have not life together?

There is not life that is not in community,

And no community not lived in praise of GOD.

Some people would say that we need to update the program here, appeal to younger audiences, pull out the pews, stop singing old and traditional hymns,, be more like Elevate. I disagree, absolutely and completely, because you will not get any closer to being yourself by trying to copy what they are doing down the street. It is not about them it is about us. . . and I believe to my heart that a church unapologetically doing what they are called to be, and being who they are, is a dynamic church, and it is dynamic churches that survive. . . one trying to be someone else will fail. . . one who is always shadows over one who merely pretends to be. . .

What is central to us as this community living in praise of God? What is essential? How can we get back to those basics, the are the questions and let the rest go, shed it like the clothes that has slowed the bunny, lay those burdens on Christ. . . There has been a repeated theme, week after week, have you noticed? It comes back to Faith, Gratitude, and Love. . . . Faith that God has made us, saved us, and is sustaining us through his Sovereign and perfect will, and therefore who he has made us to be is who we should strive to be, an no pretending else, for the next is Gratitude that, that Will is good for us, and better than we can do for ourselves in shaping ourselves, and how it all then frees us to only Love for those who we walk life with are just as created, with the same boundless potential, and though they be like us in someways are always completely unique.  . . Faith, Gratitude and Love, is a good place to start, why not leave the rest behind. It is of note that the church in Ephesus has their lamp stand removed simply because they lost their love. . It is essential. Without it we’re lost

And speaking of lost. The meditation in the bulletin from Paradise Lost, from the mouth of Satan of all characters, this his for once because he is alone in his thoughts if just for a moment becasue he doesn’t end here, but this is an actual description of remorse. . .and it echoes. . .

nor was his service hard.
What could be less then to afford him praise,
The easiest recompence, and pay him thanks. . .
. . . The debt immense of endless gratitude,
So burthensome, still paying, still to ow;
Forgetful what from him I still receivd,
And understood not that a grateful mind
By owing owes not, but still pays, at once
Indebted and dischargd; what burden then?

Remember when we were defining love, I said that it is a cup that never is empty, it is always running over. . . look here a grateful mind, by owing owes not, but still pays, at once indebted and discharged; what burden then? If we are truly living these essentials, our zeal shall never flag, and we shall ever remain ardent in the spirit. . .

A 3/4 Reflection

A 3/4 Reflection

It is only in such stillness that water

Reflects the heavens.

Peaceful and serene, untroubled

By turbulence or the casting of stones.

We look down and do not see

                The wet mud underneath,

But instead, the soft white sky;

                Even gray is breathtaking,

And if we should sneak a peak at night,

                What wonder would befall.

WE might even think, in the face of such majesty,

               " What am I, that such wonders

                                Could be made

                And I’d be given

                                Even a single thought

But then again, I too, am mostly water,

                And I too am made as a reflecting image."

I hear the wind in its silence speak,

Be still. . .

What Is Honor?

What is Honor?

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

October 22, 2017

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Romans 12: 10b

Daniel 6: 1-5

Matthew 13: 54-58

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives   

For your eyes show the way

    Your mind knows the truth

    Your being is the life.

Amen.

So we continue our work through the Marks of a Christian, with this week’s phrase, “Out do one another in showing honor.” Here is the reading of the full list again:

 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰ love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So, “Outdo one another in showing honor. . .”

At least that is what it says in my NRSV translation, but if you are following along in the NIV, it says something completely different. . . it says, “honor one another above yourselves” hmmm. . . which is right? Because they really don’t mean the same thing. One of them has to do with competing in someway to be the most honorable, and the other one is just about honoring other people above what you honor yourself. . . I’m not sure which is the most challenging of the two. . . but the second one, the one about honoring other people above what you honor yourself is a lot like loving your neighbor as yourself, so it really doesn’t push the envelope, so when I was going through the study of it all this week, I was pulling for the other one, the challenge one, the one about competing. I guess I like competition, and especially when it has to do with honor.

