Sermon - The Rev. Leah D. Schade
Reformation Lutheran Church, Media, PA
March 4, 2007
Year C: Philippians 3:12-4:4; Luke 13:31-35
“Fake it Til You Make It”

(Hold up sign: WWJD)
Does anyone know what this means? It means:  What Would Jesus Do?

This phrase and these letters became very popular a few years ago. People started wearing them on t-shirts, on wrist bands, putting them on bumperstickers. And while the phrase was meant to get people thinking about their actions and decisions in light of their Christian faith, I have to admit that I was somewhat skeptical of the whole phenomenon. Because the question holds us to impossibly high standards. What do you mean, “What would Jesus do?” How can we mere mortals be expected to imitate the divinity of Christ?  Plus, you can get a little carried away with it, trying to apply the question to contemporary situations where it just doesn’t fit. For example: Should I get the grande frappacino or venti latte? What would Jesus do? You see, phrase has become so ubiquitous, that it starts to lose its significance. It can feel like just another trite phrase used to sell Christian-oriented merchandise.

And yet when I read today’s lessons from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, I began thinking more seriously about this phrase and this question. Because Paul raises this issue of imitation.  He says: “Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. . . Stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved,” (3:17, 4:1).  Paul is urging them to ask the question, WWPD? Because, since Paul has diligently patterned his life so closely after Jesus, anyone who imitates him, will be imitating Jesus.  And with this mirroring, he hopes that these Christians in Philippi will look to him as a role model and pattern their actions and their way of being after him.

So as I thought more about this phrase, I realized that there is something to be said for striving to live a life that reflects the values and ideals of those we most admire. And as impossible as it may seem at first to walk in the steps of someone like Paul or Jesus, I sometimes think that we sell ourselves short in our ability to live up to a higher standard. Sometimes we just assume that since we’re not perfect and could never fulfill such a divine calling, that we’re exempt from even attempting to live a life that is holy and ethical and just. In fact, some people even go to the opposite extreme and model themselves after the most criminal elements of humanity.

But what Paul is saying in this passage is that if we are to take for ourselves the title of Christian, then we need to at least act as a follower of Christ would act.   It’s what some might call, “Fake it till you make it”  Ever hear of that phrase?  That’s another catch phrase you hear a lot of nowadays.  It means acting like the person you want to be, even if you don’t feel that you are that way.  Because if you do it long enough, it becomes reality for you.  I’ll give you two examples.

How many of you have ever watched the television show, The Waltons? I loved that show growing up. And now we have the programs on DVD so we can watch them with our children. I liked all the characters on that show, but I had a special affinity for the father of the family, John Walton. To me, he was the ideal father. He had a way about him that was just so warm and had such strength.

John Walton was hard-working, but knew how to relax and have fun with his seven children. He was respectful towards his parents, but could also tease them good-naturedly. With his wife, Olivia, he was genuinely loving and affectionate and collaborated with her as an equal. And whenever the family faced any kind of challenging times, or the children were facing difficult situations, John Walton could be counted on to listen carefully, take his time to think about what to say or do, speak without raising his voice, treat everyone fairly, and above all, be trustworthy. He was a beautiful blend of manliness and gentleness, strength and tenderness. Everyone looked up to him, everyone respected him, and his family loved him as much as he loved them.

But what’s interesting is that the actor who portrayed John Walton was the exact opposite of the character when the show first began. The actor’s name is Ralph Waite, and a few years ago, I saw a program about the show where they interviewed the cast members about what it was like to portray this beloved television family. Ralph Waite said that when the show first started, he had difficulty portraying a man who was so wholesome, upright and likeable. Because at that time he himself was not a very nice person. He was battling alcoholism and all the demons that came with it. He was nothing like the character of John Walton, and thought it ironic that he was portraying a character who was his polar opposite.

But then, he said, something began to happen to him as he continued to play the part of John Walton. Little by little, he noticed a change within himself. He started to become more like the good man he was portraying. The more he acted like a man with integrity who lived a clean, admirable life, the more he found himself being transformed into that very person. Even when he was out of character and in his own life, he began asking himself, “What would John Walton do?”

