Do No Harm
So, I'm doing this sermon series on Reuben Job's Three Simple Rules. I did an introductory sermon last week, and I have to admit that it didn't look like I was getting a lot of response. Of course, it frequently looks that way. Anyway, so this week we're looking at the first rule: Do No Harm. That's really a much more complicated question than it appears to be. Like so many rules it appears easy, but like ripples on a pond it has effects that move outward much farther than you would expect. What does it really mean to do no harm to others--not just by deed, but by word and thought. I especially think of all the people I know who are so quick to say critical things about other people. I remember a time in my own life when I actively turned my back on living a Christian life because I didn't want to abide by that rule. Being snarky is so much more fun than being nice. And what about all the people, especially those in public life, who think that it's OK to be as critical and destructive as possible in the right cause. When exactly did it become OK not just to win, but to destroy anyone who disagreed with you. And how can anyone honestly believe that such behavior is ever OK for someone who claims to be a Christian? Honestly, sometimes Christians do more harm to the faith than any enemy the church has or has ever had. We have much to repent for.
Oh well, just a few beginning thoughts--and I haven't even begun to talk about not harming God's world, either.