Sermons we see

The poem by Edgar Guest, “Sermons We See,” explores how people live their lives and how everyday actions serve as sermons of our true nature and beliefs. The poem is a lesson in the power of our mind, body and soul. It describes how our actions can reveal more about ourselves than words ever could.

A coffee shop on Audubon Street in New Haven is an ideal meeting space. This location works if one needs a place to work or hold a small meeting. As this is the case with practically any coffee shop, you can also do some peoplewatching and make new friends. The experience in this coffee shop reflects what Guest was talking about in his poem.

On one occasion, a white police officer and a black citizen exchanged challenging words outside this coffee shop. Just looking at the body language, the tension was evident. Each tried to park where there was enough room for both of them, but that fact was not noticeable. This incident was on the heels of the death of George Floyd, and an unfavorable outcome was predictable.

Of course, they were both heading into the same coffee shop. Given the timing of their arrival, they had to fall in line one behind the other. There was an icy air between them.

A gentleman in line ahead of them had observed the entire exchange. Impressed by their constraint, this observer broke the ice between them by introducing himself, invited them to introduce themselves, and then bought them both coffee. That gesture transformed adversaries into, at least, acquaintances. To this day, when any of the three run into each other in this coffee shop, they greet one another as friends because that’s who they have become.

Two lovely ladies enter that coffee shop on their way to their art class down the street. Rosemary and Susie are friends and collaborators in their creative expression. Susie is a potter and Rosemary is a graphic artist. They have made many a friend in that coffee shop and given gifts of their art to folks they have met there. They do not have to do it, yet it is a gesture of genuine caring in the community where they live and play. Their generosity brightens the day for others. Their expressed gestures serve as sermons in action. Their gestures provide healing and peace to those who may not realize their need for healing. Their generosity is how faith in action looks in the world today.

Going back to the poem by Edgar Guest, he speaks about authentic sermons reflected in everyday activities. The illustrations above show us what Guest is talking about in his poem. These real-life examples speak louder than the words of any sermon as these folks go about their daily routines. Every task and interaction has the potential for a moral lesson from which we can learn.

This essay could refer you to Scripture that may have some value. The first line of the Guest poem reads, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day,” and that is the point of this writing. The examples above are sermons we can see, and we can find support in the Scripture.

In the first example, we can see the expression of Isaiah 2:4 (NRSV) that reads, “… they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooksnation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore.”

These gentlemen demonstrated transformation from the potential for a problem into a lasting friendship.

In the second example, Matthew 22:39 (NRSV) expresses, “you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

These lovely ladies love their neighbors with the gifts of their talents.

I direct you to review the poem by Edgar Guest. Allow yourself to be inspired. Learn how to see the sermons all about us. Teach yourself how to be a sermon in action. By examining our daily lives and how our interactions reflect our internal beliefs, we will see the importance of living a life based on integrity. His poem serves as an excellent reminder to live authentically and ensure that our actions are the messages we preach to the world.

God bless.

Bailey