Sermon – 07-02-23 – Proper 8 – Cycle A
Scripture: Jeremiah 28:5-9; Psalm 89:1-4, 15-18; Romans 6:12-23; Matthew 10:40-42
Sermon Title: “Where Are We On The Spectrum of Holiness?”

I need to say it depends on which day it is. It also depends on which meeting I just left. It depends on the circumstances of the day. What is the “spectrum of holiness” anyway? You know how medical people ask us “How bad is your pain on a scale of 1-10?” That is the spectrum, a scale. Pain happens to us. It is not so much in our control. Holiness is more in our control. Holiness is how we act or re-act to God’s laws and to Jesus’ interpretation of God’s law.

I am tempted to blame, or give credit for, my holiness level on my parents. However, our present holiness level should not be blamed on our parents. Our state of holiness is dependent on our current relationship with God as Father, with God as Jesus, with God as Holy Spirit.

Our Holiness level is relative to how we perceive God present with us, the quantity of times we think of God, and the quality of our thoughts and feelings. How soon after we wake each morning do we think about God? Is God the first thing on our mind? What kind of music moves around in our mind? What kind of songs do we sing when we are not in church? What kind of movies or television shows do we watch? How do we act when we are angry? How often are we angry?

Is our praying a memorized prayer, which can be a good thing, or is our praying spontaneous from our hearts more than our minds? Do we have a balance between praying for ourselves and praying for other people or situations? Have we asked God to handle a situation and we are amazed at how the situation went from anger-producing to calm discussion and resolution?

Have we trusted God with our finances? Do we give to help other people and to keep our church moving forward in service to others from the top of our weekly or monthly income? Are we ready to help other people at the first sign of need? Do we ask God to manage the words that fly from our lips? Do we smile instead of frown?

Our scriptures today speak of “righteousness.” Both Paul and Jesus are using the word “righteousness.” I am using the word “holiness.” Righteousness implies living in obedience to rules. Holiness, in my thinking, goes beyond following rules. Holiness is our relationship with God not because God listed rules and we are following them as best as we are able. Holiness is finding what works in relationship with people and with God. Holiness comes from within us, not imposed from the outside. Holiness is noticing how God serves us as we serve him.

Holiness is wanting to look for the goodness in the world and building on that so that the ugliness of the world has little room to grow.

Now, if we are thinking of the scale or the spectrum of holiness where would we place ourselves? Did I catch us thinking of a horizontal measuring line? I caught myself. Holiness is a line between ourselves and God so the measuring line should probably be vertical. Does God occupy most of your thoughts in a day? Place yourself very close to the top.

Do you find anger or sadness or filthy language or negativism occupying a lot of your day? Place yourself near the bottom of the scale.

How can we change? How can we move up the scale? We may need professional medical and psychological help. We may need the guidance of someone who is enjoying life near the top of the scale of holiness. We definitely need to depend on the grace of God, not the wrath of God. We need to accept God’s forgiveness and love as he says to each of us, “Come, come closer.” The miracle is that God is with us every step of the way up this path. God loves us with a deep and everlasting love.