A Sermon by Pastor Tom Lacey . . .

I WISH TO BE PERFECT

Matthew 19:16-30, Preached at Congregational Church of Boca Raton, March 9, 2008

Several men are in the locker room of a golf club. A cell phone on a bench rings and a man engages the hands free speaker function and begins to talk. Everyone else in the room stops to listen. "Hello." "Honey, it's me. Are you at the club?" "Yes." "I am at the mall now and found this beautiful leather coat. It's only $1,000. Is it OK if I buy it?" "Sure, go ahead if you like it that much." "I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new 2008 models. I saw one I really liked." "Really, go for it." "Thank you honey." "Make sure you get it with all the options!" "Great! Oh, and one more thing .... The house we wanted last year is back on the market." "Well, then go ahead and give them an offer." "OK. I'll see you later! I love you!" "Bye, I love you, too." The man hangs up. The other men in the locker room are looking at him in astonishment. Then he asks, "Anyone know whose phone this is?" It’s easy to be perfect, if it doesn’t cost you anything.

Our text is about being perfect. No big deal. Now I know most of us are so well aware of our frailties that we recoil from the idea of perfection. It seems a grotesque masquerade of what is humanly possible to even suggest that this is on the table for you and me. We readily agree with the always realistic and slightly depressing Ecclesiastes that “Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning.” 7:20 How can being perfect ever be in the cards for us? Besides, we know people who appear to believe they are quite close to achieving this higher state of being, and if they aren’t some of the most annoying and unpleasant people to be around, then it is tough to figure out who is, which reminds me of the story of a preacher who in the middle of a sermon asked the rhetorical question, "Have any of you ever met or heard about a perfect person, other than the Lord Jesus?" Well, to the preacher's amazement, a man stood up and said, "I would like to nominate my wife's first husband." You see, even knowing someone who knows a perfect person might make things rough. And yet … and yet, Jesus said it, and something inside of us listens when the thought of being perfect, being really, really good, is brought up. As scripture says, “Let your heart … be perfect with the Lord our God.” 1 Kings 8:61 So be wise and understanding. Turn to the Lord with all your heart. Fear God. Be upright. Leave sins and evil behind. Be a burning and a shining light, so that others might rejoice in the light. Follow in Christ’s footsteps, the one who did no sin.

What we want to see this morning is that even if being perfect is not completely in the cards, we still need to keep it on the table.

As Paul wrote, “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own...." Of course we need to be perfect in God’s eyes, not someone else’s, not anyone else’s. We might think this is a tall order, but God may be easier on us than other people are, or even we ourselves are. Take the example of the perfect pastor. He—and of course it can’t be she, which cuts out only 51% of the human population—he is thirty-nine years old and has been preaching for thirty years. He is tall, short, thin, heavy-set, handsome, and average-looking. He has one brown eye and one blue eye. He parts his hair in the middle. On the left side it is dark and straight and on the right side it is blond and wavy. He has a burning desire to work with teenagers and spends all of his time with older folk. He smiles all the time with a straight gaze because he has a sense of humor that keeps him seriously at his work. He makes fifteen calls a day on church members, spends all of his time evangelizing the unchurched, and is never out of his office. Look for God’s approval in who you are. Do what God expects of you, not what others want from you. Your best friend is your Father in heaven, his Son in your heart, and Spirit in your soul. The one who knows what perfection is for you is the one who created and loves you.

In our gospel reading, Matthew describes the rich man using the Greek word neaniskos. This is word designates a man twenty-one to twenty-eight years old. He has economic power, but not political power. He was young but he was old enough to be already set in his ways, not that they were all bad. Fact is he is quite a good guy. Jesus lists several commandments from the second table of the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments, such as “Honor your father and mother” and “Do not steal” he can answer positively. Even when in Matthew’s story Jesus adds Leviticus 19:18 to the equation: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” this good man replies without hesitation, “All these I have kept.”

Now while this response sounds presumptuous to us, especially after the love your neighbor bit is placed on top, Matthew is not trying to make an outrageous claim here for the guy. In his day, the love command was often viewed as alluding to public charity. If you contribute to the needs of widows and orphans in the community and give to beggars, you can then say you have kept the commandment. This twenty-something man is an upright, religious, fine, good-living, solid citizen. In fact, in Mark’s gospel it says, “And Jesus, looking upon him, loved him.” Mark 10:21 So why then does he ask Jesus the question, “What good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Because it occurs to him that something is lacking in his life. He realizes that something more is required of him than the customary morality of a wealthy citizen. He has the possibility of a spiritual awakening in his heart but he doesn’t know what it will require to keep it alive. He comes to Jesus for the answer. And Jesus tells him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” The young man said, “I do wish to be perfect.” He went and sold all of his possessions and returned to follow Jesus. After Judas’ death, David became the twelfth disciple. He ended up writing another gospel called the gospel of David, which falls after Mark and before Luke, and six inspiring letters of the New Testament. Actually, the rich young man did not say he wished to be perfect. Jesus asked him if he did. At that point he slinked away. He was close, but that was as close as he wanted to get to being perfect. He didn’t want to be perfect, he wanted his possessions instead.

