12 important promises

February 9, 2020

Scripture:1 John 4:7-21

             I would like to welcome our Boy Scout troop here today; we are always glad when you join with us on a Sunday morning.  Each year on Scout Sunday I look for ways to make your time with us relevant to you, to share with you in ways that hopefully will allow you to take home something to think about and reflect on.

I remember back to my own days as a scout in this very building when we started a new troop here in the late 1960’s.  I have many good memories of great times we had together.  We had a number of local kids involved and I still have many fond recollections of trips we made together, of Klondike Derby’s, and of Camp Read Scout Camp up in the Adirondacks.  I remember catching #10 cans full of crayfish in the stream where we were camping on Doctor Scotts property on harmony Road and cooking them up, feeling like we were feasting like Kings!   And I remember camping out across the lake up at the camp in Holmes in 6 degree winter weather, which so impressed the local paper that they wrote an article on our exploits…of course they didn’t mention that one of the leaders (not me) heated some rocks in the fire to put in his mess kit and then into his sleeping bag to warm it up, which burned a hole right through it, or the scouts who didn’t pack enough clothes to stay warm and decided to sleep next to the campfire overnight, only to find when they woke up, that sparks had burned lots of little holes in their new nylon sleeping bags!  Oh Well!  All fun and lots of important lessons learned!

And I also remember the mottos and slogans we memorized and in particular, the 12 points of the Scout Law, a code of behavior, a set of guidelines for living that was first written down in 1908 in the book “Scouting for Boys”, by General Lord Baden Powell, the father of the Scouting movement.

          Lord Baden Powell drew on several sources for inspiration when putting down the 12 points including: The Bushido Code of the Japanese Samurai, the Laws of Honor followed by the American Indians, and the Code of Chivalry of the knights of the Middle Ages.  But I also think he drew upon a much more fundamental source…and that is the call within our hearts that was placed there by the Creator of the universe and all that is within it…the call to honor…and to respect…and even the call to love one another.

          And as I thought about this Scout Law, I thought it might be a good thing to reflect upon it point by point…not just for the scouts who are with us today, but for everyone else here as well…a chance to reflect on a remarkably complete list of behaviors and attitudes that are most surely pleasing to our Lord and God.  And those 12 points of the Scout Law, the 12 important promises every Scout makes when he recites them are: A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent…words with have meanings we all can understand…and perhaps, words we don’t reflect on often enough. …so

