Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
Go to iTunes or SoundCloud for Audio Podcast
Original Manuscript:
There's been a lot about Fred Rogers in the news lately, in large part because of the recent documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor about his popular children's television program Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Perhaps that is because we need someone like him right now.
One thing you may not know about Fred Rogers is that he was an ordained Presbyterian minister. In fact, his work on his program was seen by the church as his ministry.
One subject Fred Rogers would talk about on his show from time to time was anger. There was one segment he did where he talked about himself and his own anger growing up. He said that when he was angry he wanted to bang on things, which his parents hated. But, they were okay if he got his frustration out playing the piano, which he did.
Fred Rogers would often say it's okay to be angry, but that we should turn that anger into something constructive and not into something that could hurt ourselves or others.
Now why would something like this talk on anger be seen as ministry? Well, Ephesians says precisely why in the beginning of our reading from there this morning. "Be angry, but do not sin."
There seems to be a lot of anger in the world right now. Just turn on the news. If you're like me, you've found that anger slipping into you. Sometimes you have to turn off the news as a result.
It's not a great feeling to be angry, but it is freeing to know that anger, in it of itself, is not a bad thing. In fact, God gets angry. We see it in the Old Testament the many times that the Israelites mess things up. But God is also patient. Before he does anything, he talks it out with Moses, or he sends his prophets to give people a chance to repent. Even with Noah, He takes time to plan and prepare, and his purpose there isn't destruction, but recreation. God takes time before He acts, and He does so to model to us appropriate behavior.
Jesus even gets angry. He even chases out the moneylenders in the Temple, but not to hurt them, but instead to make a point: "My Father's house is a house of prayer. But you have made it a den of thieves."
We see God angry when it's a matter of justice. We see Him angry when it involves people doing something wrong. That's the same reason we often get angry. We get angry when we see someone doing an injustice in the world. We get angry when we perceive that someone has done a wrong to us.
The anger is not what is bad. It's what you do with that anger that's important. We can yell, or bully each other, or even throw and bang on things. Those aren't productive or helpful. In fact, those reactions can be harmful.
That's why we need to listen to what Mr. Rogers has to say. We can turn that anger into something beautiful and positive, like a melody. When we see injustice, we can try to fix it. When we get mad at what we see on the news, we can contact our leaders and be active citizens. When we encounter a bully, we can stand up to him or her.
"Be angry, but do not sin." If we let it, anger can separate us from one another. It can even separate us from God. But if we follow God's example of righteous anger, we can use it as a tool to bring us back together, and if we listen to the words of Fred Rogers, then our anger can be a tool to lead us to constructive change in the world.