God, in a very dramatic way, had called Paul into ministry, and most recently to be the teacher of the day for this new church; a rather daunting task. Paul is teaching that rules are meant to free us up, to lay a foundation from which we can lead our lives. They are no longer held hostage to hundreds of rules. (just take a look at Leviticus if you have forgotten!) Paul has quite a teaching challenge ahead of him. The shift from following a list of rules to being responsible for applying rules that reflect our faith is a very different process.

As I immersed myself in the exegetical work for this sermon, I was reminded of how God has always been about the business of building believers. Like creation, our faith has been an evolutionary process.

Remember how it started? With great love, God told the people "You will be my people and I will be your God". From the context of worshipping many gods, the people were confused. "What do you mean?" they inquired, and God laid out the guidelines: The Ten commandments for starters, whose purpose was not to punish or restrict the people but to protect and foster a relationship between God and the Hebrew people.

Then God explained the commandments. "There is only one God, Me. Don’t make any more of those useless little gods out of wood or metals. They are false. They aren’t real; but I am. Don’t use my name in curses or silly banter for this is not respectful. Just like in your other relationships respect is an important ingredient. Follow my model; work six days and keep the seventh day holy, as a day of worship, rest and recovery from the week’s work. This is a way you honor me. Respect your father and mother; I gave them to you for a loving purpose. Don’t kill anybody; all people are my people. Don’t have an affair; don’t steal what is not yours; don’t tell lies about other people; and don’t wish you had what your neighbors have; their house, their, boat; their travel or their spouses.

It was a teaching moment. It was the birth of faith, significant because without God, the people were wandering in a desert of separation, without purpose, direction or happiness. Centered only on themselves, they had no models for living happy productive lives. The people are finally ready to listen and God comes to them in love.

Skipping now over major portions of Biblical history where God is building up the people, the foundation is set. But still the people flounder. Finally, and I imagine in desperation, God decides to send Jesus, God in a tangible form. It is Jesus who simplifies the laws by summarizing the Ten Commandments into two. Quoting from Deuteronomy, Jesus tells the people,

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment.

Paul cautions that this does not mean we can do whatever we feel like. If our faith allows behavior that causes another to stumble, it is wrong. For example, we may be perfectly comfortable drinking an occasional glass of wine, but would we invite a recovering alcoholic to a cocktail party? We may be able to eat anything we want, but would we recommend an "All You Can Eat" buffet restaurant for someone who is struggling? We may be single and enjoying a life of dating different people, but would we suggest dating to one who is unhappy in their marriage?

The people push against Paul. "Why do we have to worry about another person’s conscience? That’s not our responsibility is it?" Paul answers saying, "Our freedoms may not be another’s. Let no one stumble because of your actions. It is not about having our own way, he explains, but about building up the other person in faith. For it is in this way we glorify God."

Paul continues to lay out the instructions. Put others first. Now that sounds easy enough on the surface doesn’t it? Let someone else go through the door first; give someone your place in line; on a good day maybe allow someone to get in front of you on the freeway? And for the really advanced among us: maybe even accede your positions in an argument with another. It is being considerate of others. No new ideas here.

But building up another’s faith? Caring for the welfare of others so they can be faithful? That is another story.

This past week, I had the experience of someone building up my faith. When I appeared for my appointment with the podiatrist, I noticed a sign on the wall announcing his resignation. How could this be I thought? The staff was edgy and offered no explanations. A number of scenarios entered my mind but not the one the Dr. shared with me. As the owner of the practice, he had decided to sell it to his partners to follow something he knew he needed to do. It was for him, clear direction from God. He knew that the call to ministry (and by the way, we are all ministers) was when the need of the world intersects with the abilities we have been given. His heart had always been in teaching, and this month he was offered a position in a Christian School. He saw it as being more than a teacher. He said, "Kids today need strong models of faith in their lives. There are too many dangers in their path and I want to be that model person. He had decided to put kids first. What a faith statement! In the process he had built up my faith. This is the kind of building up Paul is talking about.

But we know it isn’t always that easy to put others first. For one thing, some of the people we are called to care for, to love in the holy kind of way Paul is describing, can be difficult. Some people are simply hard to love. Mary Southerland, calls them Sand Paper People, in her book of the same name. Isn’t that a great title?

We know exactly who they are, don’t we? Sandpaper people are those people who rub us the wrong way. These are the nosy neighbors who wonder what we are doing, why we are doing it, and with whom. Or the exasperating calls from our least favorite coworker; or the latest mess-up by the relative who doesn’t seem willing to meet us half way. These abrasive people are the ones who are easier to avoid than love, but they are often the ones who need our love the most.