When I was Freshman at Hampden Sydney, the college President was a legend, we all loved him, were in awe of him, just respected him to the utmost, General Sam Wilson, who recently just passed away. If you watched the Vietnam Documentary that just aired on PBS he was one of the people often interviewed, probably the most notable one was like the 2^nd or 3^rd episode where he gave the title to the episode, he said, “it was at that point we crossed the river Styx,” now, I was a freshman at orientation, and this man gets up to make the welcome speech, and I just remember him saying, “You men, are now Hampden-Sydney men, you are men of strong character, men of Honor,” and that was the first of many, all of his addresses to us included that phrase, “Hampden-Sydney Men, Men of Character, Men of Honor.” Honor was an important part of my college life. Hampden-Sydney has one of the oldest student run honor codes and councils in the country. . . the code was made up of two statements, and they echoed General Wilson’s description to us. . . it said, “The Hampden-Sydney man will behave as a gentleman at all times and in all places” and the second “The Hampden-Sydney man will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do.” These were the codes we held up, especially the second part, because the punishment for any violation of the Honor Code was Expulsion, first offence, no second chances. . . and it meant a lot to us, it meant we never had to lock our doors, never had to worry about where we stood, and professors did not have to stay in the room when they gave tests, and we had lots of otherwise freedom at the school. . . Both schools I taught at, Christchurch and Blue Ridge had similar honor codes, though neither took it quite as seriously, and it showed, and it frustrated me often. . . other teachers would police their students during tests and quizzes and couldn’t believe that I’d leave them alone on their own to finish theirs. . . it was amazing how much the standard being relax, destroyed the integrity of the honor code. . . so maybe that’s why I liked the idea of “outdoing one another when showing honor” so much more, because it meant that the standard would always be being raised, constantly going up, as people were making other people more honorable, not in a forced or judging way, but in a friendly outdoing and competitive way. . .there is much to say for it I think. . . but it really shouldn’t matter which Bible translation I like more, we want to get at which one is more accurate, which one embodies Paul’s original intent and meaning the best.

So again, we return to the Greek I guess, this is what they made us all take it for. . . to be able to decipher, and this is one that has to do with the grammar aspects instead of the . vocabulary, because again you have just a few words, ta, timay, allaythus, proaygoumenoy. . . and we dealt with allaythus last week, remember it just meant another. . . so we have the another, but are we supposed to honor others over ourselves, or compete with one another for honor. . . and this is the grammar part. . .now the tense of the verb that is either translated, outdo – or – view higher, truly means to be out in front, or to lead, be put ahead. . . so you can see it working either way, right, it just depends on who is being put out in front, is it a competition for that lead spot, or is it that we are just to put the other there. . . literally the grammar sends us into the outdo realm, be outfront when it comes to honor. . . but why the discrepancy? And this gets us down to the main difference between the NRSV and the NIV. . . which is truly why I am going through all of this. . . because I usually use NRSV and you all are use to NIV. . . and it isn’t really that one is better than the other, it just comes down to choices. . . and NRSV or its predecessor the RSV – revised standard version, tries to go for literal translations whenever possible, whereas the NIV takes into account the tradition of it all, and how it makes sense best according to the viewpoint of the tranlators. . . and they get to a phrase like this, and rather than be literal, they change it to what they think it is most likely to mean based on many factors. . . like I said tradition, or other parts in the Bible that it may parallel. . . so they would see a phrase like this and see, putting others above yourself in honor, because that seems to most reflect what they already know and assume Christianity is about, rather than letting themselves be challenged by a more literal translation that may make a little bit less sense, like people competing over who can be the leader when it comes to honor. . . I mean what does that even mean?

So let’s look at the other side of this, the word translated as honor is interesting, too, because maybe it isn’t the same as the honor code at Hampden-Sydney, where it is a list of things you don’t do, ie, Lying, Cheating, and Stealing, because how can you not do something better than someone else. . . what is that even like. . . I’m not. . . . I’m not. . .

