What do you do, different than others?

Sermon, Sunday Oct. 18, 2015;

“What do you do, different than others?”

“And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others?

Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  Matthew 5:47-48

Let’s simplify this quote. Jesus was asking this question to his disciples. Now, let’s say what do we do often as Christians?  We love our brothers. That’s natural. Evil-doers even, love each other. Sometimes it is even more than we love each other.

Jesus said, “Do good deeds to those who hate you. Pray for those who chase you. Forgive and you will be forgiven. ”Let’s think about these statements. Yes, many of us will forgive and forget; but as humans, we never forget who we have forgiven, which of course is not the Christian way.

How can we learn to forgive and calm our anger? The best medicine is to be patient. The question is, are we patient?

When my son, Mushegh, was a young child in kindergarten, he and his friend always seem to have arguments and fights with each other. I always tried to teach him to be patient. As Jesus has taught us to turn the other cheek.   I told him to forgive his friend, because the friend was weaker than him. The next day, he came home and said that he did turn the other cheek, and I was anticipating more details, so I asked him if his friend has realized his mistakes through what Jesus teaches us. My son told me that he was not able to make his friend understand except to explain it on his face!  Dad you did tell me to turn the other cheek just one time, after that I punched him he said.

The truth is that we are more often out to seek revenge rather than trying to understand others to be able to forgive.

We critically judge others, but are not so critical when we judge ourselves.

When the Pharisees brought the depraved woman in front of Jesus and told him that by law they will throw stones to kill her.  Jesus said, “Who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.”

As you know the story, everyone left because there is no one without sin.

Did that crowd have shame? Yes, they were ashamed. But imagine if that woman was born in the 21st century, and was called in front of us for punishment.  Many of us would throw words, which are just as hurtful as stones.

What do you do different, or more than others? We know how to collect, or we know how to share. Do we know that what we share is also forever ours? Do we crawl along, like a worm, or do we rise above and soar like an eagle,   the way God wants us to do.

What do you do different than others?  When we have power and strength, do we punish our enemies or do we save them like Jesus did?   The Egyptian King, Ramses II had a habit of making those kings that were prisoners to serve as horses for his wagon.  One of the king prisoners was continuously watching how the wheel was turning. He was asked why he was so curious.  He answered, “I’m watching how the bottom becomes the top and the top becomes the bottom. ”That is the cycle of life. Ramses understood the meaning, and released the prisoners.

Do we have that kind of wisdom, like Ramses?

What do you do different than others? How do you know if you belong to God? “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-and shudder.”

James 2:19- knowledge of god alone is no proof of salvation.

What do we do as Christians? Do we unite rather than divide? Do we build rather than destroy? Do we raise rather than condemn? The one who has the same perfection as our Father in heaven is the speaker of peace, the preacher of reconciliation, source of light,   warmth and love.

Let me end with an Indian proverb. A man goes to a saint and asked if he would teach how to love God. The saint asked, “In your entire life, have you ever loved someone?” The man answered,   “I am not a simple man.  I am different.   I am fasting and meditating. I do not have time to love.”   The saint told him, “You must concentrate and think about if there is anyone who you can love in this world.” He answered that he does not have time and wants only to love God. The saint said, “I cannot teach you how to love God whom you have never seen, since you are not able to love all those around you,   your family, friends and community who you see every day.”

Amen.

fr Zacharia