Category: The Virtue in the Vice

The Virtue in the Vice /

“The Virtue in the Vice: Worthiness not Pride”

Robin McGonigle
University Congregational Church
March 6, 2022
“The Virtue in the Vice: Worthiness not Pride”
Proverbs 16:17-19
Once on a day that has been forgotten, in a long-forgotten room, among poverty and despair, a 16-year-old girl gave birth to a little boy. She did not name him. Perhaps she meant to give him a name, but just did not get around to it. There was no father to ask about it. Truth be told, she was not certain who the father was.
The nurse asked when filling out the paperwork what to put in the line for the child’s name. The mother replied, “He ain’t got no name.”
“We have to put something on the birth certificate,” said the nurse.
“Look, I’m tired,” sighed the mother. “I’m going back to sleep now.”
The nurse reluctantly wrote in “No Name” on his birth certificate, along with his mother’s last name – Maddox. Along with this name was the child’s inky little footprint. That is how this boy’s life started: as No Name Maddox. And when his mother remarried, he became No Name Manson.
When he turned nine or ten, he realized that his mom was really a prostitute. As a child, he laid in bed and heard the tell-tale sounds of her evening activities. No one had to tell him the truth. He just figured it out. Sometimes his mom sounded happy and sometimes she sounded fearful. Her son, listening in the night, was not always certain which was which. Now, as an adult, he still gets fear and happiness confused in his mind. As soon as he was old enough, he disappeared into the streets and stayed unknown for a long time.
Eventually, he resurfaced on the West Coast and had a name he had given himself: Charles. Charles Manson, who ran all over California, seeming to try to kill someone like his mother.
As a minister, I want to ask people like Charles Manson’s mom, “Weren’t you made for more than this?” So many times, I want to ask a person that question. “Weren’t you made for more than this?” It is because I genuinely believe that each of us is imprinted with God’s holy spark of divinity. We are made in the image of God. But I am jumping ahead of myself.
Today, we are starting on a new journey. The journey of Lent. As Paul told you in the Children’s Message:
• Lent is a 40-day journey leading us to Easter Day. Those 40 days represent the time Jesus spent in the wilderness before he started his public ministry.
• Lent started last Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) and ends on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter).
• Lent is a time of preparation, penitence, and fasting. Often, people “give up” something for Lent, such as meat or sweets. I have also encouraged people to “add something” for Lent – such as meditation, prayer, exercise, or reading.
• Lent started being practiced after Jesus’s death but was formalized in 325 CE.
• The day before Lent starts is known as Fat Tuesday and is celebrated with pancakes or Mardi Gras!
At UCC, our theme for Lent is focused on the seven deadly sins AND the 7 Life-Affirming Virtues that correspond with them. At the end of the service today, you will receive a small charm of a scale of justice to remind you that we strive for balance in our lives. Please use this scale of justice throughout the Lenten season to remind yourself of the balance required in your spiritual life. We are all sinners; and we also have proportionate opportunities for life-affirming virtues which enhance our souls. We will be using Robin Meyers’ book “The Virtue in the Vice” as a guide for these sermons. I taught Christian ethics at Newman
University for sixteen semesters, so I will be using my experiences from those classes as well.
Let me tell you a bit about how the seven deadly sins list came about! Long ago, before most humans could read or write, church leaders produced a list of sins so that people would know what NOT to do. This list is not in the Bible, per se. It was a list of the medieval church, and it was said that these were the worst of the worst things you could do that would keep you separated from God. The top seven were:
• Pride
• Envy
• Anger
• Lust
• Gluttony
• Greed
• Sloth
Along with these deadly sins, the church listed answers: the seven virtues:
• Humility
• Kindness
• Patience
• Chastity
• Abstinence
• Liberality
• Diligence
You might ask “Why Seven?” Remember that seven is a holy number: there are 7 days of the week; 7 days of creation; etc.
We could argue that there would be more grievous sins that the seven chosen by these early church leaders. Nietzsche, for example, argued that cruelty, savagery, indifference to human suffering, tyranny, ethnic hatred, religious persecution, and racial bigotry, were all more deadly than the ones listed. I would like to suggest that any list of ethical dilemmas set by a human or groups of humans consistently has a political element to it. In other words, the social situation of the community is reflected in the ethical concerns brought to the forefront of any discussion.
Today’s sermon will focus on the sin of pride and the virtue of humility… or saying it in a positive way: worthiness. When the early church leaders put together the list of sins, pride came first on the list. Pride elicits idolatry and even worship of ourselves. The English synonyms for proud include arrogant, haughty, conceited, egocentric, narcissistic, insolent, presumptuous and vain. The Greeks called it hubris (thinking oneself superior to the gods). To be proud, in the classic sense, is to be out of place in the order of things, and not know one’s proper relationship to God. Our traditional text for today speaks of this sin:
The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their way preserve their lives. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit among the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud. Prov. 16: 17-19
Going back to the story of Charles Manson… the problem his mother had was not pride, but a lack of pride. She had a feeling of worthlessness. She had forgotten that she was precious in God’s eyes; that she was God’s masterpiece. That she was made for more than this.
Last year while I was on sabbatical, I traveled to Savannah Georgia. Whenever we went out to eat in what they call the Low Country, they brought a dish of fresh hot hushpuppies to the table when you sat down. These were not anything like the hushpuppies I have had in other places! These were warm, fresh out of the kitchen, delicious little bits of heaven in your mouth. Full of cornbread, spices, butter, and homemade goodness, these little fritters melt in your mouth! Just when you get to the end of the bowl, they bring more. You do not order them – and you cannot do anything to stop them. They just come to your table. They are free – they come when you sit down, whether you are just there for a drink or a meal!
That is the way it is with worthiness. You cannot do anything to earn it…. It just comes. Take a moment to look at the front of your bulletin. On it is a picture of a
father with his 2-month-old child. The unconditional love passed between them is what I am talking about. This child will grow up knowing she is worthy – not because of anything she has done, but because she is loved just by being.
Self-esteem has to do with talent and merit; we compare our abilities with the abilities of others and how we measure up to the standards of our society. Self-respect, on the other hand, has to do with the inherent value and dignity of all persons and is, by nature, noncomparative. The answer to the sin of arrogance or wrongful pride is knowing one’s self-worth; knowing that we are God’s own beloved.
Tuesday night, I was at Fiddler on the Roof at Century II. Many of you know the story. The Jews are kicked out of their beloved hometown, Anatevka. They are dispersed to various places around the world where they will have to make a new life, without their family and friends. It ends in sadness as they leave one another. This is representative of the Hebrew story over the millennia. Knowing that I was preaching on “worthiness – not pride,” I thought about how they played into this story of the chosen people in the Hebrew Bible.
Outside Century II after the play, my friend noticed a homeless person sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag. As the theater crowd passed by, the homeless person seemed oblivious. S/he did not move or beg for money. Apparently asleep in the sleeping bag, the homeless person slept through the crowd passing by. My thoughts turned again. Did this precious soul know his or her worth in the eyes of God? Did the crowd notice? Did we recognize that the tears we shed for the people of Anatevka in the theater (who were pushed out of their hometown because of their race and religion) were connected to the plight of this person? That all of God’s children have inherent worth? That all of them were made for more than this?
When faced with the sin of puffed-up pride, the answer is often to learn our inherent worth as a beloved child of God.
Resources Used:
Meyers, Robin R. “The Virtue in the Vice; Finding Seven Lively Virtues in the Seven Deadly Sins”. Deerfield Beach Florida: Health Communications, Inc. 2004

The Virtue in the Vice /

The Virtue in the Vice: Communion, not Gluttony

The Virtue in the Vice: Communion, not Gluttony

Robin McGonigle
University Congregational Church
April 3, 2022

I Cor. 11:17-34
One of the lost things I missed most during Covid was a delightful, fine meal, eaten slowly with beloved friends at a nice restaurant. An evening out in the company of good friends lingering over a glass of wine at a table is one of life’s great blessing. In the Bible, one of the great metaphors for the kindom of God is a banquet – and many of us can imagine why. When we dine with others we love and enjoy tasty food – well, it is delightful.
Food is a good thing… a necessity for life itself. But too much of a good thing is not good for us. Gluttony is listed as one of the seven deadly sins. It is sad to note that while much of the world is starving, Americans eat ourselves (literally) to death. 60% or more of us are overweight. Gluttony is not only about eating too much – it is about eating for the wrong reasons. Gluttony is about a deeper hunger in the soul itself. Gluttony can include trying to fill that hunger in the soul with alcohol and other drugs. In fact, gluttony is often closely related to lust and to sloth.
I will also point out that gluttony is self-indulgent and contributes to the societal problem of others not having enough. As Robin Meyers’ notes in his book, The Virtue in the Vice, “We walk down city streets on our way to the newest restaurant, making sure that we step over or around the homeless. We are offended if they ask for spare change, but we spend more on a bottle of wine than it would cost to feed and clothe them for a month. Gluttony is not just irrational. It is immoral.”
As we have in this sermon series, we are not focusing on the vice – instead, we are looking at the virtue in the vice. For this week, the virtue in gluttony is communion! While many of us in this congregation may think that the highest and most sacramental form of eating in the church is fellowship time or potluck
dinners, it is not! Unlike gluttony, communion satisfies the hungry heart. It is obvious that the small portion of food and drink we receive from the communion table is not enough to fill the stomach, but somehow, there is always enough for everyone at the table.
The difference is between quality and quantity. With communion, we eat to live – not live to eat. As Robin Meyers’ writes, “Communion… connects us to the earth, to thankfulness, and to the author of every good and perfect gift… the opposite of a glutton is not (someone) who counts out beans on his (or her) plate and drinks water without ice. The opposite of a glutton is a (person) for whom food is a means to an end, not an end unto itself. It is (a person) who uses food and loves people.”
Food brings us together. As a parent, I thought that one of the most important places in our family home was the dining table. At the table, I encouraged my children how to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet. I also taught them how to set a table with silverware and good dishes. I taught them how to have conversation with others, including adults, about important things –
• the events of their day food
• things happening in the community
• world events
• ideas
• subjects of interest to them and others
• questions of moral and ethical importance
• express gratitude
A number of people have commented that my children were able to converse with adults at an early age. I believe they learned these things at the dinner table. Having a theology of food is important. The Bible spells out, in many locations, teachings about how and what to eat and the theological significance of food. One such place there is a specific teaching about food is our traditional word for today: Now in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, to begin with, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you; and to some
extent I believe it. Indeed, there have to be factions among you, for only so will it become clear who among you are genuine. When you come together, it is not really to eat the Lord’s supper. For when the time comes to eat, each of you goes ahead with your own supper, and one goes hungry and another becomes drunk. What! Do you not have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I commend you? In this matter I do not commend you! For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for one another. If you are hungry, eat at home, so that when you come together, it will not be for your condemnation. I Cor. 11:17-34 The apostle Paul was offering in this writing a theology of communion and of eating together. When Christians eat together – whether it is at communion (a symbolic meal) or just at a dining table in someone’s home – we share mutuality and respect. We do not belly up to a trough and gulp or slobber. We look one another in the eyes, share words of hope and encouragement and share nourishment for the soul. The purpose is to share what we eat, but it bonds us as friends. My New Testament professor and mentor Dennis Smith authored books about this and always claimed that those who shared in a common meal had a social obligation to one another. If I share a meal with you, I have an obligation to you… I am bound to you. He is echoing the apostle Paul’s warnings in I Cor.
Even eating alone can be a sacramental experience. The food is still a blessing, and the spirit of God is the unnamed table guest. We are grateful because we have available food. We are among the privileged of the world. Food is not morally neutral; it is precious because it sustains what is precious – the creation of God. Millions of people do not have enough food. The virtue of communion is the antidote to gluttony. Associated with communion are community and thankfulness. These qualities turn all eating into a communion of sorts. Communion is what turns every table from a trough into an altar. As Meyers’ writes, “Gluttony teaches us to devour, while communion teaches us to savor.” Let me end with a story. It was 1991 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. 9,000 people had gathered from all over the world to elect a new General Minister for my denomination. The candidate who was nominated was Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, one of the most prominent and influential ecumenical leaders and educators of our time. He later served as the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches of Christ. He was a seminary and university professor and served as Dean of Lexington Theological Seminary. But there was one problem. He was accepting of LGBTQ people. The vote on Dr. Kinnamon was divisive at the assembly and required 67% approval. Some congregations bussed people in from across the country to sway the vote. Out of the nearly 9,000 in attendance, the vote was not approved by about sixty votes. The sting and disillusionment I felt with the vote went to my very soul. I did not know if I could stay with the church or in ministry after the cruel things that were said. It was a crushing defeat for many of us who thought Dr. Kinnamon was the right person to lead our denomination into a bright new future of ecumenicism and unity. The next morning, 9,000 people dispersed to the many congregations in Tulsa to worship – as is the custom at these assemblies. Dr. Kinnamon had been invited to preach at a small church and it overflowed with people 2 hours before the worship service began. People were sitting on the floor in the aisles and on the chancel. People were standing in the foyer and Sunday School classroom, where the sound was piped in. There were people standing outside and the windows were open. The church was packed to overflowing. It just so happened that I was standing in an aisle near Dr. Kinnamon’s wife, whom I had never met. She was also a minister. When the communion plates came to her – it was obvious that this small congregation had not prepared for the overwhelming numbers of
people who came that morning. A few small communion chips were left in the plate and only 5-6 cups on juice were left and many rows of people were remaining. This faithful woman took quick inventory and did something shocking. She took a small communion chip in her palm and crushed it and shared it with many around her (at least twenty of us), offering us a crumble and said, “This is the bread of heaven.” And then she dipped her finger in the cup and touched our lips and said, “This is the cup of life.” It was a moment I will always remember. My parched and empty soul was filled to overflowing. I went home from the assembly renewed and ready to work even harder for my values! A simple shared meal is the principal sacrament of human existence. We live around the table, and in sharing our lives – not just our bread – we are satisfied. The tiny bits of bread and wine at the table we share during communion are not quantified as much. But if you find that quality and add the community to it – it is more than enough to fill our souls to overflowing.
Resources Used:
Meyers, Robin R. “The Virtue in the Vice”. Deerfield Beech, Florida: Health Communications, Inc. 2004.