Great to Good
Promises, Promises Ruth 1:1-18 Great to Good Matthew 5:1-12
By By Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady January 29, 2017 Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady Pastor
January 14, 2007
San Marino Community Church
1750 Virginia Road San Marino, CA 91108 San Marino Church (626) 282-4181Community • Fax: (626) 282-4185 1750 Virginia Road www.smccpby.com • [email protected] San Marino, CA 91108 (626) 282-4181 • Fax: (626) 282-4185 www.smccpby.com • [email protected] All rights reserved. These sermon manuscripts are intended for personal use only and may not be republished or used in any way without the permission of the author.
the extent possible, effort has been made to preserve quality of the spoken word in thisRev. written adaptation. January 29,To2017 Great totheGood Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
What are you going to do today? I suspect most of us awoke this morning and at some point in our daily ritual, after coffee, or in the shower, or at the breakfast table, we began to think about what we are going to “do” today. Obviously at some point it included getting ready for church. You may be thinking right now about what you are going to do following worship. Much of the time we find ourselves thinking about what we are going to “do” about the things left undone yesterday which still need our attention, or things which are going to happen in the future that require our preparation. Only occasionally do our thoughts turn to what we want to “be” today, rather than what we want to “do.” The beatitudes, our scripture text for this morning, clearly invite us to think about who we want to “be” and what we want to become in the future, which is infinitely more complex than merely choosing what we want to do. Maybe that is why these eight statements at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount are sometimes called the “be-attitudes.” They are more about human being than human doing. That term actually comes from the Latin word for “blessedness.” It’s the same word applied recently to Mother Teresa, whose “beatification” by the Roman Catholic Church established her as living a “blessed” life, hence Saint Teresa of Calcutta. The word “beattitudes” has also been applied to the eight sayings of Jesus which begin the Sermon on the Mount here in Matthews Gospel. These are the attitudes one should have in order to live a “blessed” life. The be-attitudes! Jesus had a way of stripping away the unessential and the accidental, like an artist, and using timeless, ethical material, he painted a fresh canvas a brand new portrait of life. People who couldn’t live with God suddenly felt like they couldn’t live without God. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of lofty ideals but practical guidelines for substantive 2
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
change in our lives and society. In Germany in the 1930’s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer used the Sermon on the Mount in his book The Cost of Discipleship to criticize what he called “cheap grace” in the German Lutheran Church. He implored those who call themselves Christian to “believe and obey”, not believe only without following the commandments of Jesus. The Beatitudes begin with a Greek word that is often translated “blessed” or “happy.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Or “Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” The word has also been translated as “fortunate” and even “congratulations.” “Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” and “Congratulations to the pure in heart, for they will see God.” I’m not sure that is the message our children are receiving these days about what makes for a quality life. They are encouraged to do what it takes to get their school transcript to reflect their own “greatness” as a student. Work harder to get the A and start a nonprofit while you’re at it so the college admission committee will admit you into their prestigious school. My friend, John Galloway, tells of the time when his father asked him what this “B” was doing on his high school transcript. John responded, “A ‘B’ is good enough.” To which his father replied, “Not in this household!” John, who is in his seventies, said, “I’m almost over it!” Our children are under a lot of pressure to become great rather than just good. A recent book entitled The Road to Character by David L. Brooks begins: Recently I’ve been thinking of the difference between the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are the ones you list on your resume, the skills that you bring to the job market and that contribute to external success. The eulogy virtues are deeper. They’re the virtues that get talked about at your funeral, the ones that exist at the core of your being – whether you are kind, brave, honest or faithful; what kind of relationships you formed.1 1 Brooks, David The Road to Character (New York: Random House 2015) p. xi
3
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
Brooks received a letter in response to an article he wrote about the frustration of using the classroom experience to learn how to be good. The author of the letter said: The heart cannot be taught in a classroom intellectually . . . Good, wise hearts are obtained through lifetimes of diligent effort to dig deeply within and heal lifetimes of scars . . . You can’t teach it or email it or tweet it. . . The job of the wise person is to swallow the frustration and just go on setting an example of caring and digging and diligence in their own lives. What a wise person teaches is the smallest part of what they give. The totality of their life, of the way they go about it in the smallest details, is what gets transmitted.2 The beatitudes seem to invert our usual way of approaching life. We tend to focus on our greatness, accomplishments, awards, and accolades, but God is interested in our goodness. The beatitudes focus on the eulogy virtues rather than the resume virtues. Psychologists call it the difference between an “external locus of control” and an “internal locus of control.” The inner constitution, my spiritual structure, is what makes the real difference. The goodness Jesus speaks of depends as much upon what happens within me as what happens to me. We may want to insulate ourselves from pain but it serves only to isolate us from others and from the blessings of God. We are overprotective of ourselves. We don’t necessarily talk about “blessedness” anymore but we still want to know how to live the best life we can live. We talk about moving “from success to significance” and ask (ourselves at least) about how to get from “Good to Great,” the title of a book by Jim Collins which identified eleven companies that made the leap from good to great and sustained at least 15 years of excellence. We have heard a lot about “Making America Great Again” in this election. My friend, the Rev. Dr. John Galloway in a recent sermon,3 2 Ibd. p. xv 3 From a sermon “Make America Good Again” preached by Rev. Dr. John Galloway at First Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 22, 2017.
