Being Faithful 100%
In the last few weeks, students from college age to elementary school returned to school. On Thursday morning, Pastor Barbara Burrill, Sharon Kautz and I joined other folks from the community welcoming children to school at Stony Brook Elementary School here in Brewster. It was a lovely morning.
BBC’s Pat Lindquist, who is retiring as the Assistant to the Principal at the end of October, was recognized by Principal Denise Fronius for her years of excellent service and I was honored to be invited to join with Pat in rolling out a literal red carpet for the children to enter their first day of school beginning with the kindergartners. Having our sons both go off to college, it was really something for me to stand with Pat by the door as we said words of encouragement to all the girls and boys as they entered the building with various feelings of excitement and anxiety.
September 7, 2014
1 Peter 1:3-7, Being Faithful 100%
Doug Scalise, Brewster Baptist Church
[powerpress]
For years now I have taken part in Community Reading Days at both the elementary schools in town and I love reading books to kids so I really enjoy it. When I get to choose my own stories, I always bring books by Dr. Seuss. Theodore Geisel as he is less commonly known wrote so many wonderful stories whose principles often reflect the truth we also find in scripture. There are differences of course because his books come with fascinating drawings and they also rhyme. For the Sundays in September, I’m planning on referring to a Dr. Seuss story in my sermons and those of you who are young or young at heart can read the whole story on your own time.
Today, my Executive Summary is of Horton Hatches the Egg which is the story of a kindhearted elephant named Horton, who warms the nest of the lazy bird Mayzie, who talks the unsuspecting elephant into sitting on her egg so she can take a vacation. Horton promises to fulfill this duty. As it turns out, nothing can keep the elephant from carrying out his mission. Mayzie the bird never returns and time goes on, but Horton remains faithful. Autumn turns to winter, but Horton remains at his post regardless of the freezing cold. “And then came the Winter…the snow and the sleet! And icicles hung from his trunk and his feet. But Horton kept sitting, and said with a sneeze, ‘I’ll stay on this egg and I won’t let it freeze. I meant what I said and I said what I meant…An elephant’s faithful One hundred percent!’” When winter turns to spring, the other animals make fun of the sight of an elephant sitting in a tree.
Eventually, three hunters capture Horton – they take him tree and all with the goal of making him a part of a traveling circus. All they think about is the money they can make from Horton. Horton bears all that life brings, refusing to budge from the egg. In the face of challenges, hardships, persecution, and ridicule, Horton remains faithful. He says, “I meant what I said and I said what I meant… an elephant’s faithful one hundred per cent!”
Horton is a great role model for Christians who are called to be faithful in all circumstances. What do you think is the opposite of faithfulness? When we’re unfaithful it might be because we didn’t keep our word, didn’t honor our commitments, we weren’t reliable, dependable, or trustworthy. We may be unfaithful when we lose sight of what is really important to us or because we’re scared or frightened. I hope we recognize that being faithful is something to aspire to; that our relationships with people and with God are better if we’re faithful.
Horton Hatches the Egg is a story about the challenge of being faithful. In the New Testament, the Book of 1 Peter was written to Christians like Horton the elephant who were struggling to be faithful in what is now known as Turkey. The communities in which these people lived tended to be rural and most of the people were former Gentiles, resident aliens, slaves whose masters were not Christians and women whose husbands didn’t believe in Jesus. 1 Peter reveals that bearing the name of Christ in those communities could lead to abuse and suffering. For example, verses 4:14, 16 warn, “If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name.” The Letter begins by reminding them of the hope there is in Christ and that those who believe are a part of God’s own household. Listen to 1 Peter 1:3-7,
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”
“It could be argued that the most basic challenge of our practice of faith is to remain faithful, to remain true to our convictions and commitments even when doing so leads to frustration or pain or embarrassment – that is, even when it leads to persecution.”[1] We may hear a Bible passage like this one a little differently than we might of just a few months ago given how many Christians around the world are finding the genuineness of their faith being tested to the extreme, even to the point of being driven from their homes, their church buildings being destroyed, and sadly even being killed. I read an article this week by Kathryn Jean Lopez of The National Review on September 1 in which she wrote: “The execution of American journalist James Foley at the hands of the terrorist Islamic State both obligates us and gives the media an opportunity to take notice. In a letter a fellow prisoner memorized to pass on to Foley’s family, the journalist said: “I know you are thinking of me and praying for me. And I am so thankful. I feel you all, especially when I pray. I pray for you to stay strong and to believe. I really feel I can touch you even in this darkness when I pray.”
