Christian Convicts

Finding enough evidence to convict us of Christianity

03/08/2017

Luke 11:29-32 While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah. Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here. At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here."

          Boys and girls, is your religion real or is it fake? You know how to bless yourself with holy water (that’s good), but do you turn around and curse others with your words and actions (that’s bad). I once heard it put this way: if you were ever arrested and accused of being a Christian, would there be any evidence to convict you? Do you conduct yourself in a way that is clearly and unconditionally Christian?

          Maybe this little joke will help drive home the point. During an ecumenical gathering (meaning a meeting of difference denominations), a secretary rushed in shouting, “The building is on fire!” The Methodists gathered in a corner and prayed. The Baptists passed the plate to cover the damage. The Catholics cried, “Where’s the holy water??” The Lutherans posted a notice on the door declaring the fire was evil. The Jews posted symbols on the door hoping the fire would pass over them. The Fundamentalists proclaimed, “It’s the vengeance of God!” The Presbyterians appointed a chairperson who was to appoint a committee to look into the matter and submit a written report. Finally, the secretary grabbed the fire extinguisher and put the fire out. That’s what I mean about real religion: it makes a real difference. Sometimes our religion gets in the way of reality.

          In the gospel today, Jesus complains about how the Jews practiced their faith (or failed to practice it); Jesus felt it was a “fake faith” and not “real religion.” He cites two examples – the queen of the south and the Ninevites – who were more faithful to the God of Israel than the Israelites themselves were. Both the queen and the Ninevites believed the prophets of God and changed their lives, while the Jews killed the prophets and behaved even worse than before the prophets preached to them. In other words, there was more evidence of real religion in the queen and the Ninevites than even in the Jews, who were God’s “Chosen People.” The Jews had a “fake faith.”

          Boys and girls, this morning I want you to consider your Christianity and ask yourself: is my Christianity “real religion” or is it a “fake faith”? Could I ever be convicted of being a Christian, could I be a “Christian convict”! And I want to throw out this challenge to our 9th graders in particular. More than the 7th graders and the 8th graders, you’ve had the privilege to be at Trinity now for about 3 years. Have you grown in your faith, become real leaders, given good example, in short could you be “Christian convicts” because there’s plenty of evidence for it? I’m happy to say, “Yes, yes, you have!” The way you interact with each other and care for each other, the sportsmanship you show in basketball, the community service your eagerly perform. That’s not “fake faith,” but rather “real religion.” I’m very proud of you 9th graders.

          But that does not mean you’re perfect; you still act like a bunch of knuckle-heads. You still have room to grow, especially as leaders of this school. Some of you may be tempted to use your size and strength and smarts to bully the smaller 7th and 8th graders. That would be “fake faith.” Indeed, sometimes it seems the 7th and 8th graders are like the queen of the south and the Ninevites who have more real religion than our 9th graders do, because our 9th graders sometimes parade around campus as if they were “the Chosen People” the “big man on campus.” I would rather you 9th graders be “Christian convicts” because you show evidence of your faith, than think you’re “the Chosen people,” who rest on their laurels and titles and show no leadership.

          My dear 9th graders, use the remaining 3 months of your years at Trinity to prove you are the leaders of this school.  John Maxwell, a leadership expert, said that every leader of a group always carries two buckets: one bucket filled with water and the other bucket filled with gasoline. When he or she comes across a fire in the organization, he or she must decide which bucket to throw on the fire: one will extinguish the fire, while the other will make it rage out of control. In the next few months there will be fires that pop up here and there at Trinity, and as 9th grader leaders use your water bucket to put the fire out. More than putting out fires, you will show evidence of real religion, and you could be convicted as a Christian.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!