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Happy Father’s Day! This is a day made special for me by three people – my two children and my Dad. Many of you know that the last two Sundays, Chelsea and I were in Turkey as part of an Interfaith Trip, sponsored by some of the graduate students of Texas A&M University . It was a great time of sightseeing, enjoying way too much of the regional cuisine (which was delicious) and visiting with locals about their dreams for peace. Most of the people we talked with had never been to the United States and had not met that many Americans. Since Turkey is about 97% Muslim, my guess is that they had not met many Christians either. We had the opportunity to learn a lot about one another. In one of our discussions, I was asked if my beard had religious significance. I really wanted to tell them it was a mark of holiness, but I was afraid I would be around them longer than five minutes and be found out. So I told them the truth. I told them there were two reasons why I sport a beard. The first is that I grew a beard to make me look older (that really worked in my 20’s). I have kept it in hopes that it might make me look younger. The other reason that I grew a beard is because for most of my life, my Dad has worn a beard. The same guy of whom I said, “When I grow up, I will never be like him”, I find myself emulating in many ways. In fact, people aren’t around us for long until they say, “I can tell that you are father and son.” I like that.

I hope they say the same thing about me and my other Father. Last Sunday I read from Ephesians 3 where Paul wrote, “ For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name .” This Sunday I have the opportunity to preach about our beliefs on human worth. I realize that these two Sundays are tied together by our connection with God. Look at how the story begins in the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis 1, verses 26-27. Hear now the Word of the Lord,

26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27 So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

What a great passage of scripture! Here we discover that there is only one way God is imaged in the world and only one – humanity. Of course, it wasn’t long before things got messed up. Sin happened. That man and woman disobeyed God and so has every man and woman since. Paul declared in Romans 3:23, “ all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God .” These two passages pretty much sum up the doctrine of humanity as the doctrine of a broken mirror. We are, each one of us, a reflection of God, created in the image of God; but we are also broken, shattered, missing the mark and not even coming close to living up to the reputation of God. As we deal with one another we must heed the warning: Be careful, that mirror is broken. This doctrine of the broken mirror calls for two responses when relating to humans and reflecting on human worth: respect and humility.

Our belief about humanity elicits Respect for every person.

The Genesis account is quite clear that the creation of humanity was qualitatively different from the creation of what preceded it. In the first rhythm of creation, God called for light and land; for the moon, sun and stars; for trees, grass and flowers; for fish and fowl; for domestic and wild animals. But when it came to humanity there was no “let there be”, there was a consultation, “Let us make humankind in our image.” That shift from “let there be” to “let us make” is a significant shift. God has given humanity great power and great responsibility. We are created in God’s image. Gilbert Bilezikian in his book, Christianity 101 says this can be seen in production and reproduction. We are able to reproduce the image of God, which God so intimately created. We also are able to engage in meaningful work and vocation as God grants dominion and responsibility to God’s image bearers.

I saw evidence of that part of God’s image stamped upon the human soul in the past couple of weeks. Two weeks ago I walked into the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and stood amazed at the beauty of this ancient church built 1,500 years ago. An hour or so later I was in the Sultanahmet Mosque, the Blue Mosque, with 20,000 hand painted tiles, six minarets and dozens of cascading domes. Later that week I walked through the streets of early Ephesus marveling at the engineering and construction of two thousand years ago. I realized that there is something in the human soul that longs to work and to create something beautiful. Where do you think we got that? It was stamped there by our Creator, in whose image we are created.

By the way we had the chance to behold the works of this Creator’s hand by the beautiful wild flowers, stately trees, majestic mountains and the waters of the Bosphorus Strait , the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea . The appreciation for love, work and beauty are ample evidence that we humans bear within us, each of us, the image of the Creator. This calls for respect for every human being. How could we grant anything less to one who bears the image of God? Some might say that this was before the Fall, before Adam and Eve ate the fruit of that tree from which God had specifically told them not to eat. After that the image was marred, destroyed, obliterated. However, that would not be scripturally accurate. In Genesis 9:6 and in James 3:9 we are referred to as the “image of God”. The mirror is broken, but it is not destroyed. Our belief about human worth is directly tied to this special designation of humanity as being God’s image bearers. We are the mirror for God, but be careful, that mirror is broken. This leads me to the second response regarding humanity:

Our belief about humanity elicits Humility from every person.

Paul put it succinctly in Romans 3, “ all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God .” Indeed we have and I need not call forth exhibits A, B and C. Paul was clear throughout the book of Romans that no one had the moral stamina and purity to stand before God. The Jews were unable to stand because they had broken the Law daily through their greed, jealously, pride and social injustice. The Gentiles, or everyone else, were unable to stand before God because of their rampant injustice, self-centeredness, idolatry and violence. All had sinned. Isaiah concurred writing, “We all like sheep have gone astray, each of us have turned to his own way.” Be careful, that mirror is broken.

On June 6 th, the Tuesday that found us in Cappadocia of West Central Turkey, we went to the Underground City . This was a cave eight stories deep hollowed out of volcanic rock to serve as shelter for Christians during the second century. The emperor of Rome was on the rampage and persecuting the church severely. They took shelter in these man-made tunnels of Cappadocia . We could almost feel the fear and anxiety of centuries past as we wound our way through the narrow passageways that opened to gathering places.

