Do any of you have a guilty indulgence? If you’re like me, you probably have more than one. And one of those guilty pleasures for me is Krispy Kreme donuts. In my book, there’s nothing quite so good as a warm, sugar-glazed Krispy Kreme donut. Ken would say that the cake donuts from Dunkin’ Donuts are better, and you might feel the same, but for me, it’s Krispy Kreme all the way. In any case, donuts are pretty good, especially the chocolate glazed ones, right? The only saving grace for me is that, though there is a Krispy Kreme near my home, there is not one on my normal commute because it sure is hard for me to drive by a Krispy Kreme without stopping, especially when the “Hot Now” sign is flashing out front!
Yep, I could buy a dozen “Hot Now” Krispy Kreme donuts and put them away in no time flat, without giving it much thought. But have you ever done something like that; eaten a whole box of Krispy Kreme donuts in one sitting? How does it make you feel? At first it’s really good, right? You eat that first donut, and all that sugary goodness just melts in your mouth. That’s probably the case with the second and third donut, too. So by the time you down all twelve of those donuts, you should be feeling great, right? But is that really how it works? What really happens is that you get less and less enjoyment out of every donut. So by the time you get to the end of the box you’re in no way full or satisfied, and in fact, your tummy hurts. And then you start filling guilty because eating all those donuts was a really bad thing to do on all sorts of levels. Before too long, you come to the complete a full realization that something that once seemed so good, was really quite harmful and bad.
Throughout this month, we are going to be studying John Wesley’s “General Rules” for the people called Methodist. Wesley taught that Christians and Methodists should continually show evidence of their desire of salvation in three ways: “By doing no harm, by doing good, and by attending upon the ordinances of God (or staying in love with God as we say in more modern English).” Now these three rules aren’t the whole story about what it means to be a follower of Christ, but they do give us a foothold to help us understand what Christian discipleship is all about. So today, we are going to focus on what it means to “do no harm” as a Christian. Because, as that box of donuts reminds us, even when something seems good, it could very well be doing harm to us, or to others.
One of the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God wants us all to experience “the good life,” a life lived in God’s presence and committed to God’s purposes. And one thing John Wesley wants us to be aware of is that anything that we might do that is steering ourselves or others away from experiencing “God’s good life” is actually doing harm. And that's where Paul's letter to the Romans and the passages we heard this morning come into play. This whole passage is about how Christians deal with the wider world, and the right response says Paul is not cursing, but blessing.
What Paul’s writings remind us of is that Christians are to be known as good neighbors, prepared to join in the fun when someone on the street has good news, and to be there to support and weep alongside those who face tragedy. But there’s even more to it than that. We have to stop saying the words that hurt other people. We have to stop the practices that harm people in our own communities and around the world. In fact, Paul says we should actually go out of our way to do wonderful, positive acts of kindness to all people, even those who have wronged us. God has his own way of dealing with the wicked of the world and bringing people to their senses as they deal with the results of their own actions. And when we try to play that role; when we try to exact revenge on those who have wronged us or cast judgment on those who disagree with us, what we are actually doing is causing harm! What we need to know today is that anything we do as Christians that causes harm to ourselves or others is keeping people from experiencing the fullness of God’s grace and love.
Perhaps some of you are aware of the recent news story of the school bus monitor who was viciously bullied by a group of middle school boys. The nearly 15 minute verbal onslaught was captured on video by one of the boys. As Ken and I watched clips of this video recording of the lambasting, we both observed that we remember kids saying those kinds of mean things to one another when we were growing up. But the difference was, we agreed, was that no kid would dare to carry on like that to an adult.
Have you ever wondered why we do things that harm others? Well, looking at bullying gives us a prime example; we bully because we want to feel better about ourselves. In fact, most everything we humans do is for personal benefit, because we get something out of it. We work so we can earn money. We volunteer so we can put it on our resume and congratulate ourselves for being such wonderful, selfless people. And we put people down so we can feel better about ourselves. We keep harming others because we ourselves are hurting and we want to feel better. But “hurt people, hurt people.” And so begins this vicious cycle where we all just tear each other down all the time, harming one another because we are only concerned about ourselves; kind if like diving into that box of sugary donuts…once you get started, you just can’t stop.
But there is another way, and as Christians we are called to follow the narrow road. For the Christian, anger, bitterness, and vengeance are unacceptable. We are to “do no harm.” We have to stop causing harm because everyone, everyone, is a child loved by God, and as such, we have a common life together. You all know the famous philosophical quote, “I think, therefore I am”? In Africa, there is a principle called “ubuntu.” Ubuntu can be translated as the idea, “I am connected, therefore I am.” Archbishop Desmond Tutu, leader of the truth and reconciliation movement in post-Apartheid South Africa, was inspired by ubuntu in his work and describes it in this way; “Ubuntu means that in order for you to be all that you can be, I have to be all that I can be. And in order for me to be all that I can be, you have to be all that you can be.” Our lives are intertwined. Forget rubber and glue; because whatever we say sticks to me, sticks to them, and sticks to you. When we harm others, we harm ourselves, and when we harm ourselves, we harm others. But it goes the other way too -- when do good to others, it is good for us, and when others do good to us, it is good for them.
And here’s one of the amazing things about the Christian life. When we can commit to “doing no harm,” when we can take that first step of laying aside our weapons and our desire to do harm, then we will immediately discover just how very connected we are. We will see how we all share an equal measure of God’s unlimited love. When I am determined to do no harm to you, I lose my fear of you and we find that good and solid place to stand where together we can seek the way forward in faithfulness to God.
Now, just because we are connected as God’s children does not mean that we will always agree. And as we all know, it is often in the midst of disagreements that some of the greatest harm can be done. But, when we agree that we will not harm those with whom we disagree, then rich dialogue and discovery of new insight suddenly becomes possible. In fact, when we commit as Christians to “doing no harm,” then the whole climate of disagreement changes; disparaging comments, manipulation, and belittling of those with whom we disagree are all eliminated! A safe place is created where we can stand and discern together, sharing the best that everyone has to offer instead of displaying the worst!
So, I ask this today; are we ready to give up our most cherished possession—the certainty that we are right and others are wrong? Are we ready to see as Christ did, to lift up others as more important than ourselves? Because the best thing we can do in our journey with Christ is to bless others. This is a giant first step toward transforming the world in which we live. To “do no harm” seems such a simple thing, but it really is not an easy rule, and it requires a radical trust in God’s presence and power. But the truth of the gospel is that Christ has already taken that first step for us; even a casual reading of the gospel suggests that Jesus taught and practiced a way of living that did no harm. And all we have to do is follow his lead!
If we’re feeling inadequate, all we have to do is turn to Christ. Jesus Christ can find you in your hurting and forgive you for all the things you have done to hurt others. Christ can forgive us all our uncertainties. Christ can forgive all the ways we have harmed ourselves or others. All we have to do is humble ourselves enough to ask for Christ’s forgiveness, all we have to do is follow where Christ is already leading. We have to stop following the ways of the world and tearing down others with harmful and hurtful words and actions. And if we can commit to following Christ, we will feel and experience Christ’s love and grace, and we will be more able to share that same grace and love with others.
Over 200 years ago, John Wesley said to the people called Methodist, "This is what I would expect of those who desire salvation: Firstly, that they would do no harm." Then Wesley and the other early Methodists resolved to live that way. And this is something that every Methodist and every Christian should still be doing today. Will you resolve with me today that your life will always be invested in the effort to bring healing instead of hurt, wholeness instead of division, and harmony with the ways of Jesus?
Because the truth is, in Jesus, hurt people can heal people.