That Greek word is Timay and it is interesting because of where else it is used in the New Testament, so that leads us to our Gospel reading, this from Matthew 13: 54-58

⁵⁴ He came to his hometown and began to teach the people^[h] in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? ⁵⁵ Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? ⁵⁶ And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” ⁵⁷ And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” ⁵⁸ And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

This is that famous line that keeps all pastors from returning to work at their home church, or to retrace their footsteps, it goes right along with that idea of you can’t go home, or a twist on the old Heraclitus line, you can’t step in the same river twice. . .though I think he meant something else by that, I’ve heard him quoted to describe this phenomemnon. . . Because here you have Jesus, he goes back to Nazareth, isn’t this that Carpenter’s son? Yeah we know him, we know everything about him, there is nothing special, nothing we don’t already know. . . you are up there preaching and they are remembering the time that you couldn’t stop laughing that time during communion, or that you had that special truck you always liked to carry around, or a blanket, or a dolly, awe remember that time when was in the Christmas pageant as a sheep with his little hat with the ears on it. . . remember when he had that speaking part in the play and forgot the words, They are thinking all of these things about you, and can’t see that you’ve grown up, that you’ve changed, that you’ve had a ton of new experiences. You could have been gone for 20 years, and come back and it would be the same. It doesn’t matter how long, these things happen, and they even happened to Jesus so you know they’d happen to us. . . but this word Honor here. . . A prophet is “honored” everywhere but in his hometown. That is the same word as from our passage, out do one another with showing honor. . . so what is the honor that Christ is lacking when he goes back to Nazareth. . . I think the term that the kids today would use for it is Cred. . . Jesus does not have enough Cred in his hometown, not like he might have elsewhere, and how interesting that is, how tragic. . . because what this word really means is value, it really doesn’t have much to do with Honor, though we think that Honor gives a person value, this word Timay is about Value. . . some other places in the New Testament it is used to describe the payment given for something of Value. . . interesting. . . so this is the tragic thing right, the people in Nazareth love Jesus, but they don’t value him for his true worth, but instead for the box that they have put him in. . . that box that says, o that’s just Joseph the Carpenter’s son. . . .

Let’s look at the Old Testament Lesson. . . here we have Daniel, who has come to be pretty valuable to the King, during the exile. .  . this is Daniel 6: 1-5

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty satraps, stationed throughout the whole kingdom, ² and over them three presidents, including Daniel; to these the satraps gave account, so that the king might suffer no loss. ³ Soon Daniel distinguished himself above all the other presidents and satraps because an excellent spirit was in him, and the king planned to appoint him over the whole kingdom. ⁴ So the presidents and the satraps tried to find grounds for complaint against Daniel in connection with the kingdom. But they could find no grounds for complaint or any corruption, because he was faithful, and no negligence or corruption could be found in him. ⁵ The men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

I love the story of Daniel, it is much like Joseph, but in Babylon instead of Egypt, he interprets dreams he faces trials, and all throughout he remains steadfast, and this steadfast devotion wins over the king, he becomes respected, because the king sees his value, but how interesting that when this value is seen the first thing that others want to do is break him down. . . there is jealousy and backstabbing going on in this court, and Daniel is caught in the middle of it, again and again, but each time he comes through it because he is steadfast, he is a man of honor, and character, perhaps he went to Hampden-Sydney in some ancient time travelling exchange program.

But does the world put value on such things any more? If we look at those who make the most money as having the most value then maybe not.. . . If we look at those who have the most power in Washington or at the state and Local level, then maybe honor and character and steadfastness are not honored there either. . .gettign things done, saying the right things, having the right connections, the right donors, that is what is of value there. . .we seem to value athletic prowess pretty high, too. . . if you look at where our money goes. . . actors and msicians when they get famous seem to do pretty well, talking heads on tv. . . but I think lately we are seeing through it more and more, seeing through to the fact that many time there is nothing of real value and substance behind it, and it is glaringly apparent. . .

I remember another speech, this one not be General Wilson, but by this guy who was the President of the Board at Blue Ridge, and he gave the graduation address to the boys the year before I did, and he was going through it, he was kinda gruff like General Wilson was, same generation, and very similar backgrounds in Intelligence, this guy had worked at the CIA or the like, and he was talking to the boys, and he just said, “You all will be men of honor, or you’ll be of no damn worth to anybody. . . we need honorable men as much as we don’t need men without honor. . . You might not be rich, famous, a boss, whatever, but you will be a man of honor, because that is all that matters. . . maybe there is a connection, real value is about being honorable. . . at least according to many. . . I’d agree. . . though there is no dollar amount you can put on it, honor is of real value in this world.

Let’s look at something that someone wrote anonymously so I don’t know anything about him, but that may be because he wanted it to be about someone else, the subject of the piece, it is called “One Solitary Life”

"He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpentry shop until he was thirty, and then for three years he was an itinerant preacher.

