Sermon preached on 2019-09-22 by Rev. Sarah Harrison-McQueen. Worship series, "Three Simple Rules." Sermon, "Do Good." Philippians 4:4-9
Bishop Rueben P. Job, Three Simple Rules That Will Change the World“Doing good, like doing no harm, is a proactive way of living. I do not need to wait to be askedto do some good deed or provide some needed help. I do not need to wait until circumstancescry out for aid to relieve suffering or correct some horrible injustice. I can decide that my way ofliving will come down on the side of doing good to all in every circumstance and in every way Ican. I can decide that I will choose a way of living that nourishes goodness and strengthenscommunity.” (p. 38- 39)
“But taking appropriate care of self and living selflessly are not opposites. Rather, they areessential elements of a healthy and productive life. To love God with all of life and to love one’sneighbor as oneself is not to denigrate, deny, or devalue self. It is to proclaim the heart of ourtheology as Christians and to place enormous value on self and on neighbor. It is to choose tolive in the reign of God NOW. To begin to live as a citizen of a new order in which God’s love forall creation is recognized and proclaimed in word and deed.” (p. 49)