Theme: The Seven Deadly Sins Wrath Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-September 1, 2013 at First United Methodist Church, Durango

Transcription

1 Theme: The Seven Deadly Sins Wrath Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-September 1, 2013 at First United Methodist Church, Durango Romans 12: Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, I will take revenge; I will pay them back, says the Lord. 20 Instead, If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. 21 Don t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. VIDEO VIDEO Squidward Gets Angry (right into next video ) Wrath Sermon Starter Wrath Clearly Squidward struggled with his anger and as we continue in this sermon series on the seven deadly sins I remind you that each of the characters in that cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants is designed after one of the seven deadly sins and Squidward was the character who embodied wrath or anger. Wrath Squidward (graphic same slide as last week) How do you struggle with angry thoughts? When I was in seminary yes seminary I played on the school s intramural basketball team where we played against other teams of students at Denver University. I was a basketball official for high school and college ball so I had high expectations of those wearing the stripes and I would get pretty intense with them when a call did not go my way. Sometimes my face would get red and I would boil over with frustration. I was kicked out of a few games because of my temper and my wife refused to go to any of the games anymore because it was embarrassing and I was in seminary to be a pastor of all things! Seven Deadly Sins (graphic) I think we all struggle with anger if we are honest and today we are going to look at how anger or wrath gets a hold of our hearts and causes us to be (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 1)

2 separated from God and others and even ourselves. We're in the midst of a sermon series on the seven deadly sins and today we come to the sin of wrath or anger. We have been recognizing during this series that sin occurs when there is separation between us and God in us and others and even separation within ourselves where we become broken inside. The truth is that we all struggle with these sins in some way and I can tell you as a pastor for the past 22 years that many people struggle with angry feelings, some to the point of causing physical damage to the people they love the most. As we begin I want to invite you to take out of your bulletin your Message Notes and your Meditation Moments. My prayer each week will be that there will be at least one thing that you will want to remember from the message and there is a place for you to write that down and take any other notes that you'd like to take. I pray each week that the Holy Spirit would speak to each person who gathers for worship in this place and when you feel a nudge I encourage you to jot down what it is you feel like God might be speaking to you. Continued on the backside of the front page you will find our Meditation Moments which give you a chance to read further in the Scriptures about what it is we are going to be talking about each week. I encourage you to take some time each morning or evening to read a bit of Scripture and to reflect upon what it might mean for you and spend some time in prayer either individually or with your family or in a small group. If you are watching at home or online you can simply pull out a piece of paper and pen or pencil to take notes and you can download this resource off our website after you are done. Let's remember as we began what these seven deadly sins are. You will see the list up on the video screen and these are in order of what were considered the least deadly to the most deadly according to the monks of the fourth century who first developed this list. Lust Gluttony Greed Sloth Wrath Envy Pride (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 2)

3 These sins were named as deadly because they can sneak up on us. One of the reasons we are doing this sermon series is because each of these things tell us where we live. I was worried when I first planned this series that you all might think it was too depressing but I have heard from many of you that it is been helpful to be honest about where we struggle as human beings and how we get separated from God and from each other because of the broken places in our lives. My hope is to urge you to turn away from these things and to turn back towards God, knowing that God longs to offer us forgiveness and grace and mercy. We also have recognized that each one of these sins starts off as a good thing. Sexual intimacy is a gift from God but when it is abused they can become lust. Food is a blessing of the earth that is meant to nourish our bodies but when we consume too much of it we can experience gluttony. You can see this is true for each one of these sins. And the same is true for anger. There are times when anger is a very important and productive emotion. Anger can move us out of the place of indifference into action for something that is important. I think of Jesus who went into the Temple in Jerusalem and he tipped over the tables of the money changers who had turned a worship space into a place to make money. Jesus was angry about this and he expressed his anger and there are times when it is appropriate for us to do that. But we also see evidence of anger that can be destructive like what we see unfolding in Syria and Egypt. I'm not going to pretend that I know about all of the history that has led up to the expressions of anger and revolt and violence in those two nations, but we see images of innocent people being destroyed by chemical weapons in Syria, most likely authorized by their own president who carried out the atrocities against his own people. If you follow the events in Egypt you will read about more than 40 Christian churches which have been burned and many innocent civilians who have been brutally murdered. I don't have clarity about all of the issues involved in either one of those countries but it is clear that anger and wrath are being expressed in destructive ways that is causing brokenness throughout those countries and it could very well spill over into the world as political tensions mount. We even see anger building in our own hearts as we see the injustice and the violence. While murder is not on the list of the seven deadly sins we should recognize that this is because wrath leads to sins like violence and murder. Wrath was named one of the seven deadly sins because it gives birth to many other places of (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 3)

4 brokenness in the human condition. Our aim today is to better understand what anger is and how it begins to fester in our lives and our hearts and how we might find an antidote for when anger begins to take root. The list of these seven deadly sins was originally penned in Latin and the root for wrath is ira from which we get the English word irate. Wrath = ira When I use the word anger today I'm really referring to the extreme version of that which is to be wrathful or irate and then all the way along the spectrum to what might be considered just frustration or annoyance. Anger is a natural human emotion and even Jesus expressed it at different points in his ministry as we have mentioned earlier. The real question is what we do with our anger and how we respond to others. Sometimes anger comes from when someone has hurt us or wronged us in some way. Sometimes anger comes from envy or pride which we will be looking at the next few weeks. Today I want to invite you to consider two different kinds of anger as we seek to understand how this emotion becomes real in our lives. Jack Nicholson does a great job of describing this to Adam Sandler as his therapist in the movie, "Anger Management." Take a listen. VIDEO Anger Management Anger The first kind of anger is one that is slow and simmers inside when you feel like you have been wronged over and over again. You might think of it like this crockpot. You've seen these before and we use them every Wednesday night here for Disciple Wednesdays when people prepare soup in them. Cooking in a crockpot can be great because you simply put all of the ingredients in to the pot and you plug it into the wall in the morning and turn on. It slowly simmers throughout the day and becomes a great meal by the end of the day. A crockpot doesn't produce a great deal of heat to begin with, but over a long period of time it can become very hot. I had a crockpot several years ago that was missing this trim around the top of the pot and when I went to grab it I burned myself on the metal trim because it was so hot. Crockpot anger is the kind that you have inside which may not get expressed very much but it simply simmers inside and stays with you. It starts to cook your soul and change it in ways that aren't healthy or helpful. I wonder if you (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 4)

5 experienced crockpot anger and this can be especially dangerous for those who are afraid to express themselves or afraid to make others angry at them by expressing their true emotions. One of the ways that I experienced crockpot anger is in chores around the house. Our family does a pretty good job of balancing chores each week but sometimes I will feel like I am doing more than my fair share, which probably isn't even true but it just seems like. Often times I will do the laundry but then put it on the couch and my wife and my daughter will fold it and put it away. Whoever cooks gets to relax after the meal and the other person does the dishes. Crockpot anger happens for me when my family doesn't get things done in the timely manner that I think should happen. The truth is it should all be about me and my schedule, don't you think? Sometimes I allow myself to get frustrated and it really doesn't do anybody any good but I carry that anger around inside and get more and more annoyed. If I don't let it out there is an anger that is simmering like a crockpot inside of me and if I let it go too long I can explode. This kind of anger exists in family systems where wrath is lurking just below the surface. It might be anger that no one talks about because of a past trauma or experience that people are trying to deny. This is the kind of anger which can run through generations of families because they are afraid to name or afraid if it is out in the open that might be too much to deal with. You might be angry at a parent or grandparent or an aunt or uncle and may even be someone that is not even alive anymore. I have met with several persons since my sermon on lust who have been struggling with Internet pornography. In each of those situations I have encouraged those persons who get caught up in looking at pornography to look at the root causes underneath the desire to look at images that are destructive or demeaning. One woman shared with me that she found herself looking at Internet pornography because it distracted her from the fact that she and her husband did not have a healthy intimate relationship. As we talked a bit more about that she broke down and cried and talked about an uncle who had abused her sexually as a child and when she told people no one believed her. She was angry at him and angry at her family and she was turning that anger inward upon herself, and inadvertently she would direct it at her husband. This is what happens when crockpot anger goes unchecked. Jonah (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 5)

