Epiphany 6 C Look at Yourself
Epiphany 6 C Look at YourselfFebruary 15, 1998By Rev. Ernest F. Campbell
“Look at yourself!”“Just look at yourself!”
I wonder how many of us have been confronted by these arresting words? Depending on the tone
of voice and the facial expression that accompany them, they usually are interpreted to mean that
something about us is out of line.
I remember when I joined the Cub Scouts, standing proudly in front of my dad in my brand-new
uniform. Mom had just finished sewing on all the insignia. My Father, who was an old army
man, looked me up and down and said, “Very neat, but what about your shoes?” I was wearing
my every-day oxfords with crepe soles showing serious scuff marks. In fact, “scuff” would have
been a more accurate description of the color than the original brown. Once my dad had me
focused, he made his point, “Your shoes are a part of the uniform.” At age nine I had never given
that connection a thought.
Isn’t it true that we often need an objective point-of-view in order to “see” ourselves. Even if I
had stood in front of a full-length mirror, I doubt that I would have seen how my un-shined shoes
worked as a distraction. As important as it may be, it is not easy to “just look at yourself!”
As I watch the Olympic athletes perform with such strength and grace, I have noticed that just a
few feet from the action, stands their coach. It is the responsibility of the coach, through the eyes
of their knowledge and experience, to allow the athlete to “see” themselves. It is also the
responsibility of the coach to make the athlete accountable. A video tape of an athlete’s
performance will show them their mistakes, but it will not tell them how they might be fixed.
Nor will the video tape praise the athlete when there is improvement. The coach is there to
motivate the athlete to reach for their personal best.
Anyone that skis will tell you that it’s a lot more fun and much safer if you take a few lessons.
“Know-it-alls” ….. don’t…..know it all.
Ex) When our son Dave started to ski, I told him that two things were important. How to turn
and how to stop. Dave was sure that if he took the time to learn how to turn and stop, that he
would waste a whole day of skiing. I prayed that he would live through all the “face dives” until
he would hear someone say…. “Look at yourself! You would do yourself, and everyone skiing
on this mountain, a big favor if you would learn how to turn and stop.”
When you think about it, most of the lessons we really learn in life come as a result of seeing
ourselves and our actions from a different perspective. And, even though there are times when
this mentoring is a bit annoying: “Did you wash your hands? – “Have you fed the dog?” – “Is
your homework finished?” We can be grateful for the loving persistence and patience of those
who want others to love us as MUCH as they love us. How sweet it is when parents hear others
speak well of their children.
When Jesus walked the earth, He helped us see our human potential from a divine perspective. It
was God saying; this is what human beings can be when we stay in relationship. As a result, it
was said of His disciple, “See, they have turned the world upside down.”
Can we humans ever learn to love one another? Jesus said, “You have heard it said, an eye for an
eye, but I say (and here is the radically different perspective), I say, love your enemies, do good
to those that hate you. If someone strikes you on the cheek…. turn the other cheek. When a
despised Roman soldier commands you to carry his pack the required mile… carry it an extra
mile.
I submit to you that none of these radical, divine perspectives make for an easy sell. When I first
hear, “Turn the other cheek” as a child, I thought… “yeah; That’s not the way it works on our
playground!” we humans can’t or won’t process the concept that might allow another human
being think they are better than we are.
But look at us…. To make sure that we appear to be in control, we attempt to be the dominators.
I’m faster, stronger, smarter than you are… any day pal!
But look at us… To make sure that we are not dominated, we become the dominators. Then,
those we think we can dominate resent it, and they push back. We become like two wrestlers in
the sea…trying to push each other down. That’s what our daily news is all about.
Worldly kingdoms and worldly organizations operate under the system of domination. By our
superior strength, we have, by any means, learned to grasp for control in the long run there are
no winners.
Ozymandias [a sonnet written by poet, Percy Shelley in 1818]
I met a traveler from an antique land
who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
and wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
tell that its sculptor well those passions read
which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
the hand that mocked them and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal these words appear;
“My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
No thing beside remains. Round the decay
of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
the lone and level sands stretch far away.
In His sermon on the mount, Jesus is trying to show us another way. He is giving us a different
perspective.
O the bliss of the person who has realized their own utter helplessness, and who has learned to
put their whole trust in God.
O the bliss of the man whose heart is broken for the world suffering, and for his own sin. For out
of his sorrow, he will find the joy of God.
O the bliss of the man who hungers and thirst for Gods goodness, for they shall be satisfied.
Rejoice if men hate you. If we want to live for God, we must be ready to say and do what seems
strange to the world. We must be willing to give when other take, to love when others hate, and
to help when others abuse. I don’t know if you see the same thing I see, but I see people who are
willing to spend huge amounts of money, and unbelievable amounts of physical energy to prove
themselves right. We used to do it with pistols and ten paces at dawn – now we do it with law
suits, and millions of dollars of attorney’s fees.
What did the Lord God say to Jeremiah? [Jeremiah 17:5-10]
Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals
and make mere flesh their strength,
whose hearts turn away from the Lord.
They shall be like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see when relief comes.
They shall live in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
Blessed are those who trust in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.
They shall be like a tree planted by water,
sending out its roots by the stream.
It shall not fear when heat comes,
and its leaves shall stay green;
in the year of drought, it is not anxious,
and it does not cease to bear fruit.
Jesus is inviting us to sink our roots into the living waters of His wisdom and love, and there find
our strength in the strength of the Lord.
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