[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 6A

[Joe Parrish]

Forwarded:


-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Feb 12, 2011 3:26 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Epiphany 6A


Dear Friends,
Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “‘Anger’ + ‘D’= ‘DANGER!’” or “Please
Engage Brain before Putting Mouth into Gear” and deals with the gospel
(Matthew 5: 21-37).  Here it is:

Did you hear Jesus’ instructions about anger?  He said: “You know that
our ancestors were told, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘A murderer must be
brought to trial.’ But I promise you that if you are angry with
someone, you will have to stand trial. If you call someone a fool, you
will be taken to court. And if you say that someone is worthless, you
will be in danger of the fires of hell. So if you are about to place
your gift on the altar and remember that someone is angry with you,
leave your gift there in front of the altar. Make peace with that
person, then come back and offer your gift to God” (Matthew 5:21-24)
Then Paul, in his letter to the Ephesian church (Ephesians 4:25- 27)
gave “how to” directions.  He wrote, “Don't get so angry that you sin.
Don't go to bed angry and don't give the devil a chance.  Stop all
your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others
by what you say.  Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't
yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude.  Instead, be
kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because
of Christ.  Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children.  Let
love be your guide.”  Who does he think we are...Superman or Wonder
Woman?  I’d like us to look at the hard topic of anger.  Is it always
a sin?  What do you do about those powerful feelings?  I’m here to
tell you that anger is one of the devil’s most valuable tools to
destroy us, those we love, along with our enemies.

So- what should you do when you’re angry?  Here’s an example of what
NOT to do.  It was Valentine’s Day, and a husband was commenting on
how even-tempered his wife was.  He said, “When I get mad at you, you
never fight back.  How do you control your anger?”  His wife answered,
“I clean the toilet.”  “How does that help ?” asked the puzzled
husband.  “Well,” said his blushing wife.  When I’m really mad at you,
I clean the toilet slowly and it really helps me.  I use your
toothbrush.”  Now church- that’s not an option for us, so let’s look
at anger and scripture and se what we should do.

IS ANGER ALWAYS A SIN?  Well, remember- Jesus was sinless, yet we
heard of a time in Holy Scripture when he was angry.  Do you remember
when it was?  Sure- when he drove the moneychangers out of the
temple.  Jesus’ anger in the temple porch was righteous anger because
travelers were being misused- charged outrageous prices for exchanging
money and then charged outrageous prices again for purchasing
defective animals to sacrifice in the temple.  On top of that, they
were doing all this buying and selling in the porch of the Gentiles-
the only place the Gentiles could worship.  Jesus’ anger was because
of injustice, and his actions afterward didn’t hurt anyone- just
solved the problem.  Did you notice Paul says, “Don’t get so angry
that you sin?”  In other words, it’s not the anger that is the sin-
it’s what you do with it.  It’s not how I feel- it’s what I say.  It’s
not my inner emotion- it’s what I do, my action.  We can’t usually
control how we feel, but we most certainly can control what we say and
do, and it’s important that we do so.  Spell the word “danger.”  Now
spell it again, but skip the first letter.  What word did you spell?
Sure- “anger” because anger is just one letter away from “danger!”
I’m sure you’ve heard people say- “I can’t help it!”  That’s the
excuse my schoolchildren tried to use when I was still teaching. “Mrs.
Boli, he made me do it” didn’t hold water with me then and it doesn’t
hold water when we try to tell God (or ourselves) now.

That’s easy to say, but hard to actually accomplish.  Rev. Stanley
Sims used to quote an old saying by Molefi Asante, “There are two
things over which you have complete dominion, authority, and control--
your mind and your mouth.”  Sin starts in our minds (and bodies) with
a strong emotion; it goes from there to our mouths and actions.  God
has high standards for us about how we deal with anger- no damage
(physically or emotionally).  Fix the problem if you can, but don’t
damage the person who is acting like your enemy.  How do I know?
Jesus said, “LOVE (want what’s best for) your enemy and pray for
them.”  How do you keep from sinning when someone has angered you?

FIRST- STOP!  Don’t do anything.  Get away from the situation so you
can calm down.  It takes a clear mind to figure out how to solve anger-
producing problems, and you can’t do it while you’re boiling with fury
inside, while all your fight-or flight hormones are coursing through
your blood vessels.  Example: Mike Fuller, who was a safety and punt-
return specialist for the San Diego Chargers in the late 1970s, spoke
about anger this way- “The wide receivers are continually trying to
make us angry each time they come into our area, because they know if
they can upset us emotionally, they can fool us on the next play.”  So
how do you clear your mind and body of the poisonous effects of
anger?  Go for a walk, listen to some music or get involved with a
really good TV program or video game, exercise, cook, clean.  DON’T
sit and brood and DON’T try to dull your anger with alcohol or another
substance.  You’re trying to clear your head, not muddle it.  Once
you’ve calmed down, remember this fact- the person who angers you,
controls you.  An old thought for the week comes to mind: “Any person
capable of angering you becomes your master.  That person can anger
you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him or
her” (Epictetus).

SECOND- While you’re at it,  be sure your data is correct.  There’s an
old poem that goes:
I'm always careful of the words I speak, I keep them soft and sweet,
I never know from day to day which ones I'll have to eat!

NEXT- FIGURE OUT HOW TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM.  Remember what Paul said,
“Don't go to bed angry and don't give the devil a chance,” in other
words- don’t nurse your anger.  Don’t allow yourself to become
bitter.  Don’t get on the phone and enjoy telling your friends how
shamefully someone has treated you.  If you do choose to discuss the
situation, work on how to solve the problem. Then solve the problem if
you can.

FINALLY- DON’T LET YOUR ENEMY BRING YOU DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL.  Did you
hear the story of the elderly woman on her death bed?  Her pastor came
to visit and asked if she had forgiven all her enemies.  “All but
one,” she answered.  “I really haven’t been able to forgive my
sister.”  “You have to forgive her,” the pastor replied, “or God won’t
forgive you, and you don’t have that much time.”  “All right,” she
said, “bring my sister here.”  When her sister walked into the
hospital room, the woman looked daggers at her and said, “I forgive
you, BUT IF I GET BETTER, IT DOESN’T COUNT!”  Don’t be that way!  Look
at Paul’s advice: “Don't yell at one another or curse each other or
ever be rude.  Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just
as God forgave you because of Christ.  Do as God does. After all, you
are his dear children.  Let love be your guide.”  Why not?  Because
you allowed God to lose this round and the devil to win.  Your enemy
has become your master and forced you to do or say things you knew
better than to do or say as God’s precious child.  Did you hear the
prayer someone prayed?  “Dear God, so far today I've done all right.
I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper; I haven't been greedy,
grumpy, nasty, selfish or over-indulgent.  I'm very thankful for
that.  But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed, and
from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot of help.”  You’ve got
all the help you need- just don’t think you can do this on your own.
Keep your walk with the Lord strong; receive your Holy Communion at
least once a week; say your prayers; and think before you speak or
act.  May God bless us all as by God’s grace we stay in control of our
minds and therefore our mouths and actions.  Amen.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements are posted on our NEW PARISH WEB SITE. The address
is: http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching.
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan


 
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