1. Trustworthy: One is trustworthy when their word can be trusted…when they do what they say they are going to do…someone who can be trusted to act in ways that are honorable and well-thought out.  One is trustworthy when they say what they mean and mean what they say. Our own trust, however is only a shadow of how much our God can be trusted to watch over and guide us in all our ways if we but listen, watch, and follow where the Spirit leads. Let us all seek to be trustworthy…
2. Loyal:  One is loyal to something or someone else.  We are called to be loyal to our family and friends, to our God and to our nation…we are called to be loyal to those who we know and who trust in us.  Loyalty is a virtue of great worth and needs to be there in good times as well as in times of great trial…let us all seek to be loyal to God and to one another…
3. Helpful:  We are all called to live lives not just for ourselves but for others as well…we are called to be helpful to all those we meet who are in need.  We are asked to look deep within and to reach out to them, helping to the best of our ability.  We are called to be helpful not just those who are our friends or family…but to all who have a need which we have the ability to meet. Let us all strive to be always ready and willing to help one another…
4. Friendly:  We are called to be friends to those we know…and friendly to those we meet and perhaps do not know.  Being friendly is a way of being which puts others at ease in our presence and makes them feel comfortable.  Being friendly means extending yourself towards others in such a way that they are enriched by what you have done for them…perhaps a kind act, or a helpful word…or perhaps just the willingness to listen to someone who has no one else to talk with.  This world would be a very different place indeed if people spent more time trying to be friendly towards each other.
5. Courteous:   We go a long way towards making our lives and the lives of those around us better and more comfortable if we learn to be courteous and respectful of one another.  Courtesy means accepting someone else as they are…not necessarily trying to change them to your way of thinking or your way of acting in life…it means being polite and honorable…honoring one’s parents, one’s friends, and all others whose paths cross our own. Courtesy costs very little but rewards greatly.  Let us all find a way to be evermore courteous towards those we meet.
6. Kind:  We are asked to be kind in all our dealings with others, as well as towards the earth on which we live.  We are called to look out for one another, offering a kind word or a gentle smile to those who are hurting or alone…to be kind to other creatures with whom we share the earth, honoring and respecting their roles in the great tapestry of creation, and, we are called to be kind to the earth itself.  Our kindness towards the earth prevents us from being wasteful or careless and helps us to live in such a way that future generations will also have sufficient resources to care for their own needs as well as those of their children’s and their children’s children.  Let us live lives that are reflective of a kind spirit.
7. Obedient:  We live in a culture and a society in which there are certain accepted ways of doing things. There are long established rules for good, proper, and right behavior. We are called to follow those guidelines in the ordering of our lives so that society and culture can continue on in ways that are helpful and beneficial to all. We are asked to obey those guidelines that are there for everyone’s benefit…to each accept our own responsibility for being a helpful and contributing member of society…Let us follow the course of action laid out before us by which all prosper and live together in peace…
8. Cheerful:  A cheerful person brings sunshine into any situation, brightening the lives of all with whom they come into contact with.  Cheerfulness is not only good and positive for those around you, but good for your inner soul as well, allowing you to deal with the harder things you may come across in life with a more balanced and positive outlook. Cheerfulness makes life more enjoyable and enables one to help others see the lighter side of life.  Let us try to find a way to spend at least a part of each day being cheerful…for our own sake, as well as for the sake of those who are blessed by our being so…
9. Thrifty:  One is thrifty when they are careful with what they have…when they know the value of what they have and use it wisely…not being careless with their resources…not wasting their time, their money, or their talents.  When one is thrifty, they will always have enough for themselves as well as for another in need…let us all be wise and careful stewards of all we have been blessed with.
10. Brave:  We are asked to be brave in the face of difficult situations…to know our own abilities and to stand in defense of our loved ones and of others in need.  We are brave when we act in ways to protect others as well as when we stand up for what is right…either through our actions or in our words.  Bravery is knowing one’s abilities and one’s limits and doing one’s best to live within them…doing what’s right and speaking the truth at all times…Let us all be brave when the need arises…
11. Clean:  We are called to live lives that are clean…clean on the outside, as well as on the inside…lives in which we care for the bodies we were given, in which we seek to become and to remain in a healthy state…as well as lives that are clean on the inside…lives that are characterized by wise decisions, proper action, and a good example for all we meet.  Personal hygiene is part of the story…having a sound mind and a clean heart are quite another.  Let us seek to live lives that are reflective of both…

1. Reverent: No matter what faith or creed one chooses to live by…they need to be faithful to it and to live a life that shows respect for others who may not share their own personal set of beliefs.  We are all called to live our lives in such a way that our beliefs…our faithfulness, can be perceived by any who look upon us…we are called to live our faith reverently…to live to share a message of Good News and of a better hope…for all…

In summary once more…

Trustworthy: your word…is sufficient…

Loyal:  Faithful in friendship and prayer

Helpful:  Reaching out…seeing a need…responding

Friendly:  Always a friendly face and a willing smile

Courteous:   Always respectful towards others…

Kind: Always and everywhere act in a way that gives dignity and purpose to life, both yours and to another’s… 

Obedient:  Live in such a way that all might prosper and live in peace…

Cheerful:  Usher in the sunshine…each and every day

Thrifty: Keep close track of your own personal resources so that they are available whenever the call to help another comes along…

Brave: Be brave, be strong in the face of adversity…as well as in times of just walking through your normal routine…

Clean:  Be clean both on the outside as well as on the inside…good personal care as well as wise and careful decisions… Reverent: Respect one another’s beliefs, searching for common ground and building on a foundation of mutual respect and admiration…

Jesus taught, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength…and love one another as I have loved you”.  As we seek to do what Our Lord asks of us, we will find I am sure, that we are living according to the 12 guidelines we have just considered.  So let us commit to live lives that are trustworthy and loyal…that are helpful and friendly…that are seen to be courteous and kind as well as obedient, cheerful, and thrifty…

…and let the whole of our lives give honor to the One who first called us into being…

…let us live for the One who first loved, and still so loves each one of us…amen

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay