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First Parish Church 186 York Street York, Maine 03909 Telephone (207) 363-3758 email office@firstparishyork.org

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The Good Life

June 12, 2005

Linda B. Hirst

This passage from Romans - part of it at least - is one of several passages that is often chosen by couples about to be married. This and Paul’s letter to the Corinthians - the one you all know - the one you’ve all heard - even those who have never been in church before know this one - love is patient love is kind, love is not arrogant or rude, and the last verse. Faith, hope and love abide but the greatest of these is love.

Well this is one of those wedding verses, too, because of words like these which you will hear in a moment: let love be genuine, hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection, outdo one another in showing honor.

And I always tell couples that, ironically enough, Paul wasn’t writing for a wedding when he penned this passage, or even a young couple in love, he was writing to a community - a new church community in Rome - who were having some problems, they weren’t getting along as well as they could, weren’t playing nicely together, and his words were about how to live together - in community.

If you do these things, he told the Romans, if you let love be genuine, hate what is evil, love one another with mutual affection, outdo one another in showing honor - in respecting each other. If you are patient in suffering, if you pray not just once in a while but a great deal and together - if you make your focus in life serving God, serving others rather than yourselves, then you will get along, then you will have the good life - the kind of life Jesus came to give you. The kind of life God wants you to have.

And after I finish sharing all this great information with couples - they just kind of look at me - crest fallen, because one, I’ve just given them way too much information and two, I’ve just drained all the romance out of the passage they had chosen for their special day. Which is why I no longer give my speech about Paul and his letters to young couples in love... but I can tell you.

This is truly what Paul believed. If you do these things, these things you are about to hear then you - the world and whatever little corner you live in - will be a better place.

All will live as God intends. It will just happen.

That said: let’s listen to Paul’s letter to the Romans:

Romans 12:1-21

Last week I had the great pleasure of going to see the Spring Concert of the York High School Choirs - the freshmen treble singers, the chamber singers, the entire chorus - over the years it has become so popular it is now held two nights at St. Christopher’s Church with over 500 people attend each time. Many of us are proud parents of the kids in chorus but most are people from the community - it is an amazing showcase of talent, a phenomenal concert.

Many of the young men and women in the choirs were from this church - and there were several who have come up through the ranks of the children and youth choirs - singing for Miss B - participating in the musicals - and one of the greatest things to see was three boys, in particular who used to give Gina and Mrs. Purrinton fits all year long in choir with their antics - one of these boys being my own - these three boys stood up in that choir looking like young men - they were focused, they were professional, they sang they hearts out - and not once did they poke each other in the ribs like they used to when they were here. A greater transformation I have never seen - and I know Miss B. and their middle school chorus teacher, Miss Frank had a big part helping them become who they are. So for all you parents of high spirited boys and girls out there. There is hope. There is always hope.

But the most touching moment came when the mothers of the seniors came up to give their sons and daughters a boutonniere to mark the occasion of their last concert as a students at York High School - and as the seniors stood on the stage - you could feel the pride of the parents and the joy of the kids. It was the end of their high school singing career but the beginning of the next step of their journey - and every one there could sense it

That, of course, is the season we’re in right now - the season of endings and beginnings. It’s all around us. Preschoolers are graduating to kindergarten, elementary kids are stepping up to the next grade, in the middle school they have the 8th grade finale. This Thursday is York High School’s graduation where the class of 2005 will move on to college, prep school or maybe a career. And everywhere there are college graduations - chances are there’s someone in your family, someone you know who is graduating from somewhere and going on to new things.

And along with graduations comes the time honored tradition of the baccalaureate address or commencement speech - those words of wisdom that are given every year at this time by those who are, we hope, wise.

At the high school level it’s usually the class valedictorian. At colleges it’s often the favorite faculty member or someone famous if they can get them - an actor, authors, poets, presidents, who will offer meaningful advice on this next phase of life.

At my college graduation at the Univ. of Rhode Island we had the renowned philosopher Mortimer Adler, which was fine but who we really wanted was Bill Cosby.

I myself have never given a baccalaureate address - have never been asked - I was an absolutely average student in high school and in college except for that A I got in mime class.

I have no illusions that I will be invited by Harvard, or my alma mater - or by my seminary, Union Theological Seminary in Virginia - or even by York High School - but on the off chance that they do call, I have the perfect speech all planned. And I got it all from here, from Paul's letter to the Romans, Chapter 12 which, in addition to being a great wedding text is perfect for a graduation.

This is what I would say to all those fresh faced young men and women as they stood on the threshold of young adulthood with their futures wide open before them: These are the words of wisdom I would share with them

I would tell them - as you go through life - as opportunities present themselves, as you’re faced with choices in school, in work, in relationships, in life in general...dare to be different.

Now I’m not just talking about getting a tattoo or a body piercing - that’s just trendy - that’s not different - I’m not talking about getting a mohawk, or coloring your hair purple, unless it’s by mistake. I’m talking about the kind of different that can change your life.

There are all kinds of metaphors for this way of life; thinking outside the box, taking the road less traveled, drawing outside the lines we say. But I like how Paul says it best: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

Paul knew the Romans he was writing to were having trouble following the ways of Jesus - the pull of society and culture around them was so very strong, the pull to worship other gods, to covet things, to treat one another badly. There is still a pull today - there is still tension between the way Jesus wants us to live, asks us to live, and the way of the world, with it’s emphasis on money and power and status and things.

Don’t be conformed by this stuff, Paul says, instead dare to be different.

As you go through life...choose the kinds of things other people might not consider: like the career that doesn’t offer the most money but makes you happy, choose integrity and honesty and time with your family instead of keeping up with the Joneses. Go on that the mission trip that will change lives including your own. Do community service not just for the credit but because you want to make a difference. Listen to the whisper of the Holy Spirit inside you and see what God is calling you to do and follow. And then, watch what happens.

You may have heard a while back about a senior high bible study that was going on - Rich had started it back in April - what you didn’t hear was that at first some of the kids were a little hesitant about going. Bible study, my own kids said. What’s that? What do you do? Well, I said, you sit around with a bunch of other kids and read the bible and talk about it. Oh. No thanks, they said. It sounded boring and definitely not cool - certainly not something their friends would be doing. But I really wanted them to try it - I knew it would be amazing, not at all like I had described. So I did what any mother would do. I tricked them.

One Wednesday afternoon I rounded up one of my sons and a couple of friends and said, “Get in the car.” Where are we going, they asked. Somewhere where’s there food, I responded. Food, they said. All right. And in they got and I drove them over to the Samantha Stephens house - where the bible study was being held - dropped them off - and yelled at the window. Have fun at bible study!

And you know what? They did. It got to the point they couldn’t wait for Wednesday - turns out studying the bible meant skits and a lot of laughing in between the reading and the studying. They learned stuff, they learned about each other, they had fun, they were hooked.

But I didn’t realize how hooked until Andrew and I were driving to school Wednesday morning and I mentioned that he had a conflict with bible study that night - he had baseball practice at the same time. And this boy, who has never, ever missed a game, or a practice of any sport of any kind in his life said, “Well, I guess I’ll have to miss baseball then.” I almost drove off the road.

So go ahead. Dare to be different. Do what you wouldn’t normally do, try something new and watch what happens. Remember these words from Paul: Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed. You’ll be glad you did.

And while you’re out there being different, I would say to all those graduates and parents and guests, while you’re out there doing the things God is calling you to do, find a community to become a part of, specifically, a community of faith.

Community was huge for Paul, it was everything. Being part of one was the only way to go through life. It’s in community, he knew, that we grow, discover our gifts, use them as one body for the betterment of all, for the glory of God. It’s in community that we can uphold one another in our Christian walk. If we’re really going to try and let love be genuine, hate what is evil and hold fast to what is good, then we’re going to need all the help we can get.

If we’re really going to be ardent in spirit and serve the Lord, rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering and persevere in prayer, we’re going to have to support each other.