On our way home last Monday, we had a layover in Amsterdam and I remembered the last time I was in that city. Tammy and I were there 12 years ago and had the time to visit the downtown area where we toured Anne Frank’s hideout. Walking through that upstairs quarter we could almost hear the voices hushing the occupants, lest they be discovered.

Be careful, that mirror is broken and it is possible for each of us to produce such venom. How quickly the world turned nearly five years ago when a network of hate and brokers of fear struck the World Trade Center in New York City . All of a sudden all Middle Easterners were suspect and all Muslims were viewed as perpetrators of violence. Be careful, that mirror is broken.

The day that Chelsea and I were headed to the airport, my friend, Abdurrahman, who has been visiting our church for the last two years as a gesture of peace and global tolerance, asked me about this word, tolerance. Interfaith Dialogue is a group committed to tolerance and dialogue. It had come to Abdurrahman’s attention that tolerance can mean something negative. He received a harsh response from one of his colleagues when he spoke of a desire for tolerance. “I want more than to have someone simply tolerate me!” he was told. The conversation stuck with me on my flight to Istanbul and for the next couple of days. Then somewhere near the ancient cities of Lystra, Derbe and Iconium, my thoughts took shape and I wrote a brief essay entitled “Tolerance”.

My new friend asked me the meaning of a word - Tolerance.

As often happens my reply came quickly, too quickly, “peaceful coexistence - tolerance”

Only three days in Turkey and my answer changed. “What is tolerance?”

It is not all good, you know. At its basest level – level one – it is putting up with another, sitting on clenched fist. It is not trust. It is not friendship. It is a truce. “If I let you be, will you let me be?” And this is what we call tolerance.

Sometimes, and these times are beautiful, tolerance reaches a second level – level two – it is talking. It may not seem like tolerance. Sometimes it is loud. Sometimes it is awkward. Sometimes it is offensive. It is like learning how to dance, but it is growth. “This is who I am. This is what I believe! This is what I eat! This is how I dress and worship!” And we learn a little about each other. And this is tolerance.

Quietness sets in and then almost as if on its own tolerance grows – level three – it is listening. Trust has begun to replace suspicion. Question marks replace exclamation points. “Tell me about yourself - what is your family like? Your faith? Your home?” Jaws are relaxed. Hands are opened and sometimes even clasped together rather than clenched. Smiles replace suspicion and we learn. Most people see this as tolerance, but there are more stages, more beautiful relational transformations.

As stone silence gives way to talking and talking yields to listening – as hands go from being clenched to opened to clasped, another level of tolerance emerges – level four – it is respect. There is an appreciation for the other. You are just as much a person as I. Your family has fears and hopes even as mine does. You cry and laugh and worry and pray as I do. The balance has shifted to where we see eye to eye without condescension. This is tolerance.

Respect is a beautiful stage in the process of tolerance. As it grows and stories are shared we reach another level of tolerance, almost by accident – level five – it is our story. Somehow as I told you my story and you told me your story, we were writing our story. We shared watermelon on the rooftop. We sang songs in the night air. Remember, we started singing separately, but ended singing together. Our story. Our memories. Community. Tolerance.

It has come so far, this concept of tolerance, from truce to trust, from respect to relationships, from sharing stories to shaping stories. And yet there is more – level six – it is friendship. Solidarity. I now like you and you like me. I think of you when you are absent. I smile when I see you and you smile too. Handshakes have given way to embraces; nods are replaced by pats on the back and the mussing of hair. Reunions are arranged, future contacts desired. I am no longer curious; I care. I truly care for you my friend, for your family, for your country. And this is tolerance.

Seven is the perfect number. There are seven days of the week, seven seals in Revelation, and there are seven levels to tolerance – level seven – it is love. Walls are removed, suspicions are relaxed, reservations are repealed. Eyes sparkle with delight rather than peer for inconsistencies and flaws. Your pain causes me to hurt. Your joy causes me to laugh. Your pleasure brings me delight. Hands are held, not just shaken. Souls embrace as well as arms. We are brothers, sisters, siblings. We are certain that God loves us and that God expects us to love each other – and we are elated to comply. Tolerance has been made complete in love and perfect love casts out all fear.

“What is tolerance?” I was once asked.

It is truce – sitting on clenched fist.

It is talking – claiming my rights, my story.

It is listening – being open to your story.

It is respect – hands clasped together in trust.

It is one story – creating shared moments.

It is friendship – caring genuinely.

It is love – complete, mature, perfect love.

It is God’s desire for our world. It is our world’s only hope and it is my desire. Tolerance.

Human Worth - The value and dignity of all people who, though created in God's image to live in joy and holiness, are separated from God and each other by sin and brokenness. This is our church’s statement on humanity. This is the doctrine of the broken mirror that calls for respect for every person and humility from every person. These are lessons my Fathers taught me - both of them. Be careful that mirror is broken.

Amen!