{"id":18084,"date":"2014-02-25T06:00:47","date_gmt":"2014-02-25T11:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?p=18084"},"modified":"2014-02-24T20:57:47","modified_gmt":"2014-02-25T01:57:47","slug":"be-different","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/","title":{"rendered":"Be different"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

We had another great sermon on Sunday.\u00a0 This one was about holiness, based on the section in the Sermon on the Mount about \u201cturn the other cheek\u201d (Matthew 5:38-48) and Moses\u2019 call to holiness (Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18).\u00a0 I got so much out of the sermon that I\u2019m going to devote three posts to it.\u00a0 Today:\u00a0 Law.\u00a0 Tomorrow:\u00a0 Gospel.\u00a0 Next day, a really thought-provoking quotation.<\/p>\n

In the most basic sense, Pastor Douthwaite explained, \u201choliness\u201d means \u201cset apart.\u201d\u00a0 So being holy means, on one level, simply being different.<\/p>\n

From Rev. James Douthwaite, St. Athanasius Lutheran Church: Epiphany 7 Sermon<\/a>:<\/p>\n

We use that word \u201choly\u201d a lot in Church, but what does it mean? Well it literally means to be set apart; to be set apart for a godly use. And in this context, the context of Christians living in an increasingly non-Christian world, in an increasingly anti-Christian world, perhaps we could say it like this: BE DIFFERENT. Don\u2019t be like the world, don\u2019t act the same, don\u2019t go along \u2013 be different.<\/p>\n

\n

But we\u2019re afraid to be different. We try to be like the world, and want to be liked by the world. We don\u2019t want to stand out and be made fun of. But your mother was right. Your mother was right when she said: if everyone else jumps off a bridge, does that me you have to?<\/p>\n

No, be holy. Be different. Be set apart for the Lord. For He has set you apart. He has chosen you to be His son, His daughter. He has brought you into His Church. He has forgiven your sins. He has given you His Spirit. Which makes you pretty special, pretty important. And so, He says in Leviticus, be different. Don\u2019t be greedy and harvest everything right up to the very edges of your field \u2013 be different. Don\u2019t try to get as much as you can by dealing falsely and lying \u2013 be different. Don\u2019t oppress, or withhold, or be partial \u2013 be different. Don\u2019t hate or take vengeance or hold a grudge \u2013 be different. Be holy. I am the LORD.<\/p>\n

I am the LORD. Did you notice that is said over and over again? I am the LORD. I am the LORD. But that\u2019s not just God saying: I\u2019m God and so you have to do what I say . . . or else! (Like parents say sometimes!) No, that\u2019s not who God is. I am the LORD means: I am the one who created you and gave you life. I am the one who promised you a Saviour to redeem you and give you eternal life. I am the one who provides for you and cares for you. I am the one who chose you. I am the one who brought you out of Egypt. I am the one who promised you a home. I am the one who is on your side and will always be. I am the LORD.<\/p>\n

And you are mine. You don\u2019t have to worry about those things. You don\u2019t belong to the world and its ways. You belong to me, and that makes you different. So be different. In a selfish world, be different: be selfless. In a world that more and more sees death as the answer, be different: choose life. In a world of sin, be different: be holy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote><\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We had another great sermon on Sunday.\u00a0 This one was about holiness, based on the section in the Sermon on the Mount about \u201cturn the other cheek\u201d (Matthew 5:38-48) and Moses\u2019 call to holiness (Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18).\u00a0 I got so much out of the sermon that I\u2019m going to devote three posts to it.\u00a0 Today:\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1281,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,11,15,47],"tags":[2432,1889],"class_list":["post-18084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-church","category-ethics","category-theology","tag-holiness","tag-rev-james-douthwaite"],"yoast_head":"\nBe different<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We had another great sermon on Sunday.\u00a0 This one was about holiness, based on the section in the Sermon on the Mount about "turn the other cheek" (Matthew\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Be different\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We had another great sermon on Sunday.\u00a0 This one was about holiness, based on the section in the Sermon on the Mount about "turn the other cheek" (Matthew\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cranach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/cranachblog\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-02-25T11:00:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-02-25T01:57:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Gene Veith\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/\",\"name\":\"Be different\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-02-25T11:00:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-02-25T01:57:47+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\"},\"description\":\"We had another great sermon on Sunday.\u00a0 This one was about holiness, based on the section in the Sermon on the Mount about \\\"turn the other cheek\\\" (Matthew\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/2014\/02\/be-different\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Be different\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/\",\"name\":\"Cranach\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/f9ca8670bcc51908a78994c0484dbfa1\",\"name\":\"Gene Veith\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/geneveith\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/054d79faea5d476edd8f99e5f14fb17f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Gene Veith\"},\"description\":\"Gene Edward Veith, Jr. is a writer and retired literature professor, serving as Provost Emeritus at Patrick Henry College. 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