When the tide of popular opinion turned against him, his friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies. He was tried and convicted. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave.

He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never owned a home. He never went to college. He never traveled more than two hundred miles from the place where he was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompanies greatness.

Yet all the armies that ever marched, and all the governments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, have not affected life upon this earth as powerfully as that One Solitary Life." ~ Author Unknown

Now I’m not sure whether we are supposed to out do each other in showing honor or not, or whether we are to honor others above ourselves, I’m not sure which of those is a better rending of Paul’s original words, but I know that both of them is a good place to start, and both of them seek to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. . . and if the Marks of a Christian are about what it means to be a Christian, and the word Christian means little Christ, walking in Christ’s footsteps are a good place to follow, and I like the out do because it is never done. . . it doesn’t finish. . . because you can’t short of the cross, you can’t follow Christ all the way to completion without it, so on the journey along the way, we can seek to grow closer to that final goal, even if we cannot attain it perfectly. . .

Brotherly Love

Brotherly Love

A sermon delivered by Rev. Peter T. Atkinson

October 15, 2017

at Bethany Presbyterian Church, Zuni, Virginia

Romans 12: 10a

Luke 15: 22-32

Genesis 25: 27-34

Let us pray,

Help us to see despite our eyes

Help us to think outside of our minds

Help us to be more than our lives   

For your eyes show the way

    Your mind knows the truth

    Your being is the life.

Amen.

 After last week’s break from it, we continue our study of the "Marks of a Christian Passage from Romans 12:9-21. We've made it to the second verse, which is "love one another with mutual affection," at least according to the NRSV. Like we’ve been doing each week, so that we can see where we’ve been and where we’re going, let’s read this passage again. . . Romans 12: 9-21:

 Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰ love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹ Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸ If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹ Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰ No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” ²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

So this week the phrase at least in this translation is, “Love each other with mutual Affection” but if you are following along in the pew Bibles, the NIV has something very different, and many translations take different stabs at this: Here are a few:

KJV: " Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love"

NIV: "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love "

NLT: "Love each other with genuine affection"

ASV: In love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another;

The Message: Be good friends who love deeply

The New Century Bible: Love each other like brothers and sisters 

One thing that you can see from all these different translations is that there are a lot of words used, kindly, affection brotherly, love, devoted, genuine, brethren, tenderly, good friends, etc. therefore you'd expect a lot of words in the original language too, then wouldn't you, but there actually are only three. This phrase though in its original Greek is only three words. It reads: Philostorgoi allathus Philadelphia. Let’s get the easy one out of the way first, and that is the middle part Allathus, which just means "one another", pretty simple and most of the translations agreed on that, but then the other two words are actually what are called compound words, and we have them in English, words like dog house. . . where you take two words and put them together to form a new word. But what is interesting these is that they pretty much are saying the same type of thing. And they actually both share the same root Philo, you have it in Philostorgoi and you have in Philadelphia, and Philo is easy it just means love. It’s easy to remember because it means love for us too in words like Philanthropy (the love of humanity) and Philosophy (The love of wisdom). Anglophile, Francophile, hemophiliac, there are many. So then you have two different words then compounded with the Philo (love) on either side of the Allathus. The first one in Philostorgoi, is that Storgoi - which is actually another word we translate in English as love, so it's almost like Philostorgoi is a compound word combining love love. . . so, so far we have love love one another" We translate both of these words as love, and here they are put together. Storgoi, though, is usually translated as the type of love that is natural, like between a parent and child, or vice versa, or between other close familial relationships, like between siblings. This is what is really interesting because then when you come to the other side of the phrase love love, is paired in the sentence with another word "Philadelphia" which means, love of a brother, or brotherly love.

I used to wonder why they called Philadelphia, "The City of Brotherly Love" because if you've ever watched a sporting event played in Philly, whether the Phillies, or the Eagles, or the Flyers, the fans would be brutal. They'd boo anybody. Opposing players had no chance, even their own players would get booed when slumping. It could even be a star, I saw big name get booed, from Mike Schmidt to Donovan McNabb. There is something about the fans in Philadelphia that are worse than other cities. The Eagles played one time on Christmas Day, and I was watching, and at halftime Santa Claus came out and they booed him. That may be the lowest of the low. Booing Santa Claus. It wasn't until much later, when I was in seminary learning Greek, and I realized it was because the name. Phil- love and adelphos- brother. Duh. . .

