HOW WE TREAT EACH OTHER IS HOW WE TREAT GOD

(Preached August 10, 2003)

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.     

    -Ephesians 5:1-2

 

The young minister was telling his wife all about the important guest who was coming to their home for dinner.  The man was a notable visiting theologian in town for a church convention.  Somewhat overawed, he went on and on to his spouse (a lawyer) in great detail about the visitors degrees, his major teaching positions, the books he had published, and the esteemed bodies he chaired.  At last, when he took a breath, she was able to interject: “I’m not very interested in all that stuff.  What I want to know is: how does he treat his wife and kids?”

 

Now that is getting down to the nitty gritty.

Even allowing for a little “needling” in her response to her gushing husband, he question is valid.  Does this man who writes, talks, and lectures about God, practice what he preaches?

No amount of theory is worth one smidgin of practice.

Is our belief an intellectual exercise or a way of life in Christ Jesus?  How do we perform in the common scenes of life?

In last week’s sermon we heard Jesus’ promise that he was the Bread of Life, the true bread from God sent down from heaven, that brings eternal life. 

That is a wonderful promise. 

We need to be reminded of that promise and of that good news of God’s love and care for us often.

That is the head knowledge part of our faith.

And we need our heads filled with the good news.

 

But ultimately that good news needs to filter down into our hearts.

Behavioral scientists have long argued, “change the behavior and the head will come around.”

In the final analysis faith is much more about lifestyle than about knowledge, much more about loving than about what we think, much more about walking the walk than about talking the talk.

After all, if we believe with the apostle Paul that Christ is about transforming all things, then we understand that the longer we walk with Christ, the more we eat the “bread of life” from God, the more our lives will be changed.

 

Both Paul and Jesus understood that Christians are supposed to be different. 

We should stick out in the crowd like sore thumbs.

Because we are God’s, “beloved children,” and because “Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,” we are to be “imitators of God.”

Our values and behavior are shaped by that relationship and thus are counter to a culture that increasingly accepts vulgarity, self-interest, and cynicism as the norm.

Just like Jesus, the one we follow, we seek out, celebrate, and emulate what is best about human beings and living in community.

 

Paul lays it out in a nitty gritty fashion. 

He points to real issues that are faced by the faithful each and every day — and not just in Ephesus, but right here in Miami, too. 

This is practical Christianity at its best.

If you’ll allow me to paraphrase some of these statements:

Stop lying.  No more half truths or white lies.  No deceit by truth withheld.  Speak the plain truth to one another because we are all connected through God.

Watch your moods, deal cleanly with your anger.  It’s natural to get angry but make sure it does not lead you to do something bad.

Stop stealing.  There are plenty of ways to steal other than breaking into houses, from tax evasion to robbing another of their dignity.

Filthy language, verbal abuse, and disrespect for others, must not pass our lips.  Speak only what is good and helpful in a situation, so that your conversation brings blessing not negativity.  Choose words to bless others rather than hurting them — words that affirm, encourage, inspire and lighten the load that others bear.

Cut out spiteful words and actions.  Don’t nurse your resentments.  Stop looking for revenge on those who wrong you.

Malicious gossip must cease.  Slander is never the way that Christ would take.  It is not just those libels that end up in court that do damage.  Good will and trust can be shredded by some of the more sneaky slanders.  But, be always generous to one another, kind hearted, forgiving as God in Christ has forgiven you.

 

What Paul is describing is the life of compassion.

Compassion is a feeling deep within ourselves — and it is also a way of acting — being affected by the suffering of others and moving on their behalf. 

The practice of compassion increases our capacity to care.

It reinforces charity, empathy, and sympathy.

It is very good exercise for your heart muscle.

The spiritual practice of compassion is often likened to opening the heart. 

First, allow yourself to feel the suffering of the world, including your own. 

Don’t turn away from pain; move toward it with caring.

Go into situations where people are hurting. 

Identify with your neighbors in their distress. 

Then expand the circle of your compassion to include other creatures, nature, and the inanimate world.

In your worship folder are some “Soul Boosters” with practical thoughts intended to help you develop compassion and kindness toward others.

Most of these are simple things we can do quietly, within ourselves, but they will begin to exercise our “heart muscle” and develop our ability for compassion.

 

When you move toward others with compassion, you are likely to bump into some common attitudes, just waiting for close your heart again. 

The usual suspects are judgment and all its associated “isms”: racism, sexism, ageism, classism, and nationalism.

This is undoubtedly why Paul starts off this list of exhortations with the reminder that we are all connected.

He is not just talking within the body of Christ, either.

Whether considering those in the church, the neighborhood or the global community we are all connected — “we are members of one another.” 

Ultimately how we treat each other is how we treat God.

Our true nature, our true love for God, shows through our acts of kindness for one another.

 

On a personal level, your compassion is sabotaged by feelings of ill will toward others: spite and malice. 

These feelings, and others arising out of emotional wounds and personal pain, are actually symptoms indicating that you need to have compassion for yourself.

Spiritual writer Melannie Svoboda rummages for God in her daily life and comes up with some poignant realizations.  One such story relates to this understanding that our compassion is incomplete if it doesn’t include ourselves.  “A number of years ago I was driving alone, on my way from a meeting downtown.  It was a sweltering day and I had no air conditioner in the car.  I was hot and sweaty.  I found myself thinking, ‘Now if I had someone in the car, I’d stop and treat her to an ice cream cone.’ It was a passing thought, nothing more.  I kept right on driving — and sweating.  Later, as I reflected on my day, that thought came back to me.  ‘If I had someone in the car...someone in the car....’  I suddenly realized that I did have someone in the car: myself!  Why, in heaven’s name didn’t I stop and treat myself to an ice cream cone?  After all, I’m a person too!”  To practice that thought, treat yourself to something special today, and on a regular basis.