Sermon Tone Analysis

*Angle: *Love with the greatest love, honouring those with the least honour

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*Purpose:  *To confront and persuade people with the biblical injunction that they are to love others with Christ’s agape-love, and to honour those who are the least honourable among us.

*Rhetorical Tie: *Narrative of Forrest Gump

 

*Psychological Centre: *Familial love

 

 

*Sermon Text:*

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When I was a young boy, growing up in my house in Kuala Lumpur, I had my far-and-away favourite family tradition of Chinese New Year.

Receiving ang-pows came a close second, but it wasn’t my favourite tradition.

What is one of my fondest memories is how we would hang the longest string of red firecrackers from the ceiling of our open-air garage right down to the floor.

My dad would light the fuse at the very bottom, near the floor, and I would stick my fingers in my ears, waiting with eager anticipation for the fun to begin.

The firecrackers would start exploding and as the sparks rose higher and higher up the string of fireworks the sound would seem to get louder and the speed would increase.

Smoke filled the air and little red bits of red paper were flying everywhere.

The pungent burning smell of gunpowder came only at this time of the year and reminded me that this was something special.

The last firecracker at the top, near the ceiling, would pop and the sound would stop.

*(pause)* The little red bits of paper would settle down on the ground and as the smoke cleared you could see that the entire floor was completely covered with the red paper bits that the firecrackers had cast around the floor.

What I remembered most among all those details, was standing there beside my mum, my dad, and my brothers and sisters.

Chinese New Year was a time that my family was always together.

Among all the traditions and beliefs of Chinese New Year, the primary importance of the family was one that was drummed into me, and still stays with me.

The visitations, the meals, and the ang-pows all speak of such a theme.

We find the same theme woven into the stories and teachings of the bible, where we find the teaching of love and honour.

Much of it is familiar to the Chinese culture where we extend ourselves in love to those of our family, and where we pay honour to our parents and the elders in the family.

But some of what the Bible challenges us with is at odds with our Asian traditions.

While we are still fresh from Chinese New Year, having visited our family and relatives, or at least having thought about them, I would like you take you on a journey of examining love and honour in our Chinese family values, and the principles of love and honour in the Bible.

We will see that the kind of love and honour that God calls us to has much in common with our Asian values, but goes beyond them in startling ways.

As our text, we will be looking at familiar passages that we have recently covered, 1 Cor 12 and 13, but we will be looking at them in a fresh light.

I also have a guide to help us along this journey, I would like to introduce you to someone who embodies innocence and simplicity.

He exemplifies these values of love and honour.

Many you already know him, but probably haven’t seen him for many years.

And some of you haven’t heard of him, but don’t worry, I will introduce you so you can learn about him today (begin walking~/moving away) He is Forrest Gump.

This the life story of a man with an IQ of 75.

What he lacked in brains, he made up for in heart.

*Show Trailer Clip (3:40 min)*

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Of course, we can forgive Hollywood for playing up the aspect of *romantic love *in this movie trailer, but the love that Forrest shows is much more than only his love for his childhood sweetheart, Jenny.

His love also redeems his *Bubba*, his fellow soldier and true friend while serving in Vietnam and even redeems *Lt.

Dan*, his proud and bitter commanding officer.

I purposely use this word “redeem”, because it is through the love of this man with only an IQ of 75, that each of these people are saved from the destructive forces within themselves and around them.

The emotional centre and essential message of this movie, just like that of 1 Cor 13, is that *genuine love endures.

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Movies are said to be the philosophical indicators of our time, and I think that this movie is a perfect example of this.

Forrest Gump reveals the underlying thinking of our culture that has clearly been influenced by *the Bible in 1 Cor 13.*  Let us read verses 4-7.

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Today we read this passage and we think,/ “Wow, what great words.

Yes, this is the highest form of love” /but we can think this only because these words (pause), and the self-giving sacrifice of Christ on the cross, (pause) have transformed not just what Christians think about love, but what the whole world thinks of the love.

In the ancient world of the Greeks, people would not have considered self-giving love the highest form.

They esteemed something far less practical, something other-worldly and theoretical.

But today, we all watch Forrest Gump and think, yes that kind of goodness, innocence, and genuine self-giving love is what the world needs!

Even those who reject Christ live in a world that has the cross of Calvary inscribed in its pages.

(pause) 

 

The radical transformation is not yet over.

Chris’s love extends from the ancient world to the asian world.

The ancient world’s view of love was transformed by Christ’s love.

Today, the asian world still need God’s perspective on love.

In the ancient world, the concept of love as selflessly forgiving was completely foreign.

In our asian world, concepts of love and honour still need the refining work of the cross of Christ.

In the ancient world it was said, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”, meaning that if someone offended you, you deserved revenge in equal measure.

Our asian values in the modern world say the same thing, because our honour is at stake.

If someone offended anyone in your family, you need to show love by protecting their honour and seeking revenge.

But is this the form that genuine love takes?

The message of 1 Cor 13 is that *genuine love endures (pause), and redeems us* even in the most difficult of circumstances.

When we feel like we want to lash out in anger because we have been wronged or hurt.

When we just don’t want to bother or care about those around us.

Forrest Gump, points us towards us this same truth with what his Mama taught him.

Do you remember what Forrest remembered his whole life?

His Mama says that stupid is as stupid does* *

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*Clip: “Stupid is as stupid does”*

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You see, what the whole story of Forrest Gump shows us is that is that what proves ultimately stupid, is not your IQ, but what you do and how you behave towards others.

*Stupid is as stupid does.*

All the so-called intelligent people in Forrest’s world act stupidly.

From Jenny in the hippie movement and her promiscuous lifestyle, to Lt Dan in his inward spiraling cycle of bitterness and resentment, to the American government in the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, it is our actions that reveal true stupidity not on our IQ.

On the other hand, we have Forrest who lives his whole life with the simple belief of being good and loving to people.

While smart people are shown to be stupid by their stupid actions, Forrest proves himself despite his stupidity by staying true his belief of loving those around him.

While those around Forrest show that “stupid is as stupid does”, Forrest is ironically revealed as the smart one because he practices the essence of what true love is.

When we choose not to be “stupid is as stupid does”, we are freed to realize that:

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*We love when we practice the essence of what true love is*

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What is the essence of true love?

It is what Forrest does in his life.

He lives out *1 Cor 13:*

 

Love is patient, love is kind.

It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.

It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Forrest doesn’t know how to be romantic or seductive, but he knows what love is.

*In college, when Jenny seduces him*, asking if he’s ever been with a woman he replies, “I sit next to them in my home economics class.”

Jenny then runs away and only years later does Forrest see her again.

She has spurned his love and is completely undeserving, but Forrest still *loves her despite how she has treated him.

*He tells her, “I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is”.

Forrest knows that the essence of love is taking care of people and protecting them.

He is Hollywood’s Hosea, a picture of unconditional love even though Jenny never deserved it being lavished on her.

What was given by grace, eventually redeemed her.

For Jenny one day discovers that she has AIDS and is *dying very soon*.

Unable to take care of her young son, it is her unselfish parental love that brings her back to Forrest.

She had never told Forrest that she had a son.

His name is “little Forrest” and Forrest Gump is the father.

When Forrest hears this news, he is shaken, thinking that he had done something wrong and that little Forrest would be stupid like him.

But Jenny reassures him that no fault lies with him, and the little Forrest is one of the smartest boys in his class.

Jenny eventually returns to Alabama to marry Forrest.

By doing she not only recognizes his true love, but more importantly puts unselfishness parental love by leaving “little Forrest” into his care.