A Scholar's Parrot

All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you.
I never had a selfless thought since I was born.
I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through [. . .]

I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin:
I talk of love --a scholar's parrot may talk Greek--
But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.

The above excerpt is from a poem by C.S. Lewis called "As the Ruin Falls." It's no great poetic feat, at least by literary standards, but it is nevertheless a beautiful and sophisticated expression of a most common human frustration: the impossibility of selflessness. 

Just thinking about the word "selfless" for a few seconds reveals what a contradiction it is to our every instinct. Self-less. Without self. Truly selfless decisions aren't just decisions that put others' interests above our own (though, certainly, many are that as well). Selfless decisions are those we make without even taking ourselves into account. And I don't know about you, but I don't think I've ever actually acted in such a manner. I resonate deeply with the second line of Lewis's poem. The verse in Isaiah comparing our righteous acts to filthy rags suddenly makes a lot more sense. 

There's a reason why Jesus didn't just tell us to "love your neighbor." He had to add the qualifier "as yourself." Because the concept of loving someone just to love them is, tragically, something foreign to the human race. Not only do we have to be commanded to love others, but the very command has to be explained in terms of self. 

Maybe selflessness, in the purest sense of the word, is unattainable. Perhaps the best we can do, as fallen people, is not to eradicate selfishness completely, but rather to ignore it. To do "selfless" acts in the full knowledge that the quotation marks are absolutely necessary. In a way, it means more that we must forego our own desires for the sake of others. If we were able to completely remove ourselves from the equation, we would in doing so also remove the element of sacrifice. 

Christ demonstrates this in the Garden of Gethsemane. He, being fully man, felt the selfish impulse to flee from pain and death. He prayed that the Father might "take this cup." And then he added, "Thy will be done." Then He went to the cross, and bled, and died. If it had been easy - if Christ had been a cold, calculating individual who underwent purely physical pain and no emotional anguish - the sacrifice He made would not be what it is. 

When it's all said and done, maybe we are all like scholars' parrots. As parrots seem to be able to talk coherently, we seem to be able to be selfless. Perhaps neither are true. But if we really are parroting through life, let us parrot the greatest "scholar" we could choose - our Lord Himself. 

Fruit (sermon given 8/5)

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. - Galatians 5:19-25

I want to talk today about what it looks like to be a Christian. The word “Christian” comes from the Greek word Christianos, which literally means “follower of Christ.” Given that we have the example of Christ to follow, as it is set forth in the gospels, it seems like it ought to be easy to know how to live our lives as Christians. But if we look at the state of the world today, and at the state of the church, it’s plain to see that the so-called “body of Christ” is not in agreement on this. 

Christians disagree about everything from religion to politics to pop culture. I remember back in middle school youth group, I was part of a small group called “Hot Topics.” Basically, we were a bunch of hot-headed know-it-all kids arguing “intellectually” about issues ranging from whether women could be pastors to whether it was OK to listen to secular music to how far was “too far” to go physically in a dating relationship. And let me tell you, those debates raged like wildfires. Not only did everyone have a viewpoint, but everyone was absolutely convinced that his or her viewpoint was the right one. 

Now, as I’ve gotten older and experienced more civilized forums for theological, intellectual, and cultural debates, one thing has grown abundantly clear. Not much has changed. Adults, including adult Christians, disagree about these things just as fiercely as my middle school friends and I did. And this is never more apparent than just before a presidential election, with all of today’s “Hot Topics” being debated by politicians and journalists around the country. 

Don’t worry, my message really doesn’t have anything to do with politics. My point is that a huge amount of dissension and conflict exists in the church right now. Not that this is a new development. Christians have fought with each other since the church began. No wonder the secular world looks at the church with skepticism! Why, they ask, should they believe what we tell them to believe, when we don’t even agree? They call us hypocrites, and rightly so. 

In John 13:34-35, Jesus tells his disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” How much clearer could He have made it? We wonder what it looks like to be a Christ-follower. Well here is Christ, telling His followers how they are supposed to demonstrate His love to the rest of the world. It’s a simple command. But what kind of job have we done in obeying it? 

I’ve heard a lot of Christians talk about how difficult it can be to witness to the non-Christians in their lives. They share stories about being shut down when they try to invite a coworker to church, or not being able to talk about religion with their family members without starting a fight. In this day and age, these issues have been compounded by legal restrictions on religious expression all across the board. How, we wonder, are we supposed to share the gospel in such conditions? 

Once again, there is no better place to look for answers than Scripture. In the time of the early church, Christians were imprisoned and even killed for publicly proclaiming the gospel. Of the 12 disciples alone, over half were either crucified, stoned, or stabbed to death for their faith. When the apostle Paul wrote the book of Galatians, listing the fruits of the Spirit, he was writing to a church in distress. A church made up of Christians that didn’t know how to live out their faith in the oppressive society of the day. 

Sunday school children, myself included, sing a song about how “the fruits of the Spirit are: love joy, peace and patience... .” But this passage of Scripture isn’t supposed to be a cute jingle or trite catchphrase. In fact, I believe it is in many ways the key to unifying the church and sharing God’s love with the world, as we are commanded to do. In contrast to the works of the flesh, “the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against these things there is no law.” Against these things there is no law. We skipped over that last part back in Sunday school, but it is absolutely integral to Paul’s message. 

We may not be allowed to pray corporately in schools. We may be discouraged from saying “merry Christmas.” As time goes on, we may well be faced with more serious religious restrictions. But love - showing such compassion for others that we put their desires and needs above our own. Joy - outwardly expressing the hope we have in salvation no matter what the circumstances. Peace - seeking to live in harmony with each other. Patience - forgiving others when they hurt us, and giving second chances. Kindness - caring for other people and their physical and emotional needs. Goodness - living honest and upright lives, submitting to the authorities placed over us. Faithfulness - remaining steadfast in our devotion to God and others. Gentleness - acting in humility, always accepting and never condemning. And self control - keeping our attitudes in check, and curbing our sinful nature. Paul is right. These things will always be allowed. 

Yet they will also always be radical. Because they are in such direct opposition with what people expect of each other. We wonder how we are supposed to live as Christ followers. Well, this is how. We shock the world with the fruits of the Spirit. We love each other until they can’t help but ask, what is wrong with those people? Why would anyone put the good of others above their own desires, when absolutely no personal gain is involved?

I’m not saying we should stop talking about our faith, or stop telling people about Jesus vocally. But as the old maxim goes, actions speak louder than words. Or as the old hymn puts it, they will know we are Christians by our love.