6 We find crockpot anger reflected in the Scriptures. Maybe you remember the Old Testament story of Jonah who was sent to Nineveh by God to preach to them and ask them to repent and return to God. Jonah doesn't like that plan and so he heads in the opposite direction. You can't hide from God however and so Jonah is thrown overboard into the ocean on his journey to Tarshish. He is swallowed by a big fish and eventually spit out onto dry ground. He finally agrees to go to the place where God is called him. In this story we find that Jonah it goes to Nineveh and he preaches the good news of God's love for the people and he calls the people to repent and return to God. They actually do return to God but Jonah wasn't expecting they would actually do it. In fact, it makes Jonah angry that they have repented and that God has forgiven them. Jonah sets up a tent outside the city to watch and see what happens and he expects God to cast down his judgment upon the people and to bring his wrath to bear, and to punish them for their sins. He gets angry when God forgives the people and we begin to see the crockpot anger inside of Jonah bubbling up and taking over his life. We read this in Jonah 4. 1 This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. 2 So he complained to the Lord about it: Didn t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. 3 Just kill me now, Lord! In what ways is crockpot anger real in my life? On your Message Notes I want you to write down the answer to this question as we think about it and reflect upon it for the next 30 seconds. In what ways is crockpot anger real in my life? Dynamite Anger The second kind of anger is one that you probably know as well. It's the kind of anger that goes off quickly and explodes. I'll call this dynamite anger and sometimes that uses split-second and sometimes it takes a minute. You can't help but notice this kind of anger, whether it comes out in yourself or whether you see it in other people. This anger explodes and it makes a mess and it's never good when it goes off. This is the kind of anger that used to explode for me when a call didn't go my way in a basketball game. This is the kind of anger that goes off inside of us (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 6)

7 when someone cuts us off in traffic or pulls out in front of us on Florida road. Maybe you want to honk your horn or say a few choice words or share with them the international sign of peace and goodwill. Road rage is what happens when this kind of anger is taken to an extreme. Maybe you get an from someone who completely misunderstood something that you said or maybe they say something in an that you don't agree with. You hit reply and you type out a message of anger and then you hit the send button. "There I said it! Take that!" Then there is usually a mess to clean up afterwards, isn't there? This is the kind of dynamite anger that comes up in a flash. In its more violent form this dynamite anger can lead to crimes of passion like murder or assault. We find this kind of anger in the very beginning of Scripture in the very first stories. Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Abel. You will get a chance to examine this story deeper on Monday as part of your Meditation Moments. Cain is a farmer who grows crops in the field and his brother Abel is a rancher who raises animals. Each of them brings an offering to God. Cain brings some of the crops and grain from the field. Abel brings the choicest meat of the firstborn of his flocks. We read in the story that God accepts Abel's offering begins he brought the best of what he had to offer but Cain kind of brought his leftover crops. Cain becomes angry and when this happens we find that God comes in speaks to Cain. 6 Why are you so angry? the Lord asked Cain. Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right (and you let anger get the best of you), then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master. God warns Cain that his anger will lead to brokenness, but he doesn't listen. We don't even hear Cain's response in Scripture, instead we read about Cain inviting his brother Abel into the fields. There in the fields he kills his brother in an expression of dynamite anger. We don't often like to recognize dynamite anger in our own lives but it lurks in the shadows. This can be anger that leads to abuse in our relationships. When we let this anger come bursting forth we can sometimes harm the people that we love the most through our words or through physical confrontation. Let's take a minute to reflect upon this kind of anger in our own lives. (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 7)

8 In what ways is dynamite anger real in my life? Crockpot and dynamite anger are part of our human condition. When we let this simmering or reactionary anger get the best of us there are several things which can happen. Anger can lead to isolation The first thing I want us to consider is that anger can lead to isolation. I know that when I am angry with someone my first response is to distance myself. I don't want to see that person and I just want to avoid them completely because it is much easier to not see them and not talk to them and just be angry at them. I can isolate myself from someone with whom I am angry. Maybe you have met people in your life that you would describe as an angry person. It might seem they are angry at the whole world. When this happens, what is our natural inclination towards that person? Do we want to hang out with them? Do we want to spend time with them? We often times try to avoid them because we don't want to deal with their angry Outlook and perspective. When we isolate ourselves because of anger we no longer live in relationship and we can't really experience healing. Over the past 20 years of ministry I have met with many people who have suffered with anger that has caused them to become isolated and lead to brokenness instead of healing. I've seen anger take over the energy of people's lives and instead of working for things which are good that anger isolate them from others. Nearly all their energy goes to feeding that anger. When have you experienced anger leading to isolation? Anger can lead to revenge When we have been wronged we can often have anger welling up inside of us that leads us to do something that we would later regret. We say to ourselves, "I'm angry and someone is gonna pay." Someone cuts you off in traffic or pulls out front of you and you tailgate them as closely as possible until they slam on the brakes and then who knows what happens. Revenge is when we want to hurt someone or least we want them to hurt because of something they did to us. Revenge can lead us to hurt someone with our words as we resort to name-calling. The truth is that revenge can feel good for a while, especially if you feel like you are bringing some sort of justice. But revenge is never really justice and it usually doesn't lead to a positive outcome as (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 8)

9 Gandhi reminded us when he said, "An eye for an eye will leave the world blind." Revenge can be especially damaging when we are wanting that but there is no way to get it because the other prisoners died. This kind of revenge leads to anger which each is up from the inside out. The next time that you feel like you need revenge you might ask yourself a simple question: if I get revenge in this way will lead to something positive? Do I really want revenge or do I just want to be right? The truth is that revenge is often more about pride than anything else and that is what we will talk about next week because pride can lead us to wanting revenge and anger. As people of faith we are called to leave revenge and justice in its ultimate form to God. We read this in the passage this morning from Romans Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, I will take revenge; I will pay them back, says the Lord. It can be incredibly freeing to recognize that revenge is God's responsibility and not ours. I want to be clear that being angry itself is not a sin and expressing our anger is part of being human, but when we seek revenge it can lead to more destruction and brokenness instead of healing. When we find ourselves in situations where we can't really have control and we find ourselves desperately wanting revenge, is in those moments when we need to give that to God and recognize that God will care for all of those places of injustice. Anger can lead to positive action While there are certainly negative effects to our anger we also read in Scripture that there are times where anger can be productive. In Ephesians we read these words from the apostle Paul in chapter And don t sin by letting anger control you. Don t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil. Paul makes it clear that we will feel anger but it doesn't necessarily have to lead to sin and brokenness. Anger can sometimes lead to things which are positive. How we respond to anger is what makes a difference because it is part of our natural emotions. Holy or righteous anger is directed towards injustice and can lead to positive action. There is enough food in the world to feed everyone but people (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 9)

10 die of starvation every day. This should make us angry and should lead us to action. We see people being mistreated in different parts of the world and it leads us to emotions welling up inside of us. Another example of this is MADD, mothers against drunk driving. The word itself relates to anger and this organization has come about because of mothers and fathers who have dealt with the anger of losing a child to a drunk driver. It was formed in 1980 after her mother lost a child to a drunk driver. This anger has led to positive action in making laws stricter against drunk driving and a raising awareness about the need to not drive when you have been drinking. I often tell people that we don't really change in life until it hurts bad enough. One of the other positive ways that anger can affect our lives is when we allow it to move us to do something or change. When we are feeling angry inside it can be our body s way of telling us that we are either in danger or something needs to change. Sometimes our anger helps us to set a boundary and tell people not to cross anymore. I think of a young girl in my very first youth group who was being abused by her father she got so angry she began to take a baseball bat to bed with her and that kept her safe until she was able to tell someone and we could get her out of that situation. God and anger It's these kinds of situations when I work with people who have been abused or treated horribly that I recognize the importance of the fact that God gets angry himself sometimes. It's interesting because out of all of these deadly sins that we have been looking at, anger is the only one attributed to God. We don't read about God being lustful or slothful or gluttonous, but we do hear about God's anger at several places in Scripture. If this is one of the seven deadly sins then how do we make sense of the fact that God gets angry sometimes. One of the most famous stories of God's anger is found in the Gospels. It is a story about Jesus recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. It is one of the only stories in all four Gospels which tells us that it was very important for the early followers of Jesus. Jesus is in the Temple and sees people cheating those who have come to worship God. They are selling animals to be sacrificed at a higher rate then you would purchase them if you had bought them outside the Temple, but you had to buy these certified animals in order to have a proper sacrifice. When you came to the Temple to give your offering you had to use Temple money and so you had to trade in your currency from whatever part of the world you would come from and (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 10)

11 the exchange rate was not very good inside the Temple itself. Jesus gets angered by these moneychangers. He throws over their tables and drives them physically out of the Temple with a whip. This is anger which is directed towards sin and brokenness and people being misused. Some theologians and historians argue that this scene is the main reason that Jesus was crucified and that it really was all about money. This story gives us a very clear picture of God's anger and why it is important. God's anger is always directed towards sin but our anger can be directed in many other ways. We get angry at people and that things that are actually good but God's anger is always directed at those places where people are hurting each other and people are doing things which push themselves and others away from God. It is true that God is angry that God gets angry at those things which draw us away from him and cause us harm one another and eventually cause us harm within ourselves. While God may be angry at sin it is not one of the overwhelming characteristics of God. We read these words in one of my favorite Psalms, Psalm But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. God is slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. God may be angry at sin, but he is slow to anger and rich in love. God created us not to be angry with us but to love us so we might return that love to God and give that love to each other. God not only loves us but longs for us to turn from our sin and brokenness and things like anger. When we turn from those things we find ourselves coming closer to God. Our challenge is to figure out when our anger is meant for positive and when our anger can lead to destruction. Let me give you a few suggestions for dealing with anger that can help you in those moments. Count to 10 This might seem simple and you probably heard before, but it is so true that if you are angry and you feel that anger welling up inside of you, just stop and count to 10. That time may not get rid of all of your anger but it will at least help you see things more clearly. You might still be angry at the end of counting to 10, but I can tell you that at the end of that pause you will respond in a way which is more rational and helpful that if you just reacted out of dynamite anger. (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 11)

12 Say it inside your head first However you find yourself responding to anger, say it inside your head first. If you are responding to an then write it out and save it in your drafts folder and don't hit send right away. You might find that it's helpful to write it down and then not even send it. You might take time to get advice from someone else before you respond. Ask yourself if that thing you want to say or write will really be helpful in this situation or if it will just cause more pain. Count to 10 and say it inside your head first and you might find it better to not even say it at all. Be patient As we read in the Psalms God is slow to anger and if we are to grow in our righteousness and become more like Christ and we must practice this as well. Be patient not only with other people but be patient with yourself. You might discover that you have had crockpot anger for quite some time and the truth is it will not disappear overnight. Be patient with yourself as you seek to move away from that anger and move in a different direction. Be patient with other people because not everyone sees the world the same way I do, even though they should. Remember that it's okay to disagree and that if there is tension between you and someone else that doesn't need to lead to anger but instead can lead to friction, which leads to traction, which means you are growing and going somewhere in life. Let me caution you that when you pray for patience God may give you the opportunity to practice that, so don't be shocked when you find yourself needing to be more patient with others in dealing with your anger. Tell someone you're angry Sometimes we simply need to get it off our chest and the very first person we should tell is God. Tell God you are angry. Name it and recognize it and bring it before God because God can take it. After your talk to God about it you might need to talk to someone else like a counselor or a trusted friend. After you have confided in God and someone else you might then have the strength and the tact to bring your anger to that person and deal with them directly in a way that can be positive and constructive and not destructive. The truth is that when we name it and claim it, then our anger can begin to disappear. Forgive One of the best ways to deal with our anger is to learn to forgive and let go. You may need to forgive someone else and you may need to seek forgiveness (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 12)