In an interview in 2011, Foley talked about his time in a Libyan prison. A few days into his captivity, he heard a knock on the wall of his cell. He then heard the muffled voice of an American contractor, also detained there, who read to him from the Gospel according to Matthew, and they prayed together. “In a very calm voice, he’d read me Scripture once or twice a day,” Foley told the interviewer. “Then I’d pray to stay strong. I’d pray to soften the hearts of our captors. I’d pray to God to lift the burdens we couldn’t handle. And I’d pray that our Moms would know we were OK.”
Foley was not alone in having faith in the power of prayer and our obligations to truth. Just this past week, Pope Francis met with Paul Bhatti, the brother of the slain Pakistani Shahbaz Bhatti, who was minister for minorities in his country’s government. Before Shahbaz Bhatti was killed, he talked with peace and courage about the threats he received for his work against blasphemy laws: “I want to share that I believe in Jesus Christ, who has given his own life for us. I know what is the meaning of the cross, and I am following the cross, and I am ready to die for a cause.” That’s real faith. He said what he meant and he meant what he said…that being faithful 100%.
Do we join with the persecuted in the prayers they have led us in? Will we join their witness to the truth about the dignity of every man and woman, of whatever faith or no faith? Will we never again be silent as evil is happening? Or will we be complicit by our silence, distracted rather than living the truth men and women of our day have died and are dying and will die for? Will we sinners strive to be saints and heralds of truth by the very way we live, by what we choose to do and say?”[2]
The passage I read from 1 Peter begins, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” The living hope we have as Christians gives us courage to be faithful even in trying times as we look to God and our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Bible, we learn that God is the focus of our praise, worship, devotion, and faithfulness. However there have always been those who’ve flipped the proper order around and make everything about us. A very well-known pastoral couple in Texas received a great deal of criticism recently when one of them said in a sermon at their megachurch: ““So, I want you to know this morning — Just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy. . . . When you come to church, when you worship him, you’re not doing it for God really. You’re doing it for yourself, because that’s what makes God happy.”
One church leader (Albert Mohler) wrote a response to the idolatrous view that the whole point of being a Christian is so that you can be happy, healthy and wealthy that said in part, “Just consider the fact that most Christians throughout the history of the church have been poor, and often desperately poor. They were not hoping to move into a suburban mini-mansion, they hoped to be able to feed their children one more day. That picture is still true for millions upon millions of Christians around the world today.
“And that is just the start of it. What about all those who are even now suffering persecution for their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? What about the loved ones of the martyrs in Mosul? What about the Christians forced out of their homes and threatened with genocide? What about the children of Christians slain in Iraq and Syria just in recent weeks, or those martyred by Boko Haram in Africa? How does Prosperity Theology work for them?
“Prosperity Theology certainly sells books and draws crowds in the United States, but what does it possibly say to a grieving Christian wife and mother in Iraq? How can it possibly be squared with the actual message of the New Testament? How can any sinner be saved, without a clear presentation of sin, redemption, the cross, the empty tomb, and the call to faith and repentance? Prosperity Theology fails every test, and fails every test miserably. It is a false gospel, and one that must be repudiated, not merely reformatted.
The message of the real Gospel is found in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” That is a message that can be preached with a straight face, a courageous spirit, and an urgent heart in Munich, in Miami, or in Mosul. If our message cannot be preached with credibility in Mosul, it should not be preached in Houston.”[3] That is the truth.
At the end of Horton’s story, the lazy bird discovers Horton at the circus and wants to reclaim the egg, even though Horton has kept it warm for fifty-one weeks. In all the commotion, the egg hatches. Out comes not a bird, but a small elephant with wings, a sort of baby Horton. Our God is faithful “100%.” And when we, like Horton, remain true to our word, faithful to the end, we too shall reap our reward. The world is a very troubled place and God knows part of what is needed is lots of people wholeheartedly seeking to follow and be faithful to God, 100 % no matter what tests or trials may come.
Blessing 1 Peter 5:6-11, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
Questions for Reflection or Discussion
- What do you consider the opposite of faithfulness?
- Why do you think faithfulness is important both in our relationship with God and in our relationships with other people?
- What are some of the characteristics of being faithful? For example, a faithful person is ________________________________ (you fill in the blank with words you’d use to describe a faithful person, such as “reliable,” etc.)
- 1 Peter implies that our faithfulness will be tried by “trials” and “tests.” When you have gone through trials and tests how have they impacted your faithfulness? What can happen to our faith when we’re being tested and tried?
- According to 1 Peter, what should be our goal when we’re being tested?
- If you were seeking to live faithfully as a Christian in a place like Syria, Iraq, or China – how do you think that might impact how you would hear and respond to these words from 1 Peter 1:3-7?
[1] James W. Kemp, The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss, p. 3.
[2] — Kathryn Jean Lopez is senior fellow at the National Review Institute, editor-at-large of National Review Online, and founding director of Catholic Voices USA.
[3] Albertmohler.com article of September 3, 2014, The Osteen Predicament.