If we’re really going to contribute to the needs of the saints and extend hospitality - be kind and caring to strangers - to all in need, we’re going to need each other. There’s a lot involved with being a Christian, a disciple of Christ, a child of God. What on earth makes us think we can do it alone.

When you’re part of a community, you have people to rejoice with and people to weep with - people to grow with in faith and in fellowship, people to love with mutual affection.

Last week Tim O’Connell sang with the bow tie guys, a group he’s been a part of here at First Parish Church I think since they first began singing together.

Rich married Tim and Susan, they’ve had four kids while they’ve been here and had all four baptized right here. They’ve been active, giving, loving members of this community.

One of the things Tim and Susan said they will miss most about leaving York is this church. Not the building, but what’s inside. The people they have come to know while worshiping here - the people with whom they’ve done all those things Paul talks about - this community of faith - that’s what they will miss.

Find a community of faith, I would say, and then become a part of it. Be open, be honest, put yourself out there - don’t sit in a corner and say no one is friendly, no one talks to you, share yourself, share your faith. Be active. Join a bible study - a women's group, a men’s groups, a choir, a youth group - and above all, join them in worship - not just on Christmas and Easter - but every week.

Find a community and become an integral, giving, caring part of it. Like Paul, you will find it is everything.

And the last thing I would tell those graduates, who by now would be captivated by my words and my wisdom - absolutely spellbound - and their parents would be wishing they had me at their graduation instead of whoever they got, the last thing I would say to them this is:

As you dare to be different, with your new community, as you go forth into the world to live the life God gave you...do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I bring this up because there is a lot of bad stuff happening out there in our world; life is unfair. People are homeless and hungry and shouldn’t be. There is famine and poverty and there doesn’t have to be. There are people in this world who choose evil over goodness and they cause wars and fuel hatred and ignorance with their words and actions and many innocent people suffer because of it.

Do not be overcome by this all this evil, but overcome evil - overcome it with good.

When Paul wrote this words there was awful stuff going on - under the Roman empire - there was persecution and oppression - and it was tempting to give up trying to live life a certain way - following Jesus - when all around people weren’t. Don’t give up, Paul told them. Don’t be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.

Now notice what Paul did not say here - he did not say “try to overcome evil with good” he said... do it. Overcome evil with good. That’s because Paul truly believed it could be done. He knew the story - of how Jesus had conquered death, how God had conquered evil with good. It had been done. He had seen it happen in his own life, too. And Paul knew with God’s help, it would continue to be done. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.

There’s still a lot of evil out there today - but it can be conquered with good; with good words and good actions. So pick an issue, I would tell those boys and girls, the future of our nation, the future of our church - what is really bothering you and what can you do to make it better. Is it poverty? Is it war? Is it racism? Is it ignorance? It is hunger? Overcome this evil with good, with goodness - give a part of your life, or give your whole life to this effort - find a friend to help you or better yet - that community of faith I was talking about earlier.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can make a difference, in fact is the only thing that ever has.” said Margaret Meade: I think Paul would agree.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. With God’s help, you can and will make difference in the world. We’re counting on you.

And with that my speech would be over, but not before I reminded the graduates, parents and guests, that Paul’s words are of course, not just for graduates - they’re for all of us, for anyone about to start something new, embark on a new venture, take a another step on the journey, and today really is the first day of the rest of our lives, then his words are true for us today as well.

So let us join together in prayer, giving thanks for those we know whom are graduating this spring, sons, daughters, those from our church, those in our community, family, friends. Let’s pray for all those people about to begin something new, let us pray that Paul’s words will abide in their hearts and ours so all of us may have the good life - the kind of life Jesus came to give us. The kind of life God wants us to have.

Gracious God, fill our hearts, fill our lives with your word and your spirit this morning so that we may love one another, serve one another and become the people you call us to be. Be with us in our endings and our beginnings, help us to live as you want us to so that all who see us know we are yours - ask this in your name. Amen.