Sermons for the Month
DATE: February 7, 1999
SERVICE: Epiphany V
TEXT: I Corinthians 2:1-12
Sermons for the Month
Wise Guys
DATE: February 7, 1999
SERVICE: Epiphany V
TEXT: I Corinthians 2:1-12"To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN People in different parts of the country refer to their organized crime gangs by different names. Depending on your geography, the local bad guys may be known as the "Outfit," the "Mob," the "Mafia" or the "Syndicate." But down in the deep South, the favorite term for those who make their tax-free dollars through drugs, racketeering, prostitution, gambling and a host of other illegal scams and schemes is "Wise Guys." A few years ago, there was a movie with that name all about organized crime. Which prompts me to ask, "why would it be that in our culture thugs and crooks are the ones we designate as "wise"?" But even before its use as a term to designate local mobsters, to be called a "wise guy" was never really a compliment. Remember high school? A "wise guy" was someone who thought he knew it all, had all the answers and usually advertised this attitude with an accompanying "smart mouth." In fact a "wise guy" can also be referred to as a "smart aleck" (And that's the G-rated version. Today, we often hear a more R rated version. Wise Guy, Smart aleck or its R rated equivalent, all neatly demeans the attributes of both wisdom and intelligence in one fell swoop. But it's not just secular culture that sees being "wise" or even "smart" as more of a liability than an asset. A recent Gallup study surprisingly revealed that people who went to church actually read the Bible less than those who said they did not go to church. Apparently, being wise in the scriptures is not as high a virtue for churchgoers as for non-churchgoers. We churchgoers apparently are less willing to probe the depths of our faith, our doubts, our strengths or our weaknesses than non-churchgoers. I think you would agree that it is easier, safer and less threatening to our psyches and lifestyles not to question too deeply or journey too far from home than the opposite. Some might ask: But doesn't Paul himself spend all his time and energy in this week's lesson debunking the Corinthian dream of attaining great wisdom (sophia)? Doesn't Paul claim that in light of God's saving work through Christ, what once seemed wise is now foolish and what appears as folly is actually the wisdom of God? Ah, my friends, that is but one more spiritual misunderstanding to think that Paul's rejection of human wisdom in favor of proclaiming God's wisdom constitutes some sort of dumbing-down of the spiritual life. On the contrary, Paul testifies that it is his insight into the power of the gospel that drives him forward, that urges him to new depths of commitment and encourages him to take higher, more genuine risks. It must have been hard for Paul to admit that as a preacher, he was weak, fearful and trembling. Yet in the wake of this admission, he fearlessly advocates abandoning human preconceptions about wisdom. Instead, he calls for an embrace of the exalted wisdom of God found in the foolishness of Christ crucified. If after you get home, and you read a little further on, you will see that he is calling for a new kind of wisdom, a spiritual wisdom which turns topsy-turvy the world's understanding of what is wise and what is foolish. Disciples need to be wisely rooted deeply enough in their faith to forswear worldly wisdom in favor of the wisdom of the Spirit. By the ways of worldly wisdom, billionaire Bill Gates is wise. By the ways of spiritual wisdom, penniless Mother Teresa, the servant of the poor was wiser than all the Bill Gates put together. In the estimation of the world, members of MENSA are among the world's best and brightest, certainly most intelligent. But in the eyes of God, slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King was wiser still. I want to share with you some really wise people from our 1-2 Grade Faith Explorers. These little cards were given to me last November. I kept them for this message: Dear Pastor Stan. I'm thankful for you reading the Lord's Prayer. It is fun. Kelsey. Dear Pastor Stan. I like when you have the children's sermon because I learn things from you. Zack Dear Pastor Stan. I like when you have the children's sermon because it is neet. Lauren Dear Pastor Stan. I like when you read the Bible because I love God. Elizabeth. According to the ways of the world, making it to CEO is a sign you are wise. But in the eyes of God, the youngest, the most trusting, are the wise. In the eyes of God those being rejected, ridiculed and crucified on account of their faith are wiser still. Among the many accomplishments of last year's mega-hit Titanic was director Cameron's fastidious attention to detail. The differences in lifestyles, attitudes and most noticeably in the accommodations between first class and third class (steerage) were made painfully clear. The most telling difference was in the discrepancy between the survival rates for those in first class versus those in third. In most cases the difference between a first- and third-class ticket was not just the difference in comforts and conveniences; it was the difference between life and death. Knowing what you know today, would you willingly take a third-class ticket on a new Titanic voyage? It is doubtful. In fact, part of what sells everything today from plane tickets to hotel rooms to vacation packages is the promise that everyone will receive "first-class" treatment. Even if you've booked