Before United Methodist clergypersons are ordained, they are asked certain important questions in front of hundreds of people during the Annual Conference session. Several of those questions are very personal and a tad disconcerting. For example, "Are you in debt so as to embarrass you in your work?" Lots of debt-laden seminary graduates have mumbled a reply with fingers crossed. Two other questions are very difficult to answer with a straight face. The questions inherited from Methodist founder, John Wesley are these: "Are you going on to perfection? Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life?" John Wesley defined Christian perfection as "having the mind of Christ, being inwardly and outwardly devoted to God, walking uniformly as Christ walked." Christian perfection does not mean to be free from ignorance or mistakes. It does not mean to be sinless or without defect. The Bible clearly states that "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves." 1 John 1:4  The word for perfection in the Greek is teleios, which means to be ideally suited or adapted for a specific function. This Greek words translates the Hebrew word shalem, for example, when we read “And his (Solomon’s) heart was not teleia (perfect) with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father.” 1 Kings11:4 Now we all know David wasn’t a model of sinlessness, but he was a model of undivided devotion to God. That is biblical perfection, Christian perfection. So aspire, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to grow as close to Christ as possible. Grow in love. Let yourself be useful for God’s service. Live clean. Forget about what you have not done right in the past. Seek forgiveness and begin today. When the brilliant architect Frank Lloyd Wright was 90-years-old, someone asked him to single out his greatest work. His eyes twinkled and he replied, "My next one." We might not ever get there, but we can at least live trying. And God will bless those who do exactly this.

One day a pastor invited all the kids to come down front for children's time. Then he asked them, "What carries acorns in its cheeks, jumps from tree to tree, and has a bushy tail?" There was no answer. Finally, a little boy answered hesitantly, "Jesus?" The amazed pastor shook his head and said, "Now son, do you really think Jesus carries acorns in his cheeks, jumps from tree to tree, and has a bushy tail?" The boy said, "I didn't think so, but I didn’t think you would bring us up here to talk about squirrels."  Sometimes we just don’t seem to click, especially as parents. It is tough to be a really good parent, let alone a perfect one. The other day I read “The 50 Best Parenting Tips Ever” by Diane Debrovner. Perhaps if we can’t be perfect around each other as adults, we can concentrate and be really good, almost perfect for our little and/or big children. I’m not going to offer all fifty tips, but I do want to share ten.  

1. Grant a wish: Take an hour or two each week to do exactly what your child desires without interruptions or distractions—even if she wants to play a game you hate or build block towers and then knock them all down.

2.Choose child care carefully: Spend as much time researching your options as you did the last time you bought a new car.

3. Don’t rush to punish: Every child has a cup that needs to be filled—and refilled—with love, attention, affection, and respect. A rough day, a big frustration, or a harsh word empties the cup. If your child is acting up, give him a hug, listen to her, and spend time together. They will be more cooperative, and you’ll both feel closer.

4. Act now, talk later: Respond to your child’s misbehavior in the heat of the moment, but talk about the incident later when you can lay down the rules and your expectations.

5. Be your baby’s favorite toy: Instead of always offering a plaything, amuse her yourself. After all, you move, make sounds, can take turns with him and respond to what she does, and you are warm, soft, and safe.

6. Teach your child simple songs and nursery rhymes.

7. Say your sorry: It gives them permission to make mistakes.

8. Don’t be overprotective: Don’t try to shield them from all disappointments, failures, or stressful situations. Kids need to learn to handle difficulty in order to cope with life’s challenges.

9. Be very silly: Dance, burp, laugh until you cry, and spit watermelon seeds at your kids.

10. Share your loves: Whether it’s a favorite hobby, a wonderful song or poem, a great recipe, one of your favorite childhood memories, or a fun game, it will be remembered and cherished.

Remember we won’t be perfect exactly, but we can be devoted truly. So devote yourself to God and good. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength. Be a real blessing to those whose lives are intertwined with yours. Be an example all can live and live well by. In this way you will be perfect, like God in heaven is perfect.  

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