Sermonette: May 15, 2023

“There was an attempt in Iconium by both the Gentiles and the Jews, together with their leaders, to attack and stone Paul and Barnabas. They realized it, and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding countryside, where they continued to proclaim the Good News. At Lystra there was a crippled man, lame from birth, who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking, who looked intently at him, saw that he had the faith to be healed, and called out in a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight on your feet.’ He jumped up and began to walk about.

When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they cried out in Lycaonian, ‘The gods have come down to us in human form.’ They called Barnabas ‘Zeus’ and Paul ‘Hermes,’ because he was the chief speaker. In addition, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, for he together with the people intended to offer sacrifice. The Apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ‘Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all Gentiles to go their own ways; yet, in bestowing his goodness, he did not leave himself without witness, for he gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filled you with nourishment and gladness for your hearts.’ Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.”

Acts of the Apostles 14:5-18

This Scripture passage challenges us with the question, what is my response when the world attempts to make gods out of men? We live in a culture where society idolizes human beings all the time. Sports athletes are looked to as heroes and role models for achieving extraordinary feats. Society honors those who achieve success with entertaining audiences. It is no accident that television shows such as “American Idol” and “America's Got Talent” have been so successful over the years. Individuals can fantasize that they can escape from their overall humdrum existence, hit it big, and become idolized by audiences everywhere. Another place where the culture often places human beings on pedestals is in the political arena. One can rarely attend a political activity where a politician is not willing to take credit for something, even for things they did not do. The electorate lets them get away with it and sometimes praises them for their ingenious ability to confuse the public.

What can we do to counter society's obsession with attempting to make gods out of human beings? Like Paul and Barnabas, display humility in all that we do. When the Lycaonian's wanted to worship them for healing the crippled man, they gave all of the credit to God. Recognize that humility is not about hanging our head down and not attempting anything. Instead, humility is about doing both simple and extraordinary things in this world and giving all of the credit to God. It is so easy for us to do things that are well done and for which others compliment us with language that is over the top and want to say, "Yeah that was me that did that, I deserve all of the credit." In my job recently, I received a compliment for giving a particularly good presentation to the board of directors. Instead, of taking the credit, I humbly replied, "Thanks be to God," and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to present.

Other ways to help remind us that it is not about us, but it is all about God, is to write or type in the top corner of our page inconspicuously the initials JMJ (standing for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph). This was a technique the great television communicator, Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, would use on his weekly show “Life is Worth Living,” popular in the 1950s and 1960s. Another approach to remind us it is all about God could be as simple as changing our electronic signature on our e-mails to something like, "For the Greater Glory of God."

So what is your response when the world attempts to make gods out of human beings?