The Rev. Virginia W. Nagel
Ephphatha Parish of the Deaf
Episcopal Diocese of Central NY
A couple of months ago we had Bible readings that focused on the message of the old hymn, Trust and Obey. Today's readings seem to be trying to make us review that idea and build a little more on it. I'm not going to quote the whole hymn, but this is the first verse:
When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word,
What a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will, he abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
The chorus says:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Many people think it is very complicated to become a Christian. Actually, there is only one thing to do: decide to make God the center of your life, for the rest of your life. If we do this (it is actually obeying the first of the Ten Commandments, I am the Lord your God; you shall have no other God but Me ) well, that is really all that is necessary.
You see, if we make the decision to take the Lord for our own personal God, what we are really deciding to do is simply to trust him. If we have faith in God, we trust him to keep his promises, and as we have heard in the first reading today, God's promises are clear and simple. Trust him, and you will find that you WANT to obey him. It is just that natural and easy. Children trust Mom and Dad, and so they obey (at least until they grow up and wonder why they should trust their parents instead of their friends!) You trust, and because you trust, you obey. Trusting is simply having faith, believing that what God says is true.
So: We decide that we do believe in God, and that means we trust him. And because we trust him, it seems natural and right to obey him. All very simple. We don't need to agonize and worry about whether or not God is real. We simply accept that he is. We don't need to worry about which church to join. We read our Bible, and join whichever church seems to us to be closest to the teaching of the Bible about God and his promises. And we obey what we read in the Bible, because of course you obey a person you trust. You don't have to fuss and worry about whether this idea you have is or isn't a sin...just obey God. That's all.
But, you see, the problem is that most people want to keep control of their lives. So they decide, I will trust God as long as what he says doesn't conflict with what I think or want . In other words, they are not making God the center of their lives. They still want to be the center themselves, and be in charge. They want to judge God according to their own ideas or desires. They cannot trust God 100%, and therefore they see no reason to obey. So they decide, Well, now, I do believe most of what I have learned about God, but I don't believe that it is important to follow his rules about sex, or stealing, or helping people I don't like. So they "excuse" themselves from obeying those laws of God, and that means that they are not really trusting God to know best and to do what's best. They, again, want to put their own judgment in place of God's judgment and rules. And that is not trust, because there is no obedience, no accepting God's ways 100%.
Paul knew this very well. He understood clearly why human nature leads us into sin....it happens because we put our own ideas first, before God's ideas and laws. The reading today from the letter to Philemon illustrates this. Paul met this man, Onesimus, who was a slave of Philemon. It seems that Onesimus had stolen money or other things from Philemon and run away. Now, you know and I know and Paul knew, that Philemon would be very angry with Onesimus. Slaves are worth money, and when a slave ran away from his master, it was like stealing the cost of the slave. And then Onesimus had stolen money or other things too. Oh, Philemon must have been mad!
BUT: Paul had baptized Philemon, and so Philemon was supposed to behave according to what God and Jesus had taught. Remember? Turn the other cheek...don't get revenge...don't get even...treat everyone with respect. And, what's more, Paul had baptized Onesimus too! Christians are supposed to treat one another like brothers and sisters. So, Paul wrote to Philemon, and gave the letter to Onesimus to deliver, and he told Onesimus that he had to return to his master. And we had that letter read to us just now. Paul is asking Philemon to take Onesimus back, but not as a slave...as a beloved brother in Christ. He is asking Philemon to forgive Onesimus for the theft of the money or property. He even says that if Onesimus owes Philemon anything more, Paul will pay for it himself! Now you know and I know, just as Paul knew, that he was asking a lot from Philemon. All this that Paul asked would go against human nature, wouldn't it? But still, Paul asked Philemon to behave like a Christian should, accept Onesimus as a dear brother in Christ, and forgive all the wrongs he had done. Trust and obey, you see. Easy to decide, easy to say, not so easy to do.
Jesus knew this, too. He started explaining the decision to have faith in God with a very shocking comment. He said that if we decide to have faith in God, then God must be more important to us than even our own family! So, if your brother or sister shows up when you are getting ready to go to church, you don't stay home from church. You go, and take your family members with you! Or, if some relative wants you to do something that is against God's law, you must choose to follow God, not what your relative wants. That is hard! So Jesus used the examples of a man building a large building. The man would have to figure out what it cost and whether he could afford it, before he started. Otherwise, he would get the building started but maybe not have enough money to finish it. The same with a king who is thinking of going to war. First, the king needs to figure out if his army is going to be big enough and strong enough to win the war. If not, he's better off not starting the war in the first place...because all the other countries will laugh at him if he starts a war he cannot finish.
And so...we need to remember that believing in God means trusting him 100%, putting him first in our lives. And we need to stop and think: are we really prepared to put God ahead of our family and friends, our business and our money? Are we really ready to make God the center of our lives? Are we really ready to trust him and obey him, no matter what? Or would we be better off not trying to follow a God we cannot trust and obey? Amen.