economy fares or are using frequent flier miles, nobody wants to be labeled "third class." We have even subtly dropped from our political vocabulary any references to a "third world," preferring instead the PC - "developing nations." Yet God, however, turns this whole business on its head making this the deal: We have two choices. We can be worldly wise and look out for "Ol' number one" and take that first-class ticket, or be spiritually wise and opt for third. Didn't Jesus say something to the effect that "many who are first shall be third, and the third shall be first"?! (See Matthew 19:30 for the correct citation!). Or again, "Enter [eternal life] through third class, because first class, although the seats are wide and the service attentive, leads to destruction, and there are many who choose it. In third class the seats are narrow and hard, but it is the choice that leads to life, and there are few who choose it!" (Matthew 7:13). The third class ticket you may want to buy may be the one: • For sobriety over inebriation. You finally choose to tough it out, attend the AA meetings, get help, resist temptation, listen to family intervention, admit your problem, depend on God, and claim the victory. • For social action over inaction. You read the newspapers and cluck under your breath about the problems of your community, but now you are in the trenches, at the PTA meetings, at city hall, organizing committees, initiating action for Jesus' sake and in the name of justice. • For relational growth over recreational opportunities. Your kids are growing up faster than you've been able to notice. You're now making hard choices that favor your children and spouse over competing claims. • For personal growth over economic growth. You sensed burnout creeping up on you for some time, and now you realize that you need to stop taking the easy way out, and make time for the care and feeding of your soul. • For faith witness over personal gain. You've regarded the business of evangelism and sharing the faith as the minister's job. Now, you realize that discipleship is not a one-day-a-week courtesy call on God, but a complete Monday-to-Sunday lifestyle choice. • For financial responsibility over self-indulgence. You have maxed out your cards, and find it easy to say you'll pay later. But now, God is showing you it's time to take responsibility and exercise sound stewardship over the resources God has given you. Is God holding out that third-class ticket inviting you to make the wise choice? If so grab it, and live. Ray Chambers did. You probably haven't heard of him. But he's one of God's Wise Guys. After Ray was screened out of a mentoring program for at-risk kids because he traveled too much on business, he joined those searching for alternative types of mentoring for busier people. The result is "site-based mentoring," where youths go to corporations to see what the world of work is all about, or mentors are given "release time" by their companies to meet kids at their schools for counseling or tutoring. William and Kathy Magee did. You probably haven't heard of them either. But they're a couple of God's Wise Guys. They're a husband-wife team who founded Operation Smile 15 years ago to provide free-of-charge facial surgery for children who were unable to smile, or had facial deformities. Traveling to the Philippines in 1982, they found hundreds of children, ravaged by congenital facial abnormalities, who could not afford treatment. Fifteen years later, Operation Smile has treated 43,000 children worldwide and provides $28 million in medical services every year! Benno did. Benno, who is known as Brother Benno at the Prince of Peace Abbey of Oceanside in San Diego County in California, spent the good part of his life ministering to the poor. You've probably never heard of him. He was one of God's Wise Guys. He began a nonprofit facility that today fulfills his vision of providing unconditional love and unconditional compassion to those we serve. After 14 years of helping others, the Brother Benno Foundation has provided 1,200,000 meals, 72,000 nights of lodging, 49,000 showers, 2,900 haircuts and 18,800 loads of laundry for the needy of San Diego County. "Grandma" Jane Markum. You've probably never heard of her. But she's one of God's Wise Gals. Until 1994, Jane, 58, was teaching high-school biology in Mound City, Kansas. She retired early and took off for the Henan province in China, where she took part in establishing the House of Hope. Today she is teaching an English class to a group of enthusiastic orphans at House of Hope. Joeann Ballard. You've probably never heard of her. She's one of God's Wise Gals. Joeann found it difficult for a black woman to enroll in missionary service, so she became a missionary in her own inner-city neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee. After feeding as many as 220 children one year at a Christmas dinner, she began inviting children to dinner every Sunday after church. Then she founded the Neighborhood Christian Center. That was in 1978. Today there are 18 such centers which strive to meet the needs of the poor and disadvantaged. "My speech and my proclamation," Paul said, "were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power." These people are the wise and powerful of the world. They've grabbed the third-class ticket of self-sacrifice and service. They, like us, live and serve in the shadow of obscurity, unknown to the world, but known to God. They're Wise Guys with the third-class ticket. And they're happy about it!
AMEN