Serenity and wholeness in life with God Step 4

Pentecost 15 year B Sermon 12  
 Looking in the mirror

Did you ever dream a mirror... could be a spiritual tool...
a tool for finding serenity and wholeness...in life with God?

Well the author of James just gave us a clue that it could.

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But be doers of the Word, not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

For if any are hearers of the Word and not doers,

they’re like those who look at themselves in a mirror;

and when they walk away...
they immediately forget what they were like. [pause]

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I forget what I look like all the time.

This is particularly convenient when you’re over 60…
I go around feeling… thirty five maybe...but….whoa…

that’s not what the mirror tells me.
And the mirror… can be sobering.

Of course the author of James...
wants us to understand the mirror...metaphorically.
Wants us to recognise.... how important it is...

to have a clear understanding...of who we are....

and what we’re really like… warts and all…

and above all...wants us to compare what we see...
with the standard set for us by Jesus Christ…
the Word of God made flesh. [pause]

Of course… looking in the metaphorical mirror…
taking stock…making a courageous and honest
inventory of ourselves… is much easier…
when we’ve mastered the first three steps…

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of the twelve... we’ve been learning to take…
toward serenity and wholeness... in life with God.
Twelve spiritual tools we’re learning…
which come from the life and teaching of Jesus… [pause]

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In taking the first step… we learn wisdom to pray for
that we might discern… what is and isn’t
within in our power to control.

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Taking the second...we seek the restoration that comes from God...believing…
that God can and will restore us to wholeness.

In these two steps… we admit something about ourselves ...

and we accept something about God.

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And then last week we learned… to practise the surrender…
of the third step… [pause]

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And we begin the life long process...of turning our will and our lives…

over to the care of God revealed in Jesus Christ.

And we understand the third step isn’t once and for all...

because in our human frailty...we have to work at it...
over and over again… praying every day…
in every situation … to be open to God’s guidance…

Taking action of course…making plans of course…

placing those we love into the care of God… of course...

Trusting as the prophet promised...there will be a voice behind us saying...this is the way...walk in it...

Trusting that even if we stuff up…
God can work for good… out of any situation

Practise practise practise…disciplined practise …[pause]

spiritual discipline. [pause]

And so having turned our will and our lives over
to the love and care of God…

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Now we have the faith and courage…
to look at ourselves in the mirror...
and so we’re ready to take Step four

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And we reflect …honestly and fearlessly

on our own behaviour and motives... past and present.

As it says in the book of Lamentations,

 'Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the LORD.'

Only when we look into our own hearts…
can we begin to see ourselves as God sees us...
lovable… and flawed.

And we admit as reality...what Jesus makes clear…in our reading today…that it’s not from outside us...
but from within… that evil intentions come...
and that failure to honestly examine ourselves...
only leads us… deeper into sin.

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In the book Glittering Images…Christian novelist, Susan Howatch...

tells the story of a married Bishop in the Anglican Church...

a man so certain of his righteousness and self-control...
that when a very attractive and emotionally vulnerable young woman…flirts with him aninvites him out for lunch

… to discuss matters of faith of course…

The Bishop accepts her invitation without a second thought.

And just as leaves the house to keep the appointment...
he looks in the mirror alright…to adjust his clerical collar and the angle of his hat…and then… full of unreflective self-confidence...

the Bishop gives the Bible on the foyer table
a thoughtful tap...and steps out the door…
and straight into peril. [pause]

At such moments we’re so blinded…
by the shining image of our own self-righteousness …
we just aren't interested in seeing ourselves clearly...

But I assure you… had the bishop taken the fourth step toward serenity and wholeness in life with God...
he may never have agreed… to meet that…
vulnerable young woman when and where he did... [pause]

You see…without a searching and fearless inventory
of our lives…we’re much more likely to fall into sin...
and hurt other people and ourselves…

without a searching and fearless inventory of our lives
we have no idea of our part in what happened in the past
and like the Bishop...we can’t see our part
in what’s about to happen…

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Thankfully Paul reminds us that we all fall short
of the glory of God...{adlib arrow target and anomie]

it’s a human condition that affects us all… you might even call it a family disease… and that’s because our failure to examine and admit… our own part in what’s gone wrong... affects not only our own life…
but the lives of those we love... [pause]

So where do we begin to take Step 4?

First reveal

We’ll its actually very simple… Today we're going to get a head start on the process and get our tool kit ready.
First we take a fresh clean piece of paper like the one you got as you came in today... and fold a quarter of it toward you like this.

Now turn the paper over and work on the unfolded side.
At the top write 'my searching and fearless inventory' …

under the title draw a line right down the middle.

And underneath that... label the left side ‘hitting the target well’

 ….and now label the right side ‘missing the target badly’

And that's the good news...in taking the 4th step...

we have to look honestly at our assets too...not just our liabilities ...the good we've done as well as the harm. Otherwise we can’t see ourselves as God does...loveable and flawed.

We have to do both sides because some of us think everything that goes wrong is our fault…and others of us think… everything that goes wrong… is someone else’s fault. Without God’s help we see only part of the truth. We deceive ourselves…we betray ourselves…and honesty my friends is the cornerstone of serenity and wholeness in life with God.

Now turn the paper over and at the top of the blank column write the title…'significant people and events in my life'. Ok that’s your tool kit prepared.

Second reveal

The next thing you do when you leave church today is to schedule an appointment with God… set aside time…
to fill in the list of significant people and events in your life and on this list you must include God Father son and Holy Spirit…and you must include yourself.

Maybe it takes you ten minutes a day for a month.
Or maybe you book in a weekend retreat and do it…but as a spiritual discipline you make time just to make this list.

When your list is finished…and of course you can always add bits in if you forget anything…
when the list is finished…

Third reveal

you pray deeply and sincerely that God will open your heart and your mind as you read carefully over your list.

And we pray for Gods help…because we know that
without it...we just won’t see ourselves clearly in the mirror.

Now comes the final part of step four…we honestly and fearlessly identify our own contribution to the good and the harm in the lives of each person on the list including God and ourselves…in every significant event in our lives....
[whew] that’s why we pray first…of course…

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the process isn’t easy…taking the fourth step may take weeks and months or even years. Once some people get started
they don’t want to stop till it’s all done…but most of us are too busy to do it in one go.

But when we’ve completed this step…we are ready for step five. And the good news is we don’t have to do it again…

it’s done… [pause]  And if you think you’ve done it already…then good for you…it won’t take you very long at all.

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Now you can see why it’s important to take the first three steps… before attempting the fourth … because without these earlier spiritual tools…
we wouldn’t have the humility or the trust …
in God’s power to restore us.
We have given up the illusion of control

and we have stopped taking everyone else’s inventory…

This wisdom we’ve already gained sets us free…
to focus on our own restoration…as we surrender our will and our lives to the care of God.

And in Letting Go and Letting God…
we give others the freedom to look in their own mirror.

And we ourselves are free in light of God’s love for us…
to reflect fearlessly on our own lives…

as we pursue a pure heart…

And as Jesus’ promised:  

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Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God!

Let us pray the Lord’s Prayer together once more.