SERMON
Morality in our Personal Lives
Faith in our triune God, our love for God and neighbour, our personal moral character, service and caring for others are all essential to Christian life. Our thoughts, how we live and what we do affects our entire being and whole life. As Christians, we are called to live our lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings and example - to live transparent lives of love, integrity, humility, respect and compassion.
However, if the majority of the South African population claim to be Christians why is our country in such desperate need of moral regeneration? In his thematic weekly letter based on the Johannesburg Diocesan’s “50 Days of Moral Action”, Bishop Steve states that ‘at no point in our history as a country, has the Gospel’s call to live a Christ-like life been more urgent than it is today’.
Let us now focus on morality in our personal lives - where morality is a personal inner righteousness - or goodness - which is achieved when God’s grace and our human will intersect as we deepen our familial relationship with Him.
In a very real sense, we cannot begin to understand or discern the moral values, actions and judgements of others until we first come to understand the foundational source of our own. We are complex beings - and our moral values and insight cannot be reduced to a few simple formulas. Instead we need to ask ourselves some hard-hitting questions that require honest answers. Where does our primary loyalty lie? With God, with ourselves, our leaders or our families, in our pursuit of status and wealth? How do we - in truth - understand and define ourselves as individuals? To what extent do we - as regular church goers - absorb, embrace and live out ethical and moral values as contained in the Bible? To what degree do our attitudes and lifestyles match up to how we are called to be? As Bishop Steve comments, ‘to love Jesus is to live in truth; to live in light – not in darkness. Those who live in darkness hate the light for fear that their immoral actions will be exposed. If we walk in truth and light our lives will be deeply moral’.
God calls us to holiness just as He is holy. We cannot claim to be God’s holy people, made in His image and likeness, if we are dishonest with ourselves and others, self-serving and corrupt. Holiness is inseparable from goodness and must include moral goodness. We therefore need to deepen our relationship with our divine parent through continually responding to God’s will and grace in order to become moral ambassadors of Christ. For us, the interpretation of moral principles entails a balance of the intellect and the spiritual - as a disciple of Christ living a mature faith life.
Both the Old and New Testaments show a link between intimacy with God and personal and social morality. God’s law, as contained in today’s Old Testament reading reveals God’s will for his people’s behaviour. As we are all made in his image and likeness, the Ten Commandments serve as a framework for life – our obligations to God and others - and remain a central part of Christian morality and norms. In the New Testament, these commandments are summed up in love for God and love for one’s neighbour. Obeying them is not only a matter of obeying external rules but also requires action from our hearts where an inner spiritual righteousness is expressed in outward justice and integrity.
Today, where greed, self-interest, violence, bribery and corruption appear to be the norm, our Gospel reading in Matthew, gives us a clear indication how we are called to be as followers of Christ. When Satan attempted to entice Jesus from the pathway of perfect obedience to the will of God, Jesus submitted himself to the authority of the Word of God rather than to Satan. Through this reading we learn that people often misappropriate biblical texts to suit their own agenda in order to persuade believers to do something they know is wrong or unwise. Satan is our greatest enemy who tempts us continually through enticement and pandering to our fragile ego’s and weaknesses. Jesus’s reaction shows us what is truly valuable and that through our heartfelt acceptance of the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit and the right application of the truth of God’s Word, we can resist temptation and overcome sin.
What is the difference between how we live our lives and how we ought to live our lives? Today we are often challenged as Christians between what we say we believe and how we behave. Do our actions give expression to our faith? Are we prepared to stick our necks out and act out our moral convictions? Are we a voice to the voiceless? What price are we prepared to pay to live up to what we say we believe? Acts of moral courage are demanding.
We all know that there is a difference between right and wrong and we need to make decisions and choices in our lives, guided by the Holy Spirit, the scriptures, our faith experience and our Christian community. Moral or spiritual discernment and action is not easy as, to enact the ‘good’ often demands effort and courage – the motivating courage of one’s faith and personal convictions of what is right and just.
Will we as individuals, allow God’s power to be at work within us for an ongoing, life-changing process of transformation that allows the very life of Jesus – the mind of Christ – to be lived in and through us? For, as Christians, morality is an enhancement and celebration of life and is essential.
Amen.
Jenny Tuckett
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