I don’t know about you, but I do not want to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around my neck!  Or even a small millstone for that matter.  I don’t want to be thrown into the sea, period!

In our gospel lesson today, we know Jesus is using hyperbole, overstating things in a dramatic way to make a point.  And his point is, if by our example or direct influence we cause a “little one” to sin, it will be us on the hook.  We will be punished.  We will suffer very unpleasant consequences.

We have examples of this principle in our laws today.  In Pennsylvania, if parents provide alcohol to minors, the parents can be prosecuted and held responsible for crimes committed by the those too young to legally drink.  We have similar laws when it comes to drugs, guns, pornography, etc.  Adults are responsible for making sure their behavior does not contribute to any children getting involved in illicit activity.

But Jesus wasn’t speaking about underage drinking or teenage gun violence.  At least he wasn’t only speaking about those things.  Jesus is using figurative speech so he can paint the broadest possible picture.  Anything we do that causes a “little one”—and by that Jesus means not just children but anyone whose faith isn’t yet mature, or anyone with limited power and social standing– to sin—whether that is by teaching with words or the example we set with our actions—anything we do that causes a more vulnerable member of the human family to sin puts us on the hook.  We will be held accountable!

Which is a very distressing thought, it we will permit ourselves to think about it.  I remember when Phil and I were teaching our kids to drive, I suddenly became very aware of every time I was going over the speed limit!  How could I expect our kids to follow the laws if I wasn’t willing to follow them?  And of course, this issue doesn’t just apply to parents.  All of us, pretty much all the time, are setting an example for others.  If “everybody’s doing it”, whether the “it” is good or bad, we are collectively influencing others.  And Jesus has a very harsh warning for us to keep in mind if we’re influencing others toward the bad.

Driving is one of the easier examples.  What about when someone does or says something hurtful?  I certainly don’t want to set an example that holding a grudge or getting even is okay.  But I also don’t want to set an example that allowing yourself to be mistreated or taken advantage of is okay.    We are to love mercy AND justice, which means even little problems require a thoughtful and prayerful response, because like it or not, people are watching us!

I’m starting to feel the weight of that millstone just thinking about all of this!  Add to that the fact that not everyone agrees on what is sinful and what isn’t.  I remember when the Harry Potter books first came out, another mom in my church thought I was a terrible parent for letting my kids read them.  I thought encouraging reading was a good thing!  She thought I was leading my children into sin, and it would be better for me to have a millstone around my neck!  This one verse of Jesus’ teaching asks more questions than it answers!

So what are we to do with these words from Jesus?  I’ve never preached on this passage of scripture before.  But I’ve heard other people use it in their sermons, and their focus is always on a highly contentious issue, and using Jesus’ words to bully people who disagree with them, trying to scare them because their actions or point of view might be causing “little ones” to sin.  That’s why I think it’s important to keep reading for a few verses, because Jesus does not want us to focus on what anyone else is doing.  Jesus wants us to focus on our own actions and choices.  “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off!  It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.”  He goes on to say, if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off.  If your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.  Again, Jesus is using hyperbole.  He does not want us to literally maim ourselves.  But he is using these dramatic images to help us see his main point:  that our sin—not anyone else’s—but our own sin is a problem.  And we have a responsibility to do something about it.

I gave this sermon the title, “Fire and Millstone” because it sounds a little like, “Fire and Brimstone”.  Fire and brimstone is a term to describe a type of preaching that, ideally, aims at making the listeners feel the weight of their sin, express regret, experience God’s forgiveness, and tap into God’s power to live differently.  But in practice, most fire and brimstone style preaching is heavy on the guilt and glosses over the grace.  The term fire and brimstone comes from the book of Revelation, which describes a lake of fire, with burning sulphur around the edges—that’s the brimstone.  Maybe in December when we get to the book of Revelation I can preach a fire and brimstone sermon! I’m sure everyone would be looking forward to that!

Well, actually, some people might be looking forward to that.  At my last church, a young man in the congregation came up to me one Sunday after church and told me my sermons are too “soft”, that I don’t talk about sin enough. I was very surprised at his comments.  For several years now I’ve been thinking about that, and wondering if I should preach on sin more.  Not in the fire and brimstone style–I don’t ever want to go too heavy on the guilt and not enough on the grace.  But even in a gentler style, it’s daunting, because who am I to tell someone else they are sinning because I know for sure I am a sinner, too!  And we’re not all in agreement as to what constitutes sin.  And probably the main reason I shy away from it is, I doubt whether anyone would be moved to change because of my words about sin.  I think people tend to change most when it’s their own idea!

