Sermon: "God Before Us"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

In recent years, there has been a good deal written about the "me generation." While events of September 11 have resulted in exceptions, nevertheless, the flow of history in our society certainly indicates a greater concentration on the individual and on the self.

The subject itself is not new, nor is the tendency. People have been preoccupied with themselves for a long time indeed. For instance, recently I came across a work by the poet Walt Whitman that was written nearly a hundred and fifty years ago. It is entitled "Song of Myself," and it begins this way: "I celebrate myself, and sing myself." That may not be too bad, but then he goes on, "I dote on myself; there is that lot of me and all so luscious." Then, Whitman ends with a flourish of self-glorification, and without any humility at all, "Nothing, not God, is greater to one than one's self is … Nor do I understand who there can be more wonderful than myself."

Perhaps not even the most ardent advocates of the "me generation" today would go quite that far. Selections from this poem of Whitman surely do concentrate to an extreme degree on himself. Most people today would not be so crass as to quote those lines as a rule of life. And yet, there are people who put self above all else. Love of self becomes the first and great commandment, before love of God and love of neighbor.

However, our Faith calls us into a proper perspective that is different from that one. Surely love of self is important. In fact, Jesus makes this point clearly. Nevertheless, love of God and of neighbor are primary, rather than secondary. The end or goal of life must not be self. Rather, the familiar Summary of the Law indicates the proper order for people of faith: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these"(Mk 12:30-31). Love of God and love of neighbor , therefore, are mentioned first and second; and the love of self - important as that is - comes third in this listing from our Lord.

It has been said that "people all wrapped up in themselves make a very small package." Perhaps that, after all, summarizes what I am trying to say.

This is one of Peter's concerns in his first sermon, part of which we read this morning in the selection from Acts. And in that sermon, Peter quotes the Psalmist: "I keep the Lord always before me"(16:8). That same Psalm says earlier, "I have no good apart from God"(16:2).

These kinds of ideas are not popular today in our world. Nevertheless, it is important for us to recognize and to appreciate what our faith teaches. Further, the same sixteenth Psalm provides us with a source of hope, even at death. That hope has everything to do with God's presence with us, at all times. The Psalmist writes, "I keep the Lord always before me … Therefore, my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; moreover my flesh will dwell in hope. For thou wilt not abandon my soul"(16:8,9-10a).

Keeping God before us is our hope at death. Further, without that placement of God before us, there is no hope at all then - for self cannot save us. Thus, neither self awareness, nor the lusciousness of self, nor the wonderful celebration of selfhood can do anything at the point of death. They are absolutely powerless. It is only God Almighty - kept before us - who can do anything.

Now, let me make things a bit more difficult. Sometimes the problem for us is that what we put before us looks a lot like God … or, like our image of God. It may be that self indulgence really does not resemble God - but perhaps other things do…things like "the American way" or getting what we deserve. If we keep those things before us, as the driving force of life, then we have moved God out of His rightful place, just as surely as if self interest were there.

Then, there are other subtle substitutions for God before us. Perhaps morality - or our own brand of it - is one. Or maybe positive thinking or nature or family is before us. Each of these may be quite worthy as an object of our attention. However, none of them is worthy of taking the place of God before us. And the Easter message is that none of those things can save us. Only God can.

What we must keep before us is God Himself. And the view we have of God comes to us in the person of Jesus Christ. That is who God is. That is who we must keep before us - Jesus Christ.

A very important thing to remember about Jesus has to do with the kind of life he chose to live … the kind of life we are to follow, if God in Christ is before us. Jesus lived a life directed outside himself. That is not to say that he did not have goals and hopes for himself. Indeed, he most certainly did. However, he made it quite clear that he came to serve, not to be served. He came to teach, to heal, to comfort. The objects of his life, therefore, were beyond himself. He could love himself - and most certainly, he did - but his love was primarily directed toward God and toward others. His love was not grasped and held, but shared and passed on.

Remember, too, as we keep the image of Jesus before us, that Thomas recognized the risen Christ by the marks of nails in his hands. That seems to me to be very important for us to consider. Jesus is the One who came to earth so that we might have the image of God before us in human form. And on earth, he did indeed live. And he did indeed suffer - actually and painfully. And, he died - truly, agonizingly, and alone. This same Jesus was raised from death by the power of God the Father. And thus, victory over death as a final enemy is won.

Easter victory, therefore, does not deny the way of the cross in life - the way of commitment to others, of willingness to suffer, and of self sacrifice. Jesus has shown us that way as the image of God before us in our lives. That way does not make sense to a world concentrating on selfhood, a world that avoids pain at all costs, a world that claims self indulgence as a creed.

Therefore, over against the way of our world, the way of Jesus Christ is directed toward others rather than toward self alone. That way - and only that way - will place God before us, in life and in death. That way - and only that way - will lead us to the victory over death that the risen Christ has won for us. Alleluia!

Copyright © 2002 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee