SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23 2025 - HONESTY
23 February 2025
Kent Palmer
Good morning.
At a recent Board meeting it was decided that someone from the
board should do the sermon while Deborah was away. We felt that
was better than asking everyone to go to another church.
Generally when services run by member of the congregation there
would be a low attendance, but with a lot of people missing service
2 weeks ago due to a storm, and missing last week due to a closure
it is great to see so many of you here with a surprised look on your
face.
Todays focus is on Honesty.
Biggest liars in the Bible.
The brothers lie to their father. They say they found the coat. They
left out the part about them trying to kill him
The serpent certainly lied.
Peter lied, three times even
Don’t lie even made it into the top 10 commandments, although not
getting in until #9
Lies aren’t all that bad.
I think the commandment means we should love one another and
not spread false lies or allow a falsity to stand against another. It
does not mean you can't tell white lies to protect people's feelings
or protect loved ones from truths they are not quite ready to hear. I
don't think those brave souls that hid Jewish people from the Nazi's
and lied to protect them are liars, nor do I think that a man who
steals a loaf of bread to feed his starving family is a thief. We have
to use our good common sense.
Can I be perfectly honest with you right now? I did not know what
the topic was going to be when I agreed to do this service (there
were so many others who were vying for the spot). I may have had
second thoughts.
I’m not the most honest person. I’m a golfer for a start. I have
already told one bald face lie already. No one else offered to do
there service.
I tend to lie, I should say “untruthful) when I don’t want to hurt
someone’s feelings.
“Honey, do I look fat in this dress?” There is only one way out of this
one. “I prefer the green one”.
…but not a real green dress that’s cruel.
I started that with “Can I be completely honest with you”. Have you
ever said that? Certainly you’ve heard it come out of someone’s
mouth. How often do you stop and think “hey wait a minute…You
mean all the other times you have not been completely honest”? It
is a kind of weird expression. Also odd that it is so common place
and now one ever really gives it much thought.
We all struggle to some degree with Honesty. Generally it is
honesty with others. Hopefully we are all more honest with
ourselves.
Understanding Honesty
Honesty can be defined as the quality of being truthful, sincere, and
free from deceit. It encompasses a range of behaviors, including
transparency, integrity, and accountability. In a world where
misinformation and deception are prevalent, the value of honesty
becomes even more pronounced. It is essential to recognize that
honesty is not merely the absence of lying; rather, it is an active
commitment to truthfulness in all aspects of life. This commitment
requires individuals to engage in self-examination and to confront
uncomfortable truths about themselves and their circumstances.
Today Honesty is the theme and Sabe is the creature, not one with
which we are familiar. Here is a little of what I found online: The
Sabe - Kitchi-Sabe - is a mythical giant who is a symbol of honesty.
The Sabe represents honesty because it is believed that the Sabe
used to walk among humans to remind us to remain true to our
nature. The Sabe keeps us aware of being ourselves, and not
someone we are not. Stéphane Romain.
There are Seven Grandfather teachings for Canada’s T&R 5.
Honesty (Gwekwaadiziwin):
Honesty in acknowledging past wrongdoings, without attempts to
minimize or revise history, is crucial. This could take form through
public statements, educational reforms, and policy adjustments that
ensure a more truthful representation of history.
Honesty in acknowledging past wrongdoings, without attempts to
minimise or revise history, is crucial. Sure. That makes sense. We
can’t lie to ourselves. We need to acknowledge our past. We are
participants in the life of this church and this church used everything
in its power to commit genocide on the indigenous of Canada
starting with the most vulnerable. The children. We need to accept
this as Truth. But we cannot stop there. Stopping at simply
acknowledging this is not honest. It’s frankly cowardly. We have to
do the rest, the hard stuff. We are asked to show our
acknowledgment through public statements, educational reforms,
and policy adjustments that ensure a more truthful representation of
history.
Can we do that? Are we doing that?
We make public statements. We have a series of sermons, we wear
orange shirts we acknowledge the land.I had, although it is gone
now, a sign out in front of our house that said “Hate has no room
here” or something to that. I
I believe Deborah has done a very good job of leading us through
this weeks with lessons on T&R. Sometimes I tell her the sermon
was good when maybe it was a bit meh. But I’m serious about the
time and attention she has given to lead us through these difficult
Sundays.
This series is coming to an end. But our work continues. May we all
have the strength to move forward with an honest purpose.