The Sermon on the Plain

Scripture Reading: Luke 6:1-49, Hosea 6:6, James 2:1-5

I live in the land of the mandatory “sir” and “ma’am.” In casual and formal settings alike, many adults in the American South require all children to append these honorifics to everything they say to anyone older than themselves.

As a teacher, I have to rebuke and correct kids regularly, and the culturally mandated expectation, no matter the infraction, is that the student will respond with an immediate, unflinching “yes, sir” to whatever I say.

But the magic words lose their power when a kid makes the same mistake over and over. Even if the circumstances are not extreme, more than words are required to get back on track. I’d rather they skip the sweet talk and just do what they’re supposed to do. Don’t just call me “sir” and assume that everything’s cool; back your words up with action.

I think Jesus is after the same thing. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46). Religious people have a knack for performing passable acts of lip service but miss the mark in their behavior. Being hyper-focused on right speech and right thought often leads to action far afield from God’s heart.

God sees right through the veneer of spoken conformity and expressly desires more than verbal virtue signaling. Hosea 6:6 tells us that God doesn’t want us going through the motions of religious duties for their own sake; He wants us to know Him and love Him faithfully.

Sometimes I wonder if I’m the kind of guy who calls out “Lord, Lord” to Jesus with the same breath in my lungs that I use to run in the opposite direction of the life He has called me to. I certainly hope not. But I know the impulse is strong within me to say the right words but carry on doing what I please.

Guilty as I am of behaving this way, I know God’s mercy for me is greater. His mercy—so complete, so precious—beckons me to a life in the constant light of His presence. Instead of reciting a Wikipedia definition of sunshine, I get to bask directly in the warmth of Jesus. And that’s when things start to take shape and grow.

Our lives will speak for themselves as our roots dig into the soil of God’s love and He produces the fruit of His own Spirit in our hearts. Little by little, we won’t need to speak in pithy yet empty Christian jargon; we will become active agents of His love, joy, and peace. We won’t need to pretend to be well-versed cultural Christians because we will illuminate the world with His kindness and goodness. As Christ lives through us, we will bring peace to broken and dark places. As His Holy Spirit operates in us, calling Him “Lord, Lord” will be more than hollow speech; it will be the proclamation of God’s kingdom through our very lives.

— Written by Alex Florez