13 from someone else in order to move forward in life. If you find yourself stuck in anger this is usually one of the things going on inside of us. You also may need to forgive yourself. In all situations, especially when anger has led to brokenness or sin, we need to seek God's forgiveness. This is why we pray every week in worship and why we should pray every day the prayer that Jesus taught us: Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Last week one of you suggested as you were leaving that during this sermon series we should use the word "sin" instead of "trespasses" in the Lord's prayer, which many traditions do. Today, after we take communion, we will pray the Lord's Prayer together and I'm going to encourage you to use the words "deadly sins" instead of trespasses so will pray: Forgive us our deadly sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Let's try that out loud together. Forgive us our deadly sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. The entire Lord's Prayer can be helpful in dealing with our anger, but one other particular line can be extremely helpful and that this one. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done Pray for God s will to be done If you are angry and you find yourself wanting to respond, ask yourself, "What my self interest in this? Is my anger a result of wounded pride or NV that someone got something that I wanted? Where is this anger coming from? Is this anger about God's will or my own will?" When you're angry because of God's will, that might lead to us to doing justice. But when we are angry because of our own will, remember God's words to Cane, "Sin is crouching at your doorstep." When we seek to turn our will over to God's will we can find a crockpot anger that has been simmering inside can be unplugged. This anger which is been present for a long time can begin to cool and start to dissipate. Our crockpot anger can begin to disappear. When we see God's will over our will, this dynamite anger can begin to disappear because it's like pulling out the fuse. Suddenly, something which was very dangerous and deadly becomes worthless stick. God's open invitation is to accept forgiveness, turn our will over to God's will, to be free from the slavery of sin and anger. What will it be for you this (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 13)

14 week? When you experienced crockpot anger, are you going to let it simmer or will you seek to unplug it and turn your will over to God's will? If you feel a tendency towards dynamite anger which will explode and cause damage and destruction, are you going to let that fuse burn? Or will you pull the fuse out and turn your will over to God's will? That's my hope and prayer for you and for me. I want to invite you if you're willing to pray this prayer of confession on the video screen. Each week we have been being honest with God through prayer at the end of the sermon and that is our way of saying I struggle with things. I would like to invite you now to take some quite time to bring to God whatever you need to bring. Then, if you are willing, join me with the prayer of confession on the video screens. (Blank for silent prayer) If you're willing would you join me in this prayer? Oh God, we confess that we sometimes get angry, and sometimes it feels like we can t control it. When our anger gets the best of us we push you away and we hurt others. Often times it s the people we love most that get the brunt of it. Help us to find peace in you. When we feel vengeful, help us to remember that you are a just God and you will make all things right. We don t have to be in charge of that anymore. Free us from the prisons of anger and hatred and fear to live as your children. Help us to know that through the sacrifice of your Son Jesus Christ and this meal we are about to eat that we are forgiven. Amen. (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 14)

15 Wrath Theme: The Seven Deadly Sins Scripture: Romans 12:17-21 Things I d like to remember from today s sermon: Meditation Moments for Monday, September 2 Read Genesis 4: This is a primal story of tragedy. Cain is angry with his brother Abel and with God. God warns Cain that the anger he holds in his heart has lethal risks. But Cain ignores God s message, plots to act out his anger against his brother, and kills him. Sadly God says, Your brother s blood cries to me from the ground. The story gives few details. We don t know how much time passed from the offerings to the murder, or just why God did not view Cain s gift favorably. The focus is internal. What was the spiritual danger against which God warned Cain? How does the image of sin crouching in wait (v. 7) fit with your experience? When God asked Cain where his brother was, what was Cain s callous answer? Do Cain s words in this ancient story ever echo the way that you are tempted to deal with the results of your anger? What does the story tell you about God s attention to actions and situations we d like to gloss over? Tuesday, September 3 Read Ephesians 4:22-32 Today s text says Christians can be angry without sinning (v. 26). At the same time, it calls us to rid our lives of destructive bitterness, rage and anger (v. 31). We need to think clearly about anger. Jesus showed that there are evils that should make us angry (Mark 3:1-6, John 2:14-17). But directed wrongly, anger is toxic to us and to others. John Wesley once wrote that if he could gather 100 people who hate nothing but sin, he could shake the world. List some of the kinds of evil in the world that you believe make God angry. What do you believe are some of the main characteristics of righteous anger? James 1:19, 20 says we should be slow to become angry, because OUR anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. In what ways do you think harmful human anger differs from the kind of good anger Jesus showed? How can we keep the one from turning into the other? Wednesday, September 4 Read 1 Samuel 20:30-34, 2 Samuel 9:1-8 These stories vividly show the difference between anger and mercy. In the first, Saul feared David s military skill and rising status. In a rage, (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 15)