So in our passage for this morning we have literally: love like natural family love, one another, with the love you'd have for a brother. It seems kinda redundant. You can see why the translations are so wordy and diverse, trying to get at the heart of the meaning. Ok great, but how are brothers supposed to love each other? What is brotherly love? What does it look like?

To answer that question Let us if we may look to The Bible. So I did this week, and this is where our New and Old Testament lessons come into play. I tried to think of instances in the Bible where brothers acted towards each other in a loving fashion, you know as an example we could use for modeling our own brotherly love, but the problem is there aren't any good ones because Biblical Brothers do not have a good track record.

The first example is from our Old Testament lesson, let’s take a look at Jacob and Esau, here is Genesis 25: 27-34

²⁷ The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. ²⁸ Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

²⁹ Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. ³⁰ He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.^[a])

³¹ Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

³² “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

³³ But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

So here we have two brothers, modeling for us brotherly behavior. . . So you have Esau going out and working, hunting, while Jacob stays at home with Mommy, but then when Esau comes in hungry, Jacob holds feeding him for the ransom of his birthright. . . pretty bad. . . and then if that isn’t all he also steals his father’s blessing in a similar manner, pretending to be him, wearing the hairy sleeves to disguise himself. . . and then he flees. And he is not alone, the first pair of brothers, Cain and Abel, to say the least they have their problems. Cain gets envious of Abel and smashes his skull with a rock. Brotherly Love?

Then Joseph's brothers, get so envious of Joseph and their father's favor, and resentful of Joseph's arrogance that they want to leave him for dead but then decide finally to sell him into slaver instead. Brotherly Love?

David has trouble with his brothers. . . David’s sons have trouble with each other. . . it just doesn’t stop. . .

What about New Testament Brothers? In the Gospels there is a story where we see Jesus' brothers, not believing in him, and trying to get him to go do his acts in public, which could certainly get him killed, since he has already turned the scribes and pharisees against him. Jesus's brothers, the ones closest to him do not act as they should. Is this Brotherly Love?

But the most famous story of brothers in the New Testament is from a parable that Jesus tells. . . famously known as the Prodigal Son. . . our New Testament lesson for today is the second part of that story, but we all know the story. There are two brothers, one asks for his inheritance early, goes out and squanders it, then having hit rock bottom decides to come home, hoping that his father will take him on as a slave, instead the father welcomes him, runs to the gate, and offers him the fatted calf. . . and the rest we’ll read: this is Luke 15: 22-32

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Here we see again a story of brotherly love. The elder brother refuses to come into the party. He is overwhelmed with rage, anger, and envy and cannot be a part of the joy. He disowns his brother, calling him “Your Son” and he will not speak peace to him, will not join the party. . .  Again Brotherly Love? But again what is the brother’s real problem?

The Elder Brother

A slave?

Is that what we think of the Christian life?

Are we merely slaves to a list?

I hope that is not the way we see it,

Like the older brother,

Who stayed with the father,

While others,

So many others,

Lived sinful lives,

Enjoying life,

Squandering,

Wasting.

Are we blind to our own enjoyment,

Our joy?

Were we not free,

Free to leave at any time?

We had no actual chains,

Not shackled.

What made us stay?

Was it some future reward,

Greater than each day,

That we should begrudge those others,

Our unthankful brothers,

Who being blown by the wind,

Scattered,

Astray,

Lost,

Have been found?

If the Biblical story were our standard for what Brotherly love is all about, maybe those Philadelphia booers have it right. Brotherly love is a troubling concept.

Another popular understanding of what brotherly love that people claim is Biblical is the idea of being a brother's keeper. Does loving according to Brotherly Love mean that we are to be our Brother's Keeper? I don't feel that the The Cain and Abel story, from where that famous phrase comes points us in that direction, but yet we misquote it as such all the time.

