Sunday, July 26
Exodus 20:15-16; Proverbs 20:7
Minister of Discipleship
Just a week ago I was sitting at home watching a retrospective on the life of Walter Cronkite. Because of his profession as a newsman, it was not only a wonderful perspective on his life, but also a memorable “trip” through the key events of the late 20th century. From all accounts, Cronkite was an honest man who was a trustworthy reporter always seeking the truth. At the end of the program one of the commentators made a statement I have continued to ponder. He said that our world had changed so drastically that we would never again see a man of such integrity as Cronkite.
I sat there on the couch thinking to myself, “What a sad commentary on the state of our world.” But, I have to admit that it is possible to fall into this way of thinking with people in the news like Bernie Madoff who swindled billions of dollars from so many people including his own family! We have learned over the last year or so that greed takes on many different forms. Did you know that in this first decade of the 21st century CEO’s of major U.S. corporations made an average of over 500 times what the laborers in their companies made? And then there are those political and even religious leaders who have lied or left out parts of the truth to forward their own agendas. No wonder it seems that we will never see a person of integrity again!
This is why these two commandments we read today are included in the “top 10”! These two commandments are about more than just taking something without paying for it or repeating something you know is not true (not that you should be doing those things either!) But, these commandments are about integrity – about being trustworthy, honest, and consistent in your thoughts and behavior. They are about being a good member of society who adds value to our community. Commandment 8 reminds us that we cannot take that which does not belong to us just because we want to have “more” for ourselves. And, Commandment 9 reminds us that we cannot distort the truth for our own self-interest. In these commandments God is making it very clear that when certain individuals take more than they need or when individuals hide or destroy the truth for their own purposes, we no longer have a functioning society.
Breaking these commandments not only hurts you as an individual, but it hurts all of us as a community. Proverbs 20:17 puts it so well when it reminds us that we are called to a life of integrity in part to keep us close to God for our own righteousness, but also so we provide a model and standard so future generations can find true happiness and abundant life. One of the early church Bishops, St. Ignatius, once stated that the evil powers of this world have three key ways for drawing us away from God and God’s law for our lives. First, our need for security can be distorted into greed. Secondly, our sense of honor can be distorted into a passion for recognition or success. Thirdly, our legitimate appreciation for self-worth can be distorted into self-indulgence and pride. Let’s look at each of these distortions more carefully.
All creatures have an innate sense for survival. This means that we, like all creatures, must work to find those things that bring us basic security – that help us get from day to day. Unfortunately, we have begun to lose the distinction between what we need and what we want. For many of us in the western world, we have come to equate “things” with security. And, when that happens, people become desperate to acquire “things” at any cost. Joan Chittister in her book on the Ten Commandments says, “When life becomes, as it has in the United States, the limitless possession of things, stealing will naturally become a way of life. Only when we cultivate the dimensions of life that have something to do with life itself rather than with wealth can we ever become a truly honest people.” [pg 97] There are those who are saying that this time of recession may be just the wake-up call we need to remember this truth that a good life is defined by relationships and the integrity with which we live out our daily lives and not the “stuff” we have.
Chittister reminds us in her book on the Ten Commandments that the Israelite people who first received these Ten Commandments were not an individualistic society. They viewed the land, their family, even their livestock and possessions as belonging to God and they had been given the gift and the responsibility to look after these things. They had been a people who had very little when they lived as slaves in Egypt, so they were called by God to always remember others who had very little. Throughout the Bible the judges and the prophets reminded the Israelites that it was a part of their responsibility as people of God to look after the poor and those most in need. Security was seen as a life of caring for all those in the community. These first receivers of the Commandments were taught that stealing from the poor by hoarding more than you really need was actually stealing from God since all that you have (or take) really belongs to God not you. We weaken ourselves as people of God when we overlook our calling as God’s stewards for all those in need. We become less than who God intends for us to be when we take more and more at the expense of others having less and less.
This increasing need for “things and stuff” also begins to color our understanding of a “successful life,” which leads us to the second distortion taught by Ignatius. When an honorable life becomes a life more interested in worldly recognition and “success” that life has gotten out of balance and our communities, even our world will be on shaking ground. I happen to read this week about a meeting that was held in 1923 with nine of the world’s most successful financiers. They gathered to discuss how to best influence the world around them. Financially speaking at that time these nine men “held the world by the tail.” You would think that these men were successful and should have been living good, full lives. I’m sure in that day there were many people who looked up to them as leaders.
Had these men really found the secret to a full, honorable life? Let’s think about where they were 25 years later in 1948: Charles Schwab, the president of the largest independent steel company, died bankrupt and lived on borrowed money for 5 years before his death; the president of the largest utility company, Samuel Insull died a fugitive from justice and penniless in a foreign country; Howard Hopson, the president of the largest gas company, was insane; the great wheat speculator, Arthur Cutten died abroad—insolvent; the president of the New York Stock Exchange, Richard Whitney was released from Sing Sing Penitentiary that year; Albert Fall, who had been a member of the president’s cabinet was pardoned from prison so he could die at home – broke; the president of the Bank of International Settlements, Leon Fraser, committed suicide as did the “great bear” of Wall Street, Jesse Livermore, and the great monopoly player, Ivar Kreuger. All these men learned well the art of making money, but not one of them learned how to live life well. A vast amount of talent and potential was lost to the world when these men’s lives became distorted by a lack of integrity and true honor.
We must remember to live by the commandments of God or we lose our way. The irony of this whole integrity business is that what we want is to be respected and recognized. And yet, instead of turning to God who loves each of us and sees us as important and special, we often try to earn recognition from others through lies and false truths – the third disortion. A while back, there was a story about Rueben Gonzolas, who was in the final match of his first professional racquetball tournament. He was playing the perennial champion for his first shot at a victory on the pro circuit. At match point in the fifth and final game, Gonzolas made a super, “kill shot” into the front corner to win the tournament. The referee called it good, and one of the lineman confirmed that the shot was a winner. But after a moment’s hesitation, Gonzolas turned and declared that his shot had actually skipped into the wall, hitting the floor first. (in racquetball the ball is not allowed to hit the floor before it hits the front wall) So, as a result of his claim, the serve went to his opponent, who went on to win the match. When Gonzolas walked off the court, everyone was amazed. He was later asked by a writer for a leading sports magazine why he did it when the officials all said it was a good shot. He replied, “It was the only thing I could do to maintain my integrity.”
Honesty and integrity are precious commodities, which are too easily lost. There is a fable about a quiet forest dweller who lived up in the mountains a short distance from town. Years earlier he had been hired by the town leaders to keep the springs outside the town clean. They had learned that every Fall the leaves from the trees would collect in the springs and then the winter rains would wash silt into the springs and before long the springs were dirty and unusable by the townspeople. Once the Keeper of the Springs began his work, the springs remained clean and beautiful. In fact, before long beautiful swans began to make the springs there home. And, the little town became a popular place for tourists to come and enjoy the pristine springs.
Years passed. And, then one evening at a town council meeting they were reviewing the budget and noticed a salary figure for someone called The Keeper of the Springs. No one knew who this old man was or why they should need his services anymore. They all felt this would be a great place to save money and use it for something they wanted for themselves. So, by unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old guardian’s services. For a several weeks nothing changed. However, by early autumn, the trees had begun to shed their leaves. Small branches snapped off and fell into the springs hindering the rushing flow of sparkling water. Then, one afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the pools. A few weeks later, the water was even darker. Within another week slimy slick patches covered sections of the water along the banks and a foul odor was soon detected. The beautiful swans soon left as did the tourists. Disease and sickness began to infect the town. Quickly, an embarrassed town council called a special meeting. Realizing their gross error in judgment, they rehired the old Keeper of the Springs, and within several weeks, the sparkling river of life began to clear up.
Sometimes we think we can take shortcuts. Sometimes we think no one will know if we change the way things are done. Sometimes we think we can “steal” for our own wants. But, eventually, life will not be so clean or beautiful. And, it will begin to affect not just us, but others around us. We all need to remember the old guardian of this story. And, we need to consider who or what will be the guardian of our lives…….
Let’s close this morning with a prayer to One who wants to be our Guardian as we attempt to walk a life of Integrity:
When I show too little compassion for those in my midst and others in the world….
When I forget to honor your creation and my place in it….
When I take your love for granted….
When I look the other way at injustice….
When I avoid an opportunity to speak the truth…..
When I lean toward extravagance instead of choosing simplicity….
When I forget to practice the humility of Jesus,
“Prove me, O Lord, and try me;
test my heart and mind.
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.” [Psalm 26: 2-3]
Amen