1. Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard Sunday, June 19, 2016
For Goodness Sake
Peter Fitch, St. Croix Vineyard
Sunday, June 19, 2016

2. Philippians 4: 8-9, Loving the Good
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

3. Plato (c B.C.)
The longing for a just society . . .

4. The Republic
The Republic needs leaders of true worth—the Philosopher-Kings
Unfortunately, what we normally get instead are people who want the job (easiest to corrupt)
The Philosopher-Kings become good as they study the Good, that which gives all else its meaning

5. Simone Weil (1909-1943) There is a reality outside the world,
that is to say, outside
space and time . . .

6. Draft for a Statement of Human Obligations
There is a reality outside the world, that is to say, outside space and time, outside any sphere whatsoever that is accessible to human faculties. Corresponding to this reality, at the centre of the human heart, is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and which is never appeased by any object in this world

7. Just as the reality of this world is the sole foundation of facts, so that other reality is the sole foundation of good. That reality is the unique source of all the good that can exist in this world: that is to say, all beauty, all truth, all justice, all legitimacy, all order, and all human behaviour that is mindful of obligations.

8. Those minds whose attention and love are turned towards that reality are the sole intermediary through which good can descend from there and come among men. Although it is beyond the reach of any human faculties, man has the power of turning his attention and love towards it. Nothing can ever justify the assumption that any man, whoever he may be, has been deprived of this power.

9. Uncomfortable relevance
Not recognizing the obligation to “remedy all privations of soul and body which are liable to destroy or damage the earthly life of any human whatsoever.”
Criminal behaviour: refusing the obligation
Accessories to crime: putting people who refuse the obligation in power over others

10. Jesus (Luke 18:18-22)
18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.20 You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”  

11. Luke 18:18-22
22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 

12. No one is good except God alone?
I thought Jesus was God . . .
Is He trying to make the guy clarify his own thinking?
Or, is He serious?
Could this be Jesus, the human, who is so devoted to the ways of God that He is filled with the Holy Spirit without measure, pointing to the one, eternal God outside of Himself?

13. One thing you still lack . . .
Something beyond all the “do nots”
The mad, passionate pursuit of the Good by following Jesus into care for others

14. Last week
I suggested that a good deal of Christianity had missed the example of Jesus as He dealt with others
He broke the us/them distinctions
Unfortunately, Christianity sometimes resuscitated them
Jesus seems to treat every person He meets as someone who has the link that Weil describes

15. Plato’s questions
And now, shall we consider in what way such guardians (philosopher-kings) will be produced, and how they are to be brought from darkness into light? And should we not enquire what sort of knowledge has the power of effecting such a change?

16. Daniel Ariely (Dis)Honesty: The Truth about Lies
Most people cheat in some experiments
Especially if they think it is a reasonable amount
And in line with what others are doing (socially acceptable)
However, they will not if you remind them first of a moral code . . .

17. Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?

18. But maybe St. Paul’s words are also practical . . .
By focusing on the good we become good (Plato)
By loving the good we sense our obligation to treat others well (Weil)
By focusing on the good in others we stretch our tolerance and understanding
By accepting the good in ourselves we know we have something to give

19. Philippians 4: 8-9, Loving the Good
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. 9 The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

20. Brian Doerksen: Jesus, You’re Good
Study the life of Jesus
Deal with your own “stuff”
Aim to act in the world as Jesus acted toward others
Develop a relationship with God
Reflect goodness and truth and beauty back into the world in as many ways as you can