It was one of the big tenets of the Blue Ridge School Code of Conduct, the priciples of ethics we were supposed to be teaching our students. That Code stated, "At all times be your brother's keeper." I've always had problems with this, at least its use at the school. It seems like we use it as a way to try to get the boys to police one another, to get them to try to keep each other out of trouble. But sometimes trouble itself is the best thing for a person. At one point I served as the  head of the discipline committee at the school, that handled the larger rules violations, I saw a lot of boys, who made poor decisions. I would say that those boys grew more from those poor decisions than they ever would have if they were kept safe from them. Sure it may have been the easier road, but the easier road is not always the most healthy. How often do we do this with people we are close with. We love them by protecting them, or keeping them, calling it brotherly love, or brother's keeper, but I really think it falls short or even goes against what we are called to do.

Another of my favorite movies is the Disney Pixar film "Finding Nemo." When it first came out I actually saw it in the theater three times. I was working with my uncle at a summer marine science program, and each week there was always one rainy day, and we'd go again. The movie is such a classic, but one line in it always comes up when I'm thinking about the idea of brother's keeper. If you are not familiar with the movie, there is a clown fish who builds a home for his wife and him at the drop off, which is dangerous but has a wonderful view. They have a bunch of eggs, but before the eggs hatch a shark comes and ruins their plans. The wife dies and all the eggs except one are lost. The father pledges to never let anything happen to his little son, who turns out to be Nemo. He becomes an over protective father, and Nemo rebels, and accidentally gets taken by a diver and put in a tank. The movie is then centered on Nemo's dad battling the ocean to save his poor son. He runs into a fish named Dorry who befriends him and tries to help, but she has a special ailment. She has not long term memory, so she is kind of a mess, but helps in her own way. She actually, like a Shakespearean fool character, despite her flaws speaks great wisdom. Marlin, Nemo's father, at one point has reached a point where he has all but given up, and he is talking to himself, and repeats his vow, saying, "I promised I'd never let anything happen to him." To this Dorry replies in her typical flighty wisdom, saying, "That seems to be a funny thing to promise, because if you don't let anything happen to him, then nothing will ever happen to him, not much fun for little Harpo." Dorry repeatedly gets Nemo's name wrong. But that's it. How often do we seek to keep people safe from harm in the name of Brotherly love?  It can be harmful.

I don't have a brother, but I am a brother. One thing I find from observing others with brothers is that there seems to be a bond there that even the biggest of fights do not sever completely. Maybe that is the big important piece of the equation, forgiveness. Because there seems like there will be fights, and envy, and jealousy, and jockeying for position, and harsh words, and discord, and division, and rivalry, and over controlling and over protecting in all human relationships, no matter what, but if we are "loving according to brotherly love, we can get past all of that and forgive, no matter what." There is a bond between us that just isn't broken, no matter what occurs. We don't love our brothers despite their faults, we love them through them.

The Joseph story is the only one example that offers that type of reconciliation. When Joseph has his brothers in his hand, he chooses to forgive rather than harm them, and when reading that story our hearts are warmed because it seems we know that it's right to forgive our brothers and wrong to envy them. We feel shame when we wrong our brothers, don't we. There seems to be something in us that knows that loving our brothers is right, and not doing so is somehow unnatural and wrong.

One of my favorite linguistic features of that Joseph story happens in the beginning when it says that Joseph's brothers were so upset with him that they could not speak shalom to him. Literally they could not speak peace, or wholeness, in other words the relationship was broken, leading to their mistreatment and selling of their brother. Maybe this gets us a little closer to what brotherly love is supposed to be, by seeing what it is when it falls apart. Shalom, or peace, in the Hebrew culture was a word that meant so much, it had to do with health and perfection and things being as they are supposed to be, as created by God. Breaking Shalom is setting things deeply out of order. When we do not love our brothers we set things out of order. We break the natural created order of the world. We sin, and the world suffers for it.

This is an important mark of a Christian, to love with brotherly love, knowing that with God as our Father, that makes Jesus our brother, too, and though we did not know what we were doing, Jesus forgave us, and asked for the father to do the same, "Father forgive them they know not what they do." Jesus did not keep us from sinning, but sacrificed himself to save us from our sin, he did not keep us from it, but loved us through it, restoring, reconciling, relationship. It seems to me that that is the true mark of brotherly love, seeking to forgive, to restore, to reconcile our relationships with our brothers and sisters. May we all be blessed with such distinction. Amen.