16 he even tried to kill his son Jonathan for being David s friend. In the second, when David became king, he sought out Saul s descendant, not to take revenge, but to show him compassion. Romans 12:19 says, Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. How likely are you to buy and wear a T-shirt that says, I don t get mad I get even, and mean it? Do you find David s mercy to his enemy s grandson admirable or weak? When Saul s grandson arrived, King David s first words were, Don t be afraid. Do you think those were just polite words, or do you think Mephibosheth needed to hear them? How do they foreshadow the mercy of David s Lord and descendant, Jesus, who often greeted people by saying, Fear not? Thursday, September 5 Read Luke 10:25-37 The religious expert knew he should love his neighbor. However, he seemed to think (or hope?) that left room for NOT loving lots of people. Jesus story asks, What if everyone might be a neighbor? What if I m willing to offer true help (avoiding codependency or reinforced helplessness) to any person I can, no matter who they are? Centuries of anger and fear divided Jews and Samaritans in Jesus day. Are there long-standing divisions that affect you personally (business enmity, family disputes, maybe even a sports rivalry)? How easy or hard do you find it to treat the person(s) on the other side of those rifts as your neighbor? Jesus made a Samaritan the hero of his story. That was like telling an Israeli today a story in which the hero is a Palestinian. Was Jesus naïve to think that it s possible to move beyond long-standing anger and hatred between people groups? How did his approach differ from human peace-making efforts? Friday, September 6 Read Luke 15:11-32 There s anger in this story. There s rash anger when the younger son demands his legacy and leaves home. There s bitter anger as the older brother fumes outside when the father takes the younger son back. But the story hinges on the father s mercy and love. He probably had the most cause to be angry but he wasn t. In what ways have you felt the kind of rash, impatient anger that the younger son in this story felt? In what ways have you felt the older brother s bitter, envious anger? Jesus told this story to tell us about God. How did the father show mercy to both sons? How has God been merciful to you? Have you ever had to deal with someone who has hurt you in some way, but has now come home? What issues and struggles did you face in deciding whether and how to show mercy? How can you show mercy to someone who has hurt you without stuffing your own pain, leaving it to fester in the dark? Saturday, September 7 Personal Application: The Interpreter s Dictionary of the Bible says confession includes admitting our helplessness and sin, declaring God s saving acts, which rescue us from our troubles, and offering praise and thanks to the God who shows mercy to us. Confess your struggles with destructive anger (against yourself, others or God) to God. If you need help moving through them, talk with a pastor or counselor. Remember to give praise for God s mercy to you. Family Activity: Read Ephesians 4: 29, Discuss the meaning of unwholesome talk. How does this happen in your family? How do bitterness, rage and anger reveal themselves among you? Brainstorm a list of healthy ways to express your anger. Maybe you can punch a pillow, exercise, throw water balloons, write out your feelings or draw a picture. Calming activities such as counting to ten, reading and praying can be included, too. Create a list of positive words and phrases to share, along with ways to be kind and compassionate to one another. Ask each person to choose one family member to focus on encouraging this coming week. Ask God and one another for forgiveness and for help in growing more patient and loving. Prayer: By your unfailing love and great compassion, have mercy on me, O God. I confess that I have sinned against you and others and I am sorry for my thoughts, words and deeds that hurt others, hurt myself or hurt my relationship with you. Cleanse me from my sin and create in me a new heart and a steadfast spirit to make a fresh start. Going forward, help me to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. Amen. (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 16)

17 (Sermon preached by Jeff Huber August 31-Septemeber 1, 2013 page 17)