Rev. Dr. M. Taylor Bach

Ecclesiastes 2:1-11 Matthew 7:1-5

Many years ago, I was a youth minister in another church and if someone asked me at that time how I was getting along with one of the associate ministers, I would have to say we had religious differences. He thought he was God and I didn't! (laughter) Today, I want to talk about a related danger that Jesus advised about and Paul talks about. It is a theme that runs through the Bible. The danger is arrogance. The danger is thinking too highly of yourself. Paul writes this in Ephesians  “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.” I think that is key in living your Christian life.

This morning we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our Scouts, Troop #288. I understand they are actually into their 76th year. It is a group that we are highly proud of and excited about. The Boy Scout Troop has had, I think, 66 Eagle Scouts come from it which is an amazing accomplishment in these 75 years. Also, I learned just this past month that our troop blazed the Laughery Creek Trail in Southeast Indiana. The trail covers 36 miles from Aurora, Indiana, to Versailles State Park. It is divided into two sections  Aurora to Friendship is 24 miles and Friendship to Versailles State Park is 12 miles. The trail is now a National Boy Scout historic trail and is maintained by our troop. Did you all know that? That is quite an accomplishment. This is something that the Boys can be quite proud of. I've always been amazed at the Scouts and what they can do. This past year I would see them come in filthy after a trip where they were camping out in weather that wasn't what I would call decent. Yet they made it. They are still alive. They are here! They are very very impressive. We have to credit their leaders. This past year, I've gotten to know the leadership and have been very impressed with the adults who have stepped up and are doing their best job to make this a great scout troop, a unified scout troop. These are some very impressive people leading our troop. I would like for all of you to give the adult leaders a hand right now for what they have accomplished (applause).

Years ago I was a chaplain of a troop - #284 - at Redeemer United Church of Christ in Hamilton, Ohio. I want to tell our scouts about two boys there and also share about those two boys with all of you. Since the scripture this morning is about removing the log from our own eye and not being arrogant and in the second reading, even the author of Ecclesiastes has made the observation that everything in this world is vain if it is done selfishly, for one's own motives and ones self. He says it is like chasing after wind. He says if you are selfish, life is meaningless. This relates to what I wanted to tell you about these two scouts that I had to deal with. One of them was very arrogant. Do you know what that means? He bragged about himself all the time. Yeah, he had his ribbon of merit badges across his chest. He thought he was hot stuff! The other scout had an equal amount of merit badges but he had the attitude that he had learned these skills represented by his merit badges to serve other people. It came time that we had Scout Sunday in that church. They both approached me with the request that they be the preacher that day. Which one do you think I felt most like allowing to speak? This is a no brainer, isn't it? The one who had humility. This one had great accomplishments and he was on his way to become an Eagle Scout. In fact, he would make Eagle that year. Yet, he knew that his whole purpose for obtaining these merit badges and Eagle Scout standing was because he was training himself for service to others. So he is the one that I chose to speak to the congregation. Did he do a good job? Yes. He didn't get up there and brag about all of his considerable accomplishments. He got up and told about how as his Eagle Scout project, he had inherited an abandoned log cabin on the church property. His project was to rehab the log cabin and make it a scout cabin where they could spend the night, tell stories and have their meetings. So as he told about his project, he invited the whole congregation to become involved. He asked them to contribute some of the their financial resources and if they had supplies&lumber, nails, things like that&they could offer to help with his Eagle Scout project. Sure enough, by the end of the summer, he and his recruits had redone it. He was a team player. Definitely! He involved many in his project and in doing so, he was a great example to the younger fellows coming up. We were all very proud of him.

When Jesus was here, He condemned a particular group of people. Do you know which group that was? They were called the Pharisees. Why did He condemn them? He condemned them because of their arrogance. They thought they were far superior to anyone else. There is one example where a Pharisee was making an offering in the Temple and a poor woman was also making an offering. The Pharisee had riches. The Pharisee prayed a prayer, “Thank God I am not like the rest of the people. I have accomplished all these great things.” The poor woman simply put her little offering in the Temple plate but it represented all that she had. His offering simply represented a smattering of what he had. Guess who Jesus praised? Did he praise the Pharisee who did a lot of the right things? No, He praised the poor woman because she was humble and she not only gave her small donation but she gave of herself, she gave of her heart.

Jesus called Pharisees whitened sepulchers filled with dead men's bones&looking good on the outside but corrupt on the inside. Arrogant! We are to be those people who in humility know our abilities, know what we can accomplish, have a correct knowledge of ourselves. We are willing to look at our own faults, take the log out of our eye before we try to correct somebody else and take the speck out of their eye. We are therefore to be examples to others but not examples to others in a braggadocios way. We are to be examples to others in humility who actually serve other people. I believe that is one of the major purposes of scouts. National Scouting is also celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. Our troop is one of the earliest troops in all of scouting, being 75 going on 76 years old. I am convinced that those who founded scouts founded the organization to train boys to become leaders. Not to become self-serving like the Pharisees but to become leaders who gave of their lives for others like Jesus Christ.

You are always only one choice away from change. Is there a choice that you need to make? A change that you need to make this morning? Is there something that you need to do to become humble and yet competent, humble and yet excellent, humble and yet serve God willingly and knowingly and become an example to others who can follow you and say, “That is a good person.” Everywhere you go, people should be able to look at you and say, “I've been blessed.” Be prepared!