So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. 4:26 Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 4:27 and do not make room for the devil. 4:28 Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 4:29 Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 4:31 Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 4:32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 5:2 and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. – Ephesians 4:25-5:2 4:25
September 11th 2001 our nation was hit hard by devastating acts of terrorism that seemed to strike the very core of our sense of security and well being. For many, the days after were filled with uncertainty and disbelief. We were left with questions and a soul aching search for answers, an answer for a question we all shared: will life ever be the same? When certain events come crashing into our sense of well-being we are forced to acknowledge that something has changed.
Following September 11th 2001 the common mantra became “Never Forget.” This is a call to stay vigilant, to remember not only the tragedy but also the great acts of heroism that occurred during our darkest hours. If you watched the events unfold that day it was hard to forget. I remember watching the news that morning and seeing a small plume of dark smoke against a bright blue sky rising from a tower. I remember being shocked as another plane went tearing into the building next door. As the day continued one report came in after another of more planes, a thicker plot, and no one knew what would happen next. Something like that is hard to forget. A day when not just towers fell, but also our sense of security, of invincibility. Seeds were planted eleven years ago on that tragic day: seeds of distrust, anger, and fear. While our country worked hard to combat the forces of terrorism through combative strategies and cutting off supplies to the enemy, a more insidious enemy took root in our hearts. Our hearts became a home for fear and then anger. Both fear and anger are easy to feel when we get attacked.
Do you remember how angry you were when this happened? When innocent lives were lost? Do you remember how angry you were that someone could come in and destroy not just property but our very sense of security? Do you remember how we just wanted justice, somebody to pay for the terrible acts that day. We were proud of a country where people could come and make an honest living and proud of our communities that cared for one another. But when we were hit hard that day some of the good feelings we had about the beauty of our land and community took a back seat to the red hot anger we felt about those who hurt us. Remember some of the songs we sang? Toe-tapping, adrenaline pumping music.
Soon as we could see clearly through our big black eye, Man, we lit up your world like the fourth of July. Hey, Uncle Sam put your name at the top of his list, And the Statue of Liberty started shaking her fist. And the eagle will fly and it’s gonna be hell, When you hear Mother Freedom start ringing her bell. And it’ll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you. Ah, brought to you, courtesy of the red, white and blue.
We felt good about the idea of vengeance. We wanted blood and an eye for an eye. Some of us knew people that were in those planes, some of us knew people in those buildings and some of us knew the brave women and men that risked their lives to help others. It wasn’t fair, it was evil and we were angry. We had a choice back then as we do now with what to do with that anger. As Christians, do we take revenge? Do we go on attack mode? Do we allow the violent acts of someone else’s anger infiltrate our very soul and change us into angry, violent people too? Attacks have the potential of creeping their way into our hearts and changing the way we see people and the world around us. We can become defensive, untrusting, and angry. When that anger finds a way of making a home in our hearts, it can change us from the inside out.
When was the last time you felt really angry? Can you remember that feeling? Racing heart, clenched fist, feel almost like your whole body was tensing up. Ready for a fight! When we were kids and someone hurt you or made you angry you might just settle things then and there huh? A little scuffle on the playground and you’re done. But as we get older we learn to be more careful with what we do and what we say. So how do you deal with anger? One of the worst things to do is nothing at all. Just let it sit. Tuck that anger away deep in your heart and let it simmer. Before long you start obsessing over the issue or person. Things get personal. You might start holding a grudge against a person who has wronged you and even if that person has long forgotten anything ever happened every time you see that person it is all you can think about. When anger is left to brew on its own we can become bitter, self righteous, and closed off to those around us.
