Don't I Look Nice?
Preaching
Lions And Cows Dining Together
And 111 Other Sermon Ideas
Object:
Purpose Statement: Our obsession with physical appearance does not fit with Christian values.
Some talented author (that would be me) has written a book about physical appearance (and other related issues) titled, Frankenstein and Miss America: Who's Who and Who's Not. It describes what happens when we give too much attention and place inordinate value on how we and others look. It permeates our entire society in many different ways, from kids picking on peers, to Miss America pageants that glamorize certain people as the ideal, to how we want our loved ones to appear in the casket. Excessