| June 20
- June 20, 2010
The thing about proverbs is they're easy to remember. Concise, pithy, tried-&-true sayings garnered from the wisdom of everyday experience. Some have been around awhile, but those that have survived the ravages of time, continue to be true in every age. Like "Money doesn't grow on trees." Or "the family that prays together stays together." Or "Train up a child in the right way, and when they grow old, they will not stray away." But I've known parents who did their dead‑level best to bring their kids up right, and still have them turn out bad. There's always this little matter of “freedom” to reckon with. We're not robots.
So I've never put too much stock in the Book of Proverbs, because it always struck me as being on a long trip in the car with your mother! Moralistic, pietistic, legalistic or trite; though much of the time…true. But old people love dispensing proverbial wisdom to our young. "Father knows best." Stands to reason that they know better because you haven't been there yet." But the catch is, "there" is never the same. This one I attribute to my patron sinner, Richard Pryor: "You don't get ol' bein' no fool!" There’s a lot of “wise guys” walking around, but they'll never be old! I guess old people love proverbs because it makes us feel needed. It gives the impression that the accumulation of years actually teaches you something! But then: "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." So much for experience, right?
Have you noticed how profitable books on proverbs are? “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” or the cutesy little “Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten.” Pure heresy! It seems to me this fluff is exactly what’s wrong with the world. Too many people stunted at the kindergarten level of education! It lets us keep people in their place: "A woman's place is in the home!" But proverbs are popular today because they appeal to those who don't like to think deeply about anything too much.
Historically, proverbs sprout-up during times when cultures are chaotic, when things are coming unglued and old verities are being questioned. When people don't know which way to turn, invariably, we look for some know-it-all messiah to tell everybody else “what’s what.” Biblical Proverbs are the product of elders who love their young enough to show them “what worked for them.” They affirm that life has some answers and you don't have to “reinvent the wheel” in each generation.
Makes me feel uneasy though. Not because it's hard to tell people “what works” for you, but because most of us have lived long enough to see for ourselves how the world works. And it’s different for each of us. Show me somebody who believes "All I need to know I learned in kindergarten" and I'll show you somebody who’s severely limited to live in this world. "Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise." Maybe. Maybe not. The appeal of proverbs is they offer a simplistic, dependable kind of wisdom: "if‑you‑do‑this‑then‑you'll‑always‑get‑that" kind of world. That doesn’t exist.
So how does our text for Father's Day stack up against the wisdom of the world? "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, a reputation is better than silver or gold." Now there’s one for you! How valuable is a good name? Everybody has the same choice -- between a good name and a fat bank account. Give anybody that choice? It’s a no-brainier! The “sages of the ages” say a “good reputation” is worth more than lots of money. Two distinct ways a person can take in life. But the corporate world scoffs. Jesus “made himself of no reputation,” and we haven’t caught up with him yet!
The Chaplain at Duke University tells about an idealistic student, who majored in "Urban Studies" and spent a couple of years working with inner city families. After awhile in the ghetto, he “ burned out,” and came back for a law degree: "I've wasted two years of my life in the inner city. I've gotta face facts. So much for idealism. I'm changing my major to economics to get in step with ... "the way the world works." What counts in the world is: Prestige. Power. Wealth. Status. Popularity. If there is any free time left over after trying to gain these things, then work on your reputation. That's how the world works.
Billionaire Donald Trump makes no bones about it. He didn’t choose the good-name path but he's famously rich; and made a name for himself; but whether it's “good” or not -- that’s up for grabs. Think of all the billionaires out there today. I don't recall a good name among them. Because most of them don't care whether they have a good name or not. They’re too interested in helping themselves to the goodies. Think of the name Tiger Woods. Or Mary Campbell.
And here we are in church, confronted by an ancient proverb: "A good name is better than riches." It’s an assault on conventional wisdom. Where’s the wisdom in coming to church to listen to the preacher de-construct what the world says is true every minute of every day -‑ “a good name is worth more than silver or gold?” Conventional wisdom restates what everybody already believes. It affirms our prejudices. And the church teaches subversive wisdom, advocating open rebellion against the ways of the world. Two ways. The way of the world and the way of wisdom. The way of selfishness; the way of integrity. They both can't be right.
