United Presbyterian Church

 Disclaimer: The sermon below is what was prepared and sat on the pulpit; it may not be what was heard. 

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Pastor Buck during Joys and Concerns

Sermon for February 12, 2016

The NRSV is considered to be one of the most accurate of translations, as I’ve said before.  However, one of the problems I have with it is that it adds words to scriptures that weren’t in the originals, such as in verse 22: “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment,” the words, “or sister” were not in the Greek…it’s an NRSV add-in.  Though I’m uncomfortable with the adding of words that weren’t in the Greek, I do agree with the sentiment behind it.  However, I think they should be consistent.

What I mean by that is in verse 28—“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  In order to keep the scriptures fair, the translation should probably read something to the affect, “But I say to you that any man or woman who looks at another with lust has already committed adultery in their heart.” 

I know it is not just men who gaze with lust.  It is not just men who are guilty of sin.

A part of what is seen in this morning reading is Jesus telling us that God equates our relationship with Him to our relationship w/others—“When offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled…”  We are being told to get our human relationships right first.  Isn’t that interesting?

Jesus begins by starting—you have heard it said, you shall not murder,” and then goes to anger and then to insults—and if you say, "You fool,' you will be liable to the hell of fire.  The sin is anger—the same anger that would make you kill is the same as the anger that would make you insult someone.  But insults by themselves can also kill a portion of a person. 

I knew of an old woman who was a shy and who lived just three weeks shy of her 100th birthday. When she was ten years old, somebody told her that she had a terrible singing voice. Now, most of us, I guess, would not let that remark bother us, but it DID bother her. Ten years old is a tender age. It bothered her so much that, for the remaining 90 years of her life, she never sang another note. No one knows whether she had a good voice or not; she would never take the chance of letting anyone find out—all because of someone’s careless and unfeeling insult.

A similar thing happened to me when I was about 14—I used to sing all the time—I loved to sing.  One day my dad—who was one never to spare words—told me to shut up, that I sounded like a dying calf.  I tried to hide it, but it brought tears to my eyes.  For years the only time ever sang again was when I was alone. Obviously I got over it.

What we say, matters.  That’s why Jesus told the Pharisees, “34. You brood of vipers, how can your speech be good when you are evil? For words flow out of what fills the heart. 35. Good people draw good things from their store of goodness; bad people draw bad things from their store of badness. 36. So I tell you this, that for every unfounded word people utter they will answer (for) on Judgement Day,   (Matt. 12)

Most of us try not to say things that hurt, but in a fit of anger—anger that may not have been caused by the person our statements are directed to—we strike out with devastating words, never thinking of the life-long effect they might have. 

Words can be painful.  I know, because I was an adopted kid and my dad was unmercifully cruel with his words.  He told me two things that influenced me in ways that are hard to tell.  1—He used to say, “Buck! If you had another brain you’d still be a half-wit.” The second was, “You’ll never amount to a thing.”

It’s no wonder that five days out of high school I was gone.  I couldn’t wait to leave—and I never intended to go back.  I did, though. Not to see my parents, but to see my high school girl friend. 

One good thing that came out of my childhood experience was this: never once did I ever tell my kids that they were stupid.  Not once.  I knew how much that hurt.  What I would tell them is that they were able to do anything they set their minds to.

A pastor by the name of David Leninger says this: “There is no question that people can be frustrating, irritating, exasperating, and even infuriating. No matter. We are (all) in this together. When the Bible defines God as “love,” and defines us as created in God’s image, the Bible is tipping us off to something extremely important. “Love” means “relationships.” God made us for relationships—mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, neighbors, friends, and especially those with whom we are close in the family of God—and the care and nurture of those relationships is part and parcel of our Christian discipleship.”

To that I must add, right on, brother.

Sister Theresa said, "The biggest disease today is not leprosy or cancer. It's the feeling of being uncared for or unwanted, of being deserted and alone. The greatest evil is the lack of love and charity, and an indifference toward one's neighbor who may be the victim of poverty or disease or exploited and—at the end of his life—left at a roadside."

Words can make all the difference in the world—sometimes it’s even what we don’t say— Some years back there was a news article about a man who committed suicide at work. What made the report newsworthy was the note he left to his boss. The note—placed so that it would be found when his body was found—read: “I have worked for you for more than thirty years and in all those years, you never once told me anything I did well. You only told me what I did wrong.” We can understand that well. I know I can.

Life is all about relationships—are we kind and loving?  Do we love God; do we love each other. 

A Franciscan priest by the name of Brennan Manning claimed that he had learned through constant silent meditation and thousands of hours of prayer that he knew what Jesus was going to ask us when we die—he said it will only be one question: “Do you believe that I love you, that I desire you, that I waited for you day after day, that I longed to hear the sound of your voice?”  (I read that as 4 questions in one sentence.)

I don’t know if those are the questions we’ll get asked, or not.  I don’t even know if we’ll be asked any questions because He knows us; He knows every skeleton in our closet, every sin we try to hide, every false façade we put up.  God knows us from stem to stern—all our negatives, all our positives. He knows every good thing we’ve done and every time we’ve made a difference in someone’s life.  And even when the negatives outnumber the positives, He loves us anyway.  He knows every word that has come out of our mouths.

Fortunately, God loves us and does His best to be in a loving relationship with each and everyone of us.  Listen for His words and let them be the ones that flow from our mouths. 

Let us pray...