Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
May 24, 2020
Matthew 5:33-37 (MSG)
Empty Promises
33-37 “And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.
Good morning, Friends! It is good to join you in the comfort of your own homes today for worship. I pray this message will bring you hope during the ongoing challenges of this pandemic.
For several months now, even before the pandemic began, I have been thinking about the lack of “truth telling” in our country and world.
Just the other day, I came across a blog post that was titled, “The World Needs Truth Tellers More than Ever — Will You Step Up?”
In it, Lon Shapiro says, “I think it’s safe to say that truth tellers have done more to aid the evolution of our species than any king, conqueror or cult.”
He quotes people like Joseph Campbell, Rosa Parks, and several others who made their voices and lives heard by being “Truth Tellers.”
Obviously, the need for “truth tellers” is evident from the big arenas like politics and media to the smallest, in our families around our own kitchen tables.
And even more these days, “truth telling” seems to have become a gray area of interpretation and contention in a new way.
Yet, “Truth telling” is as old as time.
If you go all-the-way-back for a moment to the opening story of the Bible, you will find an interesting dialogue between God and Adam and Eve. In that story God tells Adam and Eve they are free to eat from every tree in the Garden of Eden but one.
And in a rather odd pronouncement, God says that one tree is his alone. If they eat from this forbidden tree, they will die.
As with all good stories that are to teach a lesson, Adam and Eve determine they could not live with God deciding the nature of what was good or bad.
No, they would rather choose good and bad for themselves. (play the music…dun..dun..dun…)
So, Adam and Eve become the first “truth spinners” – and the rest seems to be history (as they say).
The story from Genesis goes on to show how Adam and Eve began lying to themselves about the tree and God.
They had to spin this by creating a new scenario – “God is holding out on us.” And this thinking, quickly led to a downward spiral of lies which ultimately finds them naked and afraid.
But just like last week, when we heard of Jesus going and meeting the disciples amidst the storm, this very first story in the bible shows God actually looking for Adam and Eve to reconcile their broken relationship, to reclaim truth, and to bring peace again to their lives.
Sadly, this story of Adam and Eve, is a great metaphor for the “truth spinners” we have become and see so prevalent in our world, today.
Adele Ahlberg Calhoun points out some of the ways we “truth spin,” such as…
We pad expense accounts with rationalizations and denials.
We back out of commitments with blame and deceit.
Advertisers, corporations, government & non-governmental agencies, educational and religious institutions spin the truth.
Everything from ruining the environment to insider trading gets the spin.
It’s not hard to understand why people don’t know who or what to believe.
This is why the early Quakers were committed so strongly to “Truth Telling” and ultimately a testimony of integrity. And folks this was not just in their personal lives, but in all areas in which they engaged – from politics and legislation, to civil liberties, to educational, economic, and workplace scenarios.
The Early Quakers believed truth telling involved speaking in a way that does not
exaggerate,
minimize,
deny,
rationalize or manage the truth
Wow, good thing they did not have our 24hour news channels, social media outlets, and advertising industry.
Quaker Louis Cox emphasizes this even further by explaining the origins of such thinking.
DO YOU SWEAR that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?...
Early Quakers were known for their refusal to take such oaths in a court of law (often at the risk of fines and imprisonment).
Sometimes their stand was explained by reference to the Bible:
"But above all things, my brethren, do not swear, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath; but let your words be yes, yes, and no, no, lest you fall under condemnation. [James 5:12]
But these Friends were not just obeying written commandments. Oath-refusal and other distinctive practices came to be known as "testimonies" only because these actions were bearing witness to a deeper spiritual Truth.
The Kingdom of God is not an ideal or hope projected into the future. It is emerging here and now through our actions and examples.
Gray Cox in his Pendle Hill Pamphlet, Bearing Witness-Quaker Process and a Culture of Peace says the following:
...Quakers view truth as something that happens, it occurs...Truth is not a dead fact which is known: It is a living occurrence in which we participate....
The guiding concern of people bearing witness is to live rightly, in ways that are exemplary. Insofar as they have an end they aim at, it is perhaps most helpful to think of it as the aim of cultivating their souls and converting others.....
Quakers are convinced that genuine leadings all proceed from a common ground, spring from a unity which we seek and find...
In a world, that currently lacks a great deal of truth and the desire to uphold it, we are seeing a rise in anxiety, frustration, and misinformation, on top of and effecting our current pandemic situation.
We may feel that we have no influence on this current state, but honestly, that, too, is a lie we have told ourselves.
Just as the early Quakers, our voices and lives need to be heard and seen, pronouncing truth and integrity on a daily basis – and in ALL the areas of our lives.
As Cox said, we need to cultivate this in our own souls, first, and then allow it to convert those around us, so that we can find a common ground to work from.
I wonder what would happen if as Quakers we re-committed ourselves during this pandemic to work on our deficiencies in the areas of “truth telling and integrity” (as our ancestors before us)?
What if we refused to spin events and experiences in order to impress others?
What if we stopped exaggerating?
What if we stopped cheating on tests, taxes, insurance forms, etc…?
What if we kept promises and followed through?
What if we repented, and informed others of when we have lied to them?
What if we spoke truth in love?
What if we refused to flatter or dissemble?
What if we said what we meant and meant what we said?
What if we refused to slander another?
What if we refused to gossip or pass gossip and rumors?
Quakers have amazing ancestors who are exemplary examples of “truth tellers” – who used their lives and beliefs to change the world.
Yet, I sometimes wonder, have we leaned too heavily on the likes of John Woolman or Mary Dyer (or all the other great Quaker examples) leaving the “truth telling” and impact to a far-gone era?
Our ancestors did not begin as world changers…they began as ordinary people like you and me.
They had to look at their current condition and ask those questions of themselves.
They had to start small in their own circles of influence, during difficult times, and find ways to stand firm in their beliefs.
They had to count the cost of living and believing in a radical way from their peers.
And because they did…we are remembering their examples today. But remembering is different than following their example.
Their example started somewhere…but too often we simply look to the final results of their lives, and see how big an impact they had, and leave it with their legacy.
Just maybe we need to follow their process first, so we, too, can leave a legacy for our future generations.
I love how Lon Shapiro put it in the article I quoted from at the beginning of this sermon,
It is up to us to aggregate and synthesize to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of the world…Sometimes, we may come up with a solution…Even if we don’t, the conversation spurred by this discovery create ripples that may eventually cause revolutions in society, technology and culture.
So this week our queries come in the form of a practice:
Start by taking some time to assess your honesty. Think back over the past week, and ask yourself the following…
Where have I been tempted to stretch the truth, take advantage of a privilege, break a commitment or gossip? What do I see about myself?
Where is it hardest for you to tell the truth?
Then this week, I challenge you to practice one of these habits: 1) not exaggerating, 2) not gossiping, or 3) not rationalizing. Then ask yourself, What is it like for me to do this?