I have the good fortune of being surrounded by lots of people to whom a good name matters more than being rich. They’ll never raise this question in Washington. Church is the only place you'll be confronted by it. And be challenged to give an answer. Yet people continue to spurn the wisdom of the ages; choosing dumb things, and then wonder why their lives are messed up!
You can’t help but notice how people are messing up their bodies, using them as billboards these days. Messages on their chests and arms. Tatoos are in. T‑shirts‑advertising what those who wear them stand for. Think of what it would be like to come across somebody wearing these words: "A good name is better than cash!" Can you imagine how naïve you'd look in light of the competing ideas of our time with that message on your bumper? "The bigger the burger the better the burger."
Jesus had some pretty good proverbs. "What does it profit it you gain the whole world and lose your soul?" Sounds like Jesus had been reading Proverbs. He quoted one when he got run out of town for his preaching. “A prophet is not without honor... except in his hometown.” The Bible frames this as a choice each of us has. You can choose a good name and what it takes to get it and keep it. Or you can run off after riches and what it takes to get there.
Somebody says well why not both? Not on your life. "You cannot serve God and mammon," said Jesus. It's one or the other. Not all paths taken in life come out at the same place. The Bible says the path that leads to a good name is better than the road to riches, power, and all the stature the world has to offer. The path to riches is "broad and wide. And many there be that take it. But narrow is the gate that leads to eternal life, and few there be that find it.” The “cap & gown bunch” will have to decide which road to take: to accumulate a large pile of stuff that belongs to them; or spend their lives belonging to something worthwhile.
But I've heard some things said about people in our church that indicate which path they have chosen. "She can be counted on, through thick or thin." Or "he’s a kind and generous person." These are everyday affirmations of our proverb about the value of character and a good name. My question this Father’s Day is, what is our religion doing to our character? Everybody has a name. Not everybody has character. Our name was given to us at birth. We didn't choose it and it doesn’t take much to lose it. Our only choice is to make it mean something. The way I figure it, we have only a few important choices to make in a single lifetime, with thousands of lesser ones. Most of them are made before we're 30. What do you want from life? Who would you like to be like when you're 65? Will it matter what I was?
And then we have the world’s latest attempt at another sitcom episode. 16 year old Abby Sunderland took a boat trip around the world. Ostensibly to break a world record. But I wonder about her father. When fathers push their kids to break records, risking their lives for fame and a possible TV show, that’s what’s glorified today.
By contrast, may the church give us fathers that invoke maturity when our kids lack it; helping them figure out the difference between a dream and a fantasy. Someplace has to imbue our Dads with the courage to set limits instead of “taking it to the limit.” Fathers who’re not only somebody to “lean on,” but somebody who makes “leaning unnecessary!”
In the Old Testament story of the “tower of Babel,” the motivator was “to make a name for ourselves.” And we see where that got ‘em! There’s a price for arrogance. One of the 10 commandments is: “Thou shalt not take God’s name in vain.” There’s a price for that too. It fell to Joseph to name Jesus. But character is the best thing a father can give to his children. Joseph gave Jesus a good name: “he shall save the world from its sins.” What a name! But Jesus took it and made it mean something even better. Because he “made himself of no reputation,” but he made the world a better place. Now let us go and do likewise.
Providence Prayers (June 20, 2010)
We are grateful for the sacrifices others have made on our behalf. Remind us of our indebtedness to our fathers and the important role they play in our world. Bless all who strive to be good fathers, faithful, responsible, supportive. Show us in this worship the value of having a good name, that character is priceless, it cannot be bought or sold. May we never take lightly our inheritance and the life and opportunity that stems from that, which has been entrusted to us to leave to others better than we found it.
We pray for those with special needs for courage: the bereaved, the unemployed, the retired, the divorced, whose homes are not a happy place, and those most affected by the Gulf Oil leak; and those who’ve lived too long to live well. May this worship remind us that if we intend to take Thy kingdom seriously, we can never take our homes lightly. Be to all of us a present help in time of need. And may we always try to help others find God, by showing them ... Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. Back |
