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Mark Wheeler
Titus 3:1-8
“How to Talk Politics – and Why”
02/09/2020
Lidgerwood Presbyterian Church
Through the Written Word,
And the spoken word,
May we know Your Living Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
As we start today, Ima promising that this is not a politically motivated sermon – but with that said:
Who here watched the State of the Union Address last Monday? Not really surprising at all – the usual exaggerated claims of self-aggrandizement that every president does during a SotU speech – maybe a little more, because, you know, President Trump.
Followed quickly by the Speaker of the House literally ripping that speech up, page by page, in front of the Nation!
Half the attendees standing and applauding at every pause – half the attendees staying seated and scowling throughout the whole 78-minutes!
The next day, facing two charges of criminal activity leading to impeachment, with every Democrat’s verdict coming in as guilty on both charges – and every Republican’s verdict (save one) as not guilty!
Social Media and TV and newspaper reports giving only their own side of the stories. We are so divided as a nation! Thanksgiving Dinner tables this last year were more fierce than ever before. I am not looking forward to the 2020 dirty, mean-spirited campaigning that’s already begun!
During this season between Christmas and Lent, January and February, we are looking at Paul’s letter to Titus, the Church Pastor on the Island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea.
Titus is Paul’s spiritual son whom Paul assigned there to encourage these church members who were better at professing the Christian faith than they were at practicing it. They said they believed it, but they did not live like they believed it!
After this letter’s greeting, we learned that God expects/demands blamelessness and living in congruity with our words and with God’s Word. And then we saw that every generation of Christian has the responsibility of teaching “sound doctrine” to the next generation. So that in every way we will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive … to all people everywhere!
Today’s passage is takes a turn toward how Christians are to live in a world that may not be Christ-led. Listen for Paul’s instructions on both following our leaders, and influencing them.
Hear the Word of God, Titus 3:1-8 …. —-
1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
In chapter 1 we read two main activities for the soon-to-be ordained leaders in the churches on Crete: 1) encourage others by sound doctrine and 2) refute those who oppose it. The beginning of chapter 2 instructs the family leaders to teach this same sound doctrine in their households. And we saw that every Christian leads someone somewhere and that this book is therefore meant for all of us. And chapter 3 suggests that we are not only members of our households but also citizens of communities in this world.
Verse 1 clearly states that citizens of our political systems have two responsibilities: obediently submit to our authorities – but not in a simple-minded kowtowing to presidents, kings, or dictators kind of way – because the second responsibility is to do what is good! When our leaders are “bad” we are to submit to our more ultimate Authority – the King of kings and Lord of lords – and then be ready to do what is good!
This gives us permission, godly responsibility even, to reject political leaders’ words in order to honor and follow God’s Word! I believe this teaches that Christians are not simply to be “ruled” but are to be eager, active, even creative participants in the political order.
Part of “doing good” involves how we treat our fellow travelers in this life. The Ten Commandments include 6 which tell us how to love others as we love ourselves. Paul, in this letter, says that that means never “bad mouthing” each other – no slandering others, being peaceable and considerate, and, what the NIV translates as, being gentle toward everyone! To whom are we to be gentle, kind, and well-speaking? All people – these are the same “all people” that chapter 2 tells us to whom God offers salvation.
In the same way that God’s love wants all people to be saved, so is the community of faith to exemplify “for all people” the qualities of character consistent with that salvation.
Paul is quick to add that these are things we cannot do on our own. Verse 3 lists a litany of loser qualities we all live under: we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. Paul includes himself in this category. The implication is that everyone is in this category.
But verses 4-8 tell us that when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. … so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Clearly, when Christ calls us as His own, not because we are good enough and deserving, but as we remember each month at Communion, out of His grace and mercy He saves us. And in our “washing of rebirth” – our baptism – and “renewal by His Holy Spirit”, when He does that for us, He expects our lives to reflect His gift of salvation!
These Cretan Christians claimed to know God, but by their actions they deny Him (1:16). Our lives reflect our faith. If we believe, our lives reflect His love and mercy.
In Matthew 18:33 Jesus tells a parable about a servant whose giant debt to his master was cancelled, but when a fellow servant owed that first servant a miniscule debt, he refused to cancel that tiny debt! The master says, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you?!”
Our doing what is good demonstrates that we know what God has done for us!
In a minute we install our new Deacons and Elders – this is a commemoration of these people’s baptisms. Listen to the vows they take because they include the doing of good things, fulfilling what Christ does in us!
The words “the kindness and love of God our Savior” is literally the “philanthropia”, the philanthropy, the “love for humankind” that God offers is now also ours to offer others. Rather than to hate and be hated we too can show love to all people!
Some Christians and Christian traditions want to protect their members by creating and then only giving patronage within Christian circles. Monasteries and Christian schools, Christian medicine, Christian jewelry, Christian rock music – and nothing else. Remain separate from everything not-Christian, they say.
Paul’s teaching, here and throughout his letters, is the opposite! “Be in the world, but not of it!” is how Jesus talks about it in John 17. In Romans 12:2 Paul says to not conform to the ways of this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds through Christ Jesus our Lord! In Titus, Paul says that God gives us what we need by faith in Christ Jesus to do good as a reflection of His loving kindness to us!
He wants these Cretan Christians to learn authentically human behavior – Christ-like behavior – from the gift of God itself!
We are called to live and work within the real, messy, complex structures of the political process as those who actually can “do good deeds”, because we are shaped by the gift of God!
The Holy Spirit really does transform our consciousness, really does give us capacities we did not have before!
Have you heard the story about the new widower who is caught by his daughter weeding the garden?
Turns out, his wife had had a garden – her garden, not his – that she loved. Flowers, herbs, veggies. Big, beautiful garden. Her garden. He hated gardening, but the wife loved it!
In her senior years, she developed some health problems and physical handicaps that didn’t allow her very much time in her beloved garden – so she instructed her husband to weed her garden, to water it, and to cultivate it as needed. The husband hated gardening – but he loved his wife, so he did what she told him to do. And boy did she told him how to tend this garden! She told him when to tend this garden. She told him why to tend this garden.
And he tended her beloved garden.
But now she’s gone. Their daughter says to the dad, “Dad, Mom’s gone. You don’t need to do this chore any more.”
And the newly widowed dad answers, “Oh honey, it’s not a chore. It was never a chore. When Mom was here, this was my gift to her. Tending this garden now means that I can still give this to her – and I can still feel her love through my gift.”
We do not have to all agree on which political party is the best – we do not have to agree on Presidential platforms or party lines or policies or laws! We, as followers of Christ, owe it to God Himself to do our darned best to listen for His Word to guide our voting and our conscience, and to reflect His love and mercy by being loving and merciful in our political debates.
Like returning His gift to us by doing what pleases Him.
That’s how to talk politics – and that’s why! In order to reflect God’s ideals, and because out of His love for us we can show grace to each other.
Amen?
Resources:
Johnson, Luke Timothy; 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus; John Knox Press; Atlanta, GA; 1987; Pp. 132-139.
NIV Study Bible; www.biblica.com/resources/scholar-notes/niv-study-bible/intro-to-titus/.
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