"Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny."
        It’s a traditional saying, one that puts its finger on the pulse of an important issue facing us in the beginning of the 21^st century.
                It is the issue of character.

"Character counts," say the proponents. "Character has consequences."
"Nonsense," reply the critics. "Character - if there is such a thing - is purely private. Competence and charisma matter far more."
[Os Guiness When No One Sees p.14]

Os Guiness points out that it doesn’t take a cynic to point out that today’s concern with character is largely manifested in negative and patronizing ways. In politics we see more character assassination than character celebration. Bill and Monica. Stockwell vs Jean. All the sort of thing that led to the popularlity of this cartoon:

Character in an age of image and slick sound bites.
At every level of society questions and debates rage, while scandals are waiting to happen.

For followers of Christ, there are some particular motives for taking character seriously. We’ll be considering some of them over the next few weeks as we work through an evening series entitled:
"Gold Within - Nuggets Of Christian Character."

Your character - when people are watching, and especially when they’re not.
        What are you like inside?

What is character........
.......and........what does it matter?
        Under the shadow of the cross, and before the communion table, please join me as we begin to explore this issue.

We’ll use as our launching pad words that will be said later in the service - the opening words from the Lord’s Prayer; the first petition:
        Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name....."

What’s that mean?
How, if at all, does that shed light on the question of character, of what we’re like when no one is watching?
        Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name....."

It’s not a totally new question.
The authors of the catechism considered it some 400 years ago.
They said this. Please recite with me:

Hallowed be your name means:
Help us to really know you,
to bless, worship, and praise you
        for all your works
        and for all that shines forth from them:
                your almighty power, wisdom, kindness,
                justice, mercy and truth.
And it means,
Help us to direct all our living -
        what we think, say, and do -
so that your name will never be blasphemed
        because of us
but always honoured and praised.
                        [Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 122]

Joseph lived in a whirlwind of injustice, power and intrigue.
Strange culture and language
An unknown commodity.
How should, how could, how WOULD Joseph conduct himself?

Here’s one litmus test - as every fibre of his young male self is tempted by a woman of prestige and power.
        If he does, she’s happy. May well surround him with favours of all sorts.
        If he doesn’t, he risks her spite and wrath..... which in fact, is exactly what happens.

What serves as his compass is revealed in the stunning statement:
        "How could I do such a wicked thing and sin against............
                not Potiphar
                not Mrs. Potiphar
                        but God.

Somewhere along the way, when we begin to discuss character we end up having to consider standards of some sort. For those of us who live under the banner of faith the standard is that which Joseph lives and the Catechism teaches -
                - the holiness of God.

To build our characters, shaping and forming them towards that imago dei, that image of God is to honour Him.
        To stray from that in any way is sin.
        Pure and simple.
        Tough, strong, uncompromising and ageless standard.
                The holiness of God.
                What P.T.Forsyth calls, "the divine North Star" that guides the shaping of Christian character. [The Cruciality Of The Cross]

"Hallowed be thy name."
        The foundation of the entire great prayer and the foundation of our living.

        Forsyth says, "Neither love, grace, faith, nor sin has any but a passing meaning except as they rest on the holiness of God, except as they arise from it, and return to it, except as they satisfy it, show it forth, set it up, and secure it everywhere and for ever. Love is but its outgoing; sin is but its defiance; grace is but its action on sin; the Cross is but its victory; faith is but its worship. [ibid]

Hallowed -- holy -- be Your name.

"Holy" - it’s root meaning comes from an ancient Hebrew term meaning, "set apart and set above."

        That which is holy is different from everything else; more important and valuable than common or "profane" items or people. It is a "cut above" other ordinary things.
        It is that which is taken and applied to the Living Lord God Almighty in its ultimate sense. To say, "Jahweh is holy" is to say that He is set apart and set above everything else.
        It is to say that there is nothing that is comparable in greatness or grandeur or importance to Him;
                that on the ladder of importance He is many, many rungs above the nearest rival - many "cuts above"!

When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, it’s not as if we think that God isn’t already holy.
        He always is, and has been, holy.

The prophecies of Isaiah and Revelation knock us in the pit of our gut with their visions of an angel choir:

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory."
"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come."
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power for ever and ever."

Hallowed be thy name:

"O Holy Spirit of the One Living God:
Place within me a sense of the wonder of God which I cannot escape,
which drives me to my knees in awe,
which causes me to raise my hands as a child to His father desiring to be picked up and cradled by those strong arms of safety,
which humbles me."

As that develops within us, filling our heart and directing our mind, so it begins to set the compass of character formation.
        For then, and only then, will the actions in public match the actions of the secret places.
                moving beyond image to true character.
                        Holy character shaped by Holy God.

In private, and in public desiring to reflect, to mirror Him.
        Help us to direct all our living - what we think, say, and do - so that your name will never be blasphemed because of us, but always honoured and praised.

As Andrew Kuyvenhoven said,
        "The worst thing my life can be is an obstacle between anybody and God. And the best thing I can be is a stepping stone by which someone reaches the Father’s house." [Kuyvenhoven Comfort And Joy]

Which makes us ask questions of ourselves, such as:
        -Would we be embarrassed by a videotape of our day-to-day actions being assembled and given a public viewing at the library?

                and
        -Would it look any different than a videotape of the life of any John or Jane Q Public?
        - in vocabulary
        - in consuming and expending our available resources
        - in priorities
        - in how we engage the political process
        - in how we educate our children

Holy - set apart, and set above.
        .......are we?

In answering that, we could still slip away from the North Star of holiness.
We could easily fall into rigid dogma; mindless legalism; or crass image making.

Or we can approach the Communion Table.
        We can contemplate the cross.
                Eat the bread.
                Drink the cup.
                        And take Christ in.
                        His body, His blood....... for you.

I said at the beginning that the question of character comes at us as Christians in a unique way, with unique motives.
        And as we each leave our comfortable pews, moving our bodies to meet the Lord, we find that motive.
                He meets us.
                In all His holiness and purity.
                In His body that carried scars for our impurities.
                In His blood that washes all the warts of character we display.
                In His heart that longs to draw us close.
And then go - to love and serve the Lord.
        When people are watching.
        And when they’re not.