And as the years went on, he became inspired by the character of John Walton to get help for his alcoholism and turn his life around. Eventually the spirit of John Walton became fused with the person of Ralph Waite in a very positive way. And his life was changed, transformed into the kind of person he really wanted to be.

You see, fake it till you make it! The more you imitate the person you admire, the more you realize their spirit in your own life. They become a part of you, and you become a part of them. When we ask this question (WWJD?), when we ask for God to make us more like Jesus, it’s not a quest to become a goody-goody or a delusion of grandeur. We are praying for the spirit of Christ to enter into us, and for us to become a part of Christ.

And Paul’s words are so comforting here: “This one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.” This is wonderful news because it means that we are not doomed by our past. Some of us may be looking at our history, or standing in our present, and feeling like the future is already written for us.  Like Ralph Waite, we may feel ashamed for the life that we’ve led, the choices we’ve made, the hurtful things we’ve done. But Paul reminds us that we are not chained to this past. When we begin walking in step with the One who calls to us, a new path opens up for us. There is hope and a promise where there wasn’t one before. “Fake it till you make it.”

And I’ll give you a second example my own life. I had a supervisor at the hospital I worked in as a chaplain eight years ago who I admired so much. His name was Joe, and he had a wonderful way with his students and with employees at the hospital that just brought out the best in them. In group sessions, he knew just what to say to put people at ease, get them to open up, and really wrestle with important issues in pastoral care and group dynamics.

I was in my twenties then, and still had a lot to learn about how to be a leader, and a team-player, and a good co-worker. I often spoke when I should have been listening, made statements when I should have been asking questions, and demanded my own way when I should have been working for collaboration. And in the crucible of the chaplaincy work, my shortcomings were glaringly obvious to me and everyone around me - and they let me know it!

But in my supervisor, I saw a model of a different way to be with people. I so admired him and looked up to him, that I began really paying attention to his words and actions. In those 12 months of chaplaincy, I absorbed as much as I could, knowing that I would be starting my internship here at Reformation and eventually becoming a pastor. I knew it was imperative for me to change certain ways that I behaved towards people or it would lead to nothing but trouble for me and my future parishioners.

Once I left the program and came here, I started putting into practice the hard lessons I’d learned. In group meetings and in pastoral care sessions, I would often ask myself, “What would Joe do?” I even found myself imitating certain phrases, mannerisms and characteristics of his. And I found that, indeed, it brought out the best in people, and in myself. He’s no longer my supervisor, but in my fledgling attempts to imitate him and pattern myself after him, I began to, in a sense, embody him and carry his spirit with me. Not that I didn’t make mistakes and missteps. And I am certainly not perfect in the decisions I make and my leadership even now. But it’s a lot better than if I had not done the work to emulate my role model and metabolize his teachings in order to make them my own.

So who’s initial would you put in this phrase? Who comes to mind for you as a person who most closely reflects the qualities of Jesus? To whom would you go if you wanted to learn more about the ways of gentleness, integrity, faithfulness, holiness? It may be someone from your childhood. The person may not even be living. But their spirit can still be called upon to teach you.  What is it about that person that draws you to them? You may want to make a list of the qualities of that person that you admire. And take some quiet time to reflect on their gifts and pray to learn the deep lessons that God might teach you through them.

Because when you’re striving to live into the title of “Christian”, what it comes down to is not just our own efforts to emulate Paul or Jesus or the people of faith we admire.  It comes down to God who uses these people to shape us into the kind of people God wants us to be.  Because there may be a time when someone puts your initials into this phrase!

Paul reminds us that Jesus has already made us his own.  And when you act it out long enough and with enough faith, it begins to become reality -- God’s reality -- in this world.  When you fake it – with faith – God makes it!

Let us pray:
Holy Jesus, send to us models of faith after whom we may pattern ourselves. Reveal to us those persons who most closely reflect the essence of your divine personhood. And through their example, help us to become more like you. In your holy name we pray. Amen.