4
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
reversed that thinking and suggests the real question is how to make America “good” again. He quoted Alexis de Tocqueville, a French historian and sociologist who traveled the United States in the 1830s seeking the reason for the great success of the new nation. He wrote about his observations in a book entitled Democracy in America. It was the religious character of the people that especially caught his attention: I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.4 Jesus is more concerned with our “goodness” than our “greatness.” In fact, the greatest people in history are those who begin by a complete dedication to their own and other’s goodness. Jesus told his disciples, “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”5 It has a way of inverting the way we think life is best lived. We are to follow the one who washed the feet of his disciples and taught them to do likewise. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for there is the kingdom of heaven.” 4 http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/cdf/onug/detocq.html 5 Matthew 23:11-2
5
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
Life is not a matter of how great we become but how good we become. Our national life has always been more about our goodness than our greatness and we are just now in danger of forgetting that. The contribution we can make in our churches is significant. So let us decide today to do something about who we are becoming and what we will be in the future. Let’s become good again! For it is in this that greatness lies. What are you going to do today? The real question may be “Who are you going to become today?” Amen
6
By By Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady January 29, 2017 Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady Pastor
January 14, 2007
San Marino Community Church
1750 Virginia Road San Marino, CA 91108 San Marino Church (626) 282-4181Community • Fax: (626) 282-4185 1750 Virginia Road www.smccpby.com • [email protected] San Marino, CA 91108 (626) 282-4181 • Fax: (626) 282-4185 www.smccpby.com • [email protected] All rights reserved. These sermon manuscripts are intended for personal use only and may not be republished or used in any way without the permission of the author.
the extent possible, effort has been made to preserve quality of the spoken word in thisRev. written adaptation. January 29,To2017 Great totheGood Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
What are you going to do today? I suspect most of us awoke this morning and at some point in our daily ritual, after coffee, or in the shower, or at the breakfast table, we began to think about what we are going to “do” today. Obviously at some point it included getting ready for church. You may be thinking right now about what you are going to do following worship. Much of the time we find ourselves thinking about what we are going to “do” about the things left undone yesterday which still need our attention, or things which are going to happen in the future that require our preparation. Only occasionally do our thoughts turn to what we want to “be” today, rather than what we want to “do.” The beatitudes, our scripture text for this morning, clearly invite us to think about who we want to “be” and what we want to become in the future, which is infinitely more complex than merely choosing what we want to do. Maybe that is why these eight statements at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount are sometimes called the “be-attitudes.” They are more about human being than human doing. That term actually comes from the Latin word for “blessedness.” It’s the same word applied recently to Mother Teresa, whose “beatification” by the Roman Catholic Church established her as living a “blessed” life, hence Saint Teresa of Calcutta. The word “beattitudes” has also been applied to the eight sayings of Jesus which begin the Sermon on the Mount here in Matthews Gospel. These are the attitudes one should have in order to live a “blessed” life. The be-attitudes! Jesus had a way of stripping away the unessential and the accidental, like an artist, and using timeless, ethical material, he painted a fresh canvas a brand new portrait of life. People who couldn’t live with God suddenly felt like they couldn’t live without God. The Sermon on the Mount is not a set of lofty ideals but practical guidelines for substantive 2
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