Paul does not interpret Jesus command to love only the easy people, nor can we. Now, before we drop too quickly into identifying the sandpaper people in our lives and I lose you, I have to say, that sometimes you and I are those same people. We can be the ones who irritate, refuse to say thank you, or blame others instead of taking responsibility for our own behavior. We can be the ones who demand our own way, or who are unforgiving. We all have the potential of either being sandpaper people or the loving people God intended.

Paul must have been frustrated with the people in Corinth, and in some ways nothing had changed. Since the time of Moses the Corinthians were still worshipping other gods; not carved images maybe, but the gods of drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, putting themselves first. Their slogan seemed to be, "If it feels good do it." The society is in a mess and Paul is a lone and unpopular voice.

In some ways nothing has changed for us either. Don’t we still worship other gods? the god of TV and remote control? The god of good works so others will hold us in high esteem? The god of instant gratification? The god of money and investments? The god of travel? Or possessions? Or how about the god of time?

This is not to say that we should not enjoy nice things, or take trips, or watch TV. It is when they become obsessions, or separate us from other people, that we are vulnerable to having them take possession of us instead.

But we don’t need to succumb. By putting God and others first we are offered protection from these idol gods that can claim us, and harm those around us.

Several months ago there was a riveting story in the newspapers that caught my attention. Brian Nichols had gone on a shocking shooting spree in an Atlanta courtroom, killing a judge and three other people and then escaping. That night Ashley Smith left her apartment to buy cigarettes. When she returned she found herself at gun point by Brian Nichols who held her hostage in her apartment for hours.

Ashley was no stranger to pain and suffering, having lost her way as a young woman to petty crime, drunken driving, losing custody of her young daughter, and even holding her dying husband in her arms, after he had been stabbed in their apartment parking lot. After hitting rock bottom she decided with the help of others to put her life back together. Along her rough and lonely journey someone shared the story of faith with her and this was the night she discovered why.

Trapped with this killer, she shared pictures of her family and told him about God’s power in her life. She was reading the book we used this year, The Purpose Driven Life, and at one point asked if she could read it to him. He agreed and gradually, he began to trust her and then untied her. They talked of her family, his life, how things go wrong for all of us, but it is not the last word for God. Then he asked her what he should do in his predicament. She encouraged him to stop running and turn himself in.

This could be a time turning hopelessness into hope for him, she reasoned. Perhaps he could do some good with his life, even now. Maybe he could share the word of God with other inmates and make a difference in prison. Ashley knew the pain of following the wrong path and had turned her life around; she believed he could too. In an amazing turn of events, Ashley fixed breakfast for Brian and they shared a meal together in her kitchen. It was truly breaking bread together in the Spirit of Communion.

That night he could have killed her but instead he grew to trust her. He called her "an angel sent from God", as they shared their stories. The definition of an angel, you may remember, is not a beautiful ethereal being with halo and wings. Angel means messenger; one who brings God’s word in speaking or actions to another. That night, Ashley was certainly this person.

She told him if he killed her, her daughter would be an orphan. He told her he had been dead for a long time. He had set down his guns within her reach, and she decided to ignore them. She was frightened but also able to care about him in the midst of this nightmare. Some wondered whether her reading, or the sharing of their stories or the hope she offered, changed his mind. You and I know who it was, for nothing; absolutely nothing is impossible with God. The next morning, Brian decided to let her go. She left her apartment and called 911, and moments later Brian Nichols, capable of killing again, peacefully surrendered to the police.

Ashley Smith, only 26, once a lost person herself, was experiencing the triumph of faith over gunfire. It is the story of God using an imperfect person, like you and me, to make a difference. It is a story of someone putting another person’s pain before her own fear. The chapter on service to others, in The Purpose Driven Life Book, from which Ashley was reading that night she had taken to heart. That night she was living her faith to the letter, believing that it is never too late to change; believing God and others come first. She believed that Jesus was present helping Brian and helping her at the same time.

After winning prize money and being offered movie and book contracts from publishers Ashley felt overwhelmed; yet she remained grounded. When the press was adulating over how wonderful she was, Ashley responded, "First I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for his love and his grace. My life is a testament that God can use us even in the midst of tragedy and miracles do happen. God has helped me before and God will help me now too."

Ashley knew that it was God who had acted through her and Brian, recognizing God was first. Her statement glorified God instead of herself.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Honor God. Cause no one to stumble. Put others first. Not easy instructions to follow. But when we do the rewards are high. They were for Ashley Smith; they were for Brian Nichols; and they can be for us too.

Amen