Thought for Today
Ecclesiastes 1:10 Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has already been, in the ages before us.
Isaiah 43:19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Matthew 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
John 15:16 You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.
“Core values are personal ethics or ideals that guide you when making decisions, building relationships and solving problems. They are also cornerstones of an organization’s culture.” “The phrase ‘core values’ first appeared in the book ‘Beliefs, attitudes, and values: A theory of organization and change’ by Rokeach in 1968.” (Bing searches)
I have not read the book referenced in that Bing search. Like most folks, I have encountered the phrase and the idea of ‘core values’ repeatedly. I suspect that for many in my own generation, when I first heard the phrase, I heard ‘Corp values,’ and assumed the speaker had been a United States Marine in WWII or Korea. That honored and distinguished organization proudly serves and protects us all as a response to their core and Corp values.
The phrase may have first appeared in a book published in 1968; but, the concept of core values and the writing about core values are deeply embedded in human culture and in the Bible. Christians and Jews live lives true to the core values in our Bible. Muslims live lives true to the core values in the Koran. Presumably, people in all faith traditions attempt to live their lives based on the core values of their holy scriptures. Interestingly, to the extent that I have read or heard about various faith traditions, most of them are based on very similar core values.
How many of you have ever stopped to consider your own core values? Have you ever made a list? Have you ever discussed your core values with others? Right now, some of you may even be thinking, “What difference does it make!”
It does make a difference! Long before the phrase ‘core values’ seemed to confront me regularly in what I heard and read, I pondered on what drives my life, what motivates me. I used an alternative phrase of my own, ‘the irreducible minimum.’ By that I meant what remained when I eliminated all of the dogmas, doctrines, practices and tenets of my own faith traditions. When I strip my Christianity down to its base, what is the bedrock?
I was raised in the church. I attended Sunday School from the earliest times I remember. I was in the children’s choir, the youth choir, the Junior High youth group and the Senior High youth group. We prayed before every meal. My parents regularly read their Bibles. We even discussed the Bible and our faith together.
In school, at every level, I encountered schoolmates of other faith traditions and religions. Rarely do children discuss dogmas, doctrines or faith traditions; but, we did sometimes discuss the practices at the synagogues or churches we attended. From an early age, I realized that not everyone worshiped or even believed as I did. Maybe arrogantly, I believed my family was correct and everyone else was mistaken or misled.
As an adult, and especially in seminary, I have read and studied a lot about the history of Christianity and about competing theologies. Who is right? I have come to believe that at the heart of it all, it depends on our common ‘core values.’ Most of the dogmas, doctrines and even practices that separate us are tangential to our belief as Christians that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. My core values begin there. From there, I find my core values expressed in scriptures including Luke 10:27, John 3:16-17 and Ephesians 2:8. My core values center around love and faith. How about yours?
Stay safe, think about what you believe, trust God,
Pastor Ray