When I was a little kid we used to have sleepovers and I remember one of our favorite activities was sneaking upstairs and getting snacks from the kitchen. We thought we were being all stealth as we did our little recon mission and then retreated back to my room with our snacks. My parents of course knew and would let us do that on special occasions. But on a usual day we were not to have food stashed in our room. As kids we might leave stuff out. A chip bag here, an open carton there, maybe some old fruit peelings in the corner. What’s the problem with leaving food out? It has a way of attracting unwanted guests right? All sorts of little critters like to come in and take up residence in a place with a free buffet. We were told time and again keep your room clean, don’t leave crumbs out or you will have critters. Mice, roaches, ants, whatever. They were little creatures I certainly didn’t want in my bed at night!
When we bring anger home to rest in our hearts and leave crumbs of self-righteousness, bitterness, thoughts of vengeance, or even passive aggressiveness in our lives, it’s just asking for trouble. It’s like leaving piles of trash and half eaten food around your room and just seeing what happens. Before you know it your heart and life will become a place for an uninvited guest. In our passage today the author said, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.” That is one uninvited house guest you do not want making a permanent home in your heart. So in order that your heart doesn’t become a place for darkness and rottenness to take over, don’t let anger sit there for long. Let it go! Easier said than done though right? When we have been stung, cut deep, struck to the core, it’s hard to just get over it. But for the very sake of our souls we cannot allow such anger to open the door to sin. Sin that destroys our relationship with God and one another. That is why we are so desperately in need of the cleansing power of Christ in our lives, to come in and sweep out all malice, anger and wrath that stubbornly clings to our hearts. Jesus not only has the power to flush out the darkness in our hearts, but by the power of the Holy Spirit our lives can become places of love, life and renewal. When we ask God’s Holy Spirit to take up residence in our hearts we can be daily renewed. We have someone who will remind us to not let trash sit around our hearts but to let things go and stay focused on the important things, loving God and loving our neighbors. Our whole lives can become like a home that is hospitable and welcoming to all who need a safe place.
Think about our church. When our church is a Spirit-filled community we become a way for Christ’s light to shine in this world. We offer an alternative to death, destruction, anger and distrust. In a broken and fallen world people are desperate for signs of hope. There was a missionary named Leslie Newbigin who once said, “Every faithful act of service, every honest labor to make the world a better place, which seemed to have been forever lost and forgotten in the rubble of history, will be seen on that day to have contributed to the perfect fellowship of God’s Kingdom.” His book was called “Signs Amid the Rubble”.
Rather than getting caught up in the tide of anger and violence that sweeps through this world, our lives and our church must point to signs amid the rubble. Ways that God continues to show us that there is life beyond death, renewal after destruction. When I visited the 9/11 site in the Spring we saw this one pear tree on the grounds that had beautiful blooms. It was called the survivor tree. The Survivor tree was the last living thing pulled from the smoking ruins of the world trade center site. When people found it, the tree was nothing more than a charred and splintered stump. Despite the collapse of several buildings all around it, the little tree survived. It has now grown back from that injured stump they found amidst the rubble to a 30 ft healthy tree. When people come to the site and see the tree all are reminded of hope and life that continues on despite the odds. Anger destroys, faith brings new life.
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.” Jeremiah 17:7-8
When something like anger stays in your life long enough you forget that it’s there and it becomes a part of you. But the truth is there is no place in a Christian heart for anger, rage, malice, insults, and destructive language. Because we have been gracefully redeemed by the mighty acts of Jesus Christ. We have been sealed with the Holy Spirit so that we can truly love God and each other in ways that were never possible before we allowed God to work in our lives. As we remember the tragic events of 9/11 we are asked to never forget. Never forget how destructive and tragic the forces of anger and hate can be. But also never forget that God’s hope and promise of redemption extend beyond the grave and like that tree will spring up as life from the ruins. Never forget whose you are, sons and daughters of the most High God, servants of our Lord Jesus Christ. Never forget you are God’s children claimed in the waters of baptism. Never forget that you don’t have to fall into despair or be consumed with anger because you are renewed each day through the love of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. Never forget that you are first and foremost, Christian, a tree planted by the healing and saving waters of Jesus Christ.