Aug 20, 2006
Rev. Linda Fernandes-Bailey
Living The New Life
In our worship services we often talk about the “new life” we receive in Christ and I talked a few weeks ago about that reminding us that if you are in Christ you are a new creation as Paul tells us and therefore you should notice some differences in yourself. So in today’s scripture lesson Paul gives us a way to live that new life. If you have a bible with headings it actually says “Rules for the New Life”. Now if you’re have a rebel personality like me the word “rules” may automatically make the hair stand up on the back of your neck! They feel constricting…another box I must conform to! But I don’t think that’s what Paul had in mind. I think that the rules he is talking about will not only be best for the Christian community which is his goal to teach communities how to live in Christ…how to get along…how to imitate God. BUT in the long run it will be good for each of us. They won’t be constricting but will bring great freedom.
Let’s look at what Paul is saying…It’s quite simple really:
It’s very practical advice on how to live together. Paul is talking about being a Christian in the world…how to live together as a community of faith. But it certainly applies in all our relationships….in our families, our friendships and our places of employment. It’s practical but not easy… walking the walk is never an easy thing to do it takes work and self examination. For this sermon I want to focus primarily on what Paul has to say about anger, building up others and imitating God.
First let me just say a few things about anger. It seems like anger is the emotion that can go one of two ways: either we are afraid to ever feel it so we push it away or it is the emotion we are most comfortable with so we let it spill out all over the place. As Christians we often think that anger is the bad emotion that we are never suppose to have but Paul doesn’t say that he says “be angry but don’t sin”. It’s not feeling angry that is bad but what we do with the anger that can be harmful to ourselves, others and the community.
I was listening to the radio the other day and there was an interview with Peter Townsend guitarist songwriter in the rock band The Who and he was saying that he used his anger to intimidate people therefore getting them to do whatever he needed them to do. Now there’s a bad use of anger! He also said it energized him and helped him in his art of making music…that is probably a better use.
When we lash out at others, intimidate, scare others, or demean others in any way with our anger that is sin. Anger is a powerful emotion but the truth of the matter is that it is also a protective emotion. Underneath it we will find the feelings that are more difficult for us like hurt, sadness, rejection. So we need to allow ourselves the space to feel the anger to get in touch with what might be underneath. Then we can decide how we want to respond to situations that make us angry. Sometimes in order to avoid all those feelings that scare us most we allow only the anger to come through. Sometimes we are so scared of anger itself we push it away and don’t allow any feelings. So often we allow ourselves to become doormats for others because we are afraid to let them know their behavior will not be tolerated.
Paul also tells us don’t let the sun go down on your anger….now I don’t think we need to take it literally necessarily the point is to deal with your anger in a constructive way and work it out as quickly as possible so that you’re not walking around with bitterness. Paul is encouraging us towards healthy communication…honest relationships with on another. It is as much for our own good as it is for the good of the community. Stewing in our anger…feeding it…constantly reliving an event will be harmful to our bodies as well as our souls and especially for our faith communities.
If you think about Jesus and the stories about him you know he spoke the truth in love. He wasn’t a milk toast. He got angry even with his disciples. He spoke honestly and lovingly. His words were not always easy to hear. But no matter what he had deep compassion and love for others. That is what he models for us.
Another side of anger is anger against injustice. Now this is a good use of anger. There are many things going on in the world that should make us angry. When children don’t have enough food to eat, or proper medical care or access to education that should make us angry. If our anger causes us to make the world a better place….to make sure that God’s realm is in fact here and now that is a good use of the energy we receive from anger. But still we need to be careful how we present ourselves if we want others to help in the building of God’s kingdom! The sermons of someone like Martin Luther King Jr come to mind. He was clear that he saw injustice and wanted the world to change but he said, “Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter. As you press for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the instruments of love.”
Another important thing Paul tells us is “Let no evil talk come out of your mouth, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.” Now we might spend a lifetime practicing this one and would probably talk a lot less! Imagine if we thought BEFORE we spoke and asked ourselves the question “Is what I’m about to say building up…is it giving grace to those who hear?” How often do we speak words that build up others? Do people in this community know that you admire them…or that they have been a mentor for you…or that they helped you in some way? Often we save our speech for criticisms and we forget to build up. Again focusing on criticism can leave us very bitter people.
Paul ends by saying “Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love…” As God has loved you so too you should love others. The problem is sometimes we have skewed images of God. Sometimes we think God is a vengeful, judging God quick to point out our faults. Therefore that may be the God we end up imitating. SO to take in what Paul is saying you need to examine your images of God. Because Paul makes it clear that to imitate God means to be loving, kind, and forgiving a That is what we see modeled in Jesus who freely gave his love. Our God is a God of unconditional love who has embraced us just as we are. Before we can be imitators of God we must believe and accept God’s unconditional love for each of us and let that love penetrate our very being.
Henri Nouwen talks about coming to prayer with open hands verses clenched fists and I think the same is true about living together as a faith community. WE need to let go of our bitterness, anger and resentments that keep our hands clenched and instead live together with open hands ready to build up one another, embrace one another, forgive one another and love one another. Only then can we extend God’s radically inclusive love out into the world.
The more I think about it we need Paul’s rules! It’s funny how these rules were written many years ago for a different community and yet we need them now more than ever. IF you think about all the violence, anger and hate in our world, our communities, our neighborhoods and our homes you know we need Paul’s rules. Anger and violence are destroying towns and villages and family units. Children are living in fear in their own homes and in their schools. WE are often afraid to walk the streets alone. We need Paul’s rules of putting away our falsehood…we are not created to be angry bitter people we are created to live in love! When we live out of our true self that God has created perhaps these rules won’t be so daunting.
To live these rules it would be helpful to have a spiritual discipline of self examination every day. Find a quiet space in your day and ask yourself…How did I handle my anger today? Am I clenching my fists and holding tight to bitterness, malice and gossip? Was I kind and tenderhearted? Did the words that came out of my mouth today serve to build up and give grace to those I spoke to? In what ways was I an imitator of God’s love today?
Let me end with a story.
There was a Benedictine community to whom nobody came. As the monks grew old, they became more and more disheartened because they couldn't understand why their community was not attractive to other people. Now in the woods outside the monastery there lived an old rabbi. People came from all over to talk to him about the presence of Yahweh in creation. Years went by and finally the abbot himself went into the woods, leaving word with his monks, "I have gone out to speak to the rabbi." (It was of course considered humiliating that a Christian community had to go back to the synagogue to find out what was wrong with them.)
When the abbot finally found the rabbi's hut in the woods, the rabbi welcomed him with open arms as if he had known that he was coming. They put their arms around each other and had a good cry. The abbot told the rabbi that his monks were good men but they spread not fire, and the community was dying. He asked the rabbi if he had any insight into the work of Yahweh in their lives. The rabbi replied, "I have the secret and I will tell you once. You may tell the monks and then none of you is ever to repeat it to one another." The abbot declared that if they could have the secret, he was sure his monks would grow.
So the rabbi looked at him long and hard and said, "The secret is that among you, in one of you is the Messiah!" The abbot went back to this community and told his monks the secret. And lo! as they began to search for the Messiah in one another they grew, they loved, they became very strong, very prophetic. And the old conference ends: "From that day on, the community saw Him in one another and flourished!"
Amen.