change in our lives and society. In Germany in the 1930’s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer used the Sermon on the Mount in his book The Cost of Discipleship to criticize what he called “cheap grace” in the German Lutheran Church. He implored those who call themselves Christian to “believe and obey”, not believe only without following the commandments of Jesus. The Beatitudes begin with a Greek word that is often translated “blessed” or “happy.” “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Or “Happy are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” The word has also been translated as “fortunate” and even “congratulations.” “Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” and “Congratulations to the pure in heart, for they will see God.” I’m not sure that is the message our children are receiving these days about what makes for a quality life. They are encouraged to do what it takes to get their school transcript to reflect their own “greatness” as a student. Work harder to get the A and start a nonprofit while you’re at it so the college admission committee will admit you into their prestigious school. My friend, John Galloway, tells of the time when his father asked him what this “B” was doing on his high school transcript. John responded, “A ‘B’ is good enough.” To which his father replied, “Not in this household!” John, who is in his seventies, said, “I’m almost over it!” Our children are under a lot of pressure to become great rather than just good. A recent book entitled The Road to Character by David L. Brooks begins: Recently I’ve been thinking of the difference between the resume virtues and the eulogy virtues. The resume virtues are the ones you list on your resume, the skills that you bring to the job market and that contribute to external success. The eulogy virtues are deeper. They’re the virtues that get talked about at your funeral, the ones that exist at the core of your being – whether you are kind, brave, honest or faithful; what kind of relationships you formed.1 1 Brooks, David The Road to Character (New York: Random House 2015) p. xi
3
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
Brooks received a letter in response to an article he wrote about the frustration of using the classroom experience to learn how to be good. The author of the letter said: The heart cannot be taught in a classroom intellectually . . . Good, wise hearts are obtained through lifetimes of diligent effort to dig deeply within and heal lifetimes of scars . . . You can’t teach it or email it or tweet it. . . The job of the wise person is to swallow the frustration and just go on setting an example of caring and digging and diligence in their own lives. What a wise person teaches is the smallest part of what they give. The totality of their life, of the way they go about it in the smallest details, is what gets transmitted.2 The beatitudes seem to invert our usual way of approaching life. We tend to focus on our greatness, accomplishments, awards, and accolades, but God is interested in our goodness. The beatitudes focus on the eulogy virtues rather than the resume virtues. Psychologists call it the difference between an “external locus of control” and an “internal locus of control.” The inner constitution, my spiritual structure, is what makes the real difference. The goodness Jesus speaks of depends as much upon what happens within me as what happens to me. We may want to insulate ourselves from pain but it serves only to isolate us from others and from the blessings of God. We are overprotective of ourselves. We don’t necessarily talk about “blessedness” anymore but we still want to know how to live the best life we can live. We talk about moving “from success to significance” and ask (ourselves at least) about how to get from “Good to Great,” the title of a book by Jim Collins which identified eleven companies that made the leap from good to great and sustained at least 15 years of excellence. We have heard a lot about “Making America Great Again” in this election. My friend, the Rev. Dr. John Galloway in a recent sermon,3 2 Ibd. p. xv 3 From a sermon “Make America Good Again” preached by Rev. Dr. John Galloway at First Presbyterian Church Fort Lauderdale, Florida on January 22, 2017.
4
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
reversed that thinking and suggests the real question is how to make America “good” again. He quoted Alexis de Tocqueville, a French historian and sociologist who traveled the United States in the 1830s seeking the reason for the great success of the new nation. He wrote about his observations in a book entitled Democracy in America. It was the religious character of the people that especially caught his attention: I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.4 Jesus is more concerned with our “goodness” than our “greatness.” In fact, the greatest people in history are those who begin by a complete dedication to their own and other’s goodness. Jesus told his disciples, “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.”5 It has a way of inverting the way we think life is best lived. We are to follow the one who washed the feet of his disciples and taught them to do likewise. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for there is the kingdom of heaven.” 4 http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/cdf/onug/detocq.html 5 Matthew 23:11-2
5
January 29, 2017
Great to Good
Rev. Jeffrey V. O’Grady, Pastor
Life is not a matter of how great we become but how good we become. Our national life has always been more about our goodness than our greatness and we are just now in danger of forgetting that. The contribution we can make in our churches is significant. So let us decide today to do something about who we are becoming and what we will be in the future. Let’s become good again! For it is in this that greatness lies. What are you going to do today? The real question may be “Who are you going to become today?” Amen
6