But Jesus’ words are rightly before us today, and we cannot deny that Jesus seems very passionate indeed about us taking responsibility for our sin.  We don’t want to set a bad example.  We don’t want to lead others into things that are bad for them.  We don’t want to lead ourselves into things that are bad for us!  We have a duty to protect the “little ones”, especially those younger, more vulnerable, or with less power than us, in the household of faith.  But we have this duty to all of creation as well.  God made us stewards over all of creation.  How can we become more aware of our sin and its impact?

One technique is self-examination.  This is not a new idea, but it might be a new idea for us to consider during this season of Lent.  In the 1700’s, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, spent time every night, asking himself a set of questions about his day and his life with God.  You can find differing versions of this list, ranging from 16 to 22 questions, and we have made handouts (put on the website) one version of the list, that John Wesley used himself and taught to others.  Listen to these questions John asked himself every night, as a way of examining himself to see if there was any sinful way in him that needed his attention.

Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?
Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
Do I confidentially pass on to another what was told to me in confidence?
Can I be trusted?
Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits?
Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying?
Did the Bible live in me today?
Do I give it time to speak to me everyday?
Am I enjoying prayer?
When did I last speak to someone else about my faith?
Do I pray about the money I spend?
Do I get to bed on time and get up on time?
Do I disobey God in anything?
Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy?
Am I defeated in any part of my life?
Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful?
How do I spend my spare time?
Am I proud?
Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican?
Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it?
Do I grumble or complain constantly?
Is Christ real to me?

 

Wow!  I was feeling pretty good about myself before I read that list of questions, but now?  Now I have to admit there are several of them that bring me up short!  With just a few minutes of self-reflection, I have become more aware of my sin—and now that I am aware of it, I can ask God to help with me with it.  Generations of Christians have found self-reflection to be an important tool in their faith formation.

Even though we might wonder if John Wesley was a little over the top with his 22 questions every night, remember, the point of this isn’t to make people feel guilty.  People weighed down by guilt aren’t able to do nearly as much good for God!  The point isn’t to put a millstone around our necks and throw ourselves into the deep. The point is to see the truth about ourselves.  Jesus said it is the truth that sets us free.  The point is to live with more truth, more lightness, more grace, more power, more joy.  If repentance isn’t ultimately making you feel better, you might be preaching a fire and brimstone sermon to yourself instead of the fire and millstone sermon!

The season of Lent is tricky, because it is designed to help us see the truth about our mortality, our sin, and our need for God.  But it should not be a time that makes us feel unhealthy shame.  Do you know that feeling, that you somehow don’t measure up, that you’re not enough, that you’re not good enough—those feelings come from someone shaming you, not from what God says about you.  Lent is time for cultivating our virtues and naming our vices.  It’s about becoming more virtuous.  But it is not about becoming more vicious!  I just recently realized the word for what happens to us when we practice our virtues is we become virtuous, and what happens when we practice our vices is we become vicious.  Don’t let Lent be a time to beat up on yourself!  No viciousness, toward self or others.

Ideally, fire and brimstone sermons aim at making the listeners feel the weight of their sin, express regret, experience God’s forgiveness, and tap into God’s power to live differently.  Are they effective?  I don’t know.  But I do know you can give yourself a fire and millstone sermon anytime, and see a difference right away!  By using John Wesley’s 22 questions, or a similar self-examination tool, you can name your own sin, express regret in your private devotions, experience God’s forgiveness, and tap into God’s power to live differently.  You can experience a resurrection on the spot!  And each week our worship services you will get support for doing exactly that.

This is a tough scripture passage.  God knows, we are not going to be able to sort out all the ethical conundrums of our day.  We will not always agree on what constitutes sin, we will not all on agree on what’s right and wrong in every situation.  But together we can become more virtuous and less vicious.  Think of the “little ones” we might be able to influence for good!  Maybe “everybody’s doing it” will translate into faith formation that extends beyond our Lima family.  Now that’s a resurrection I look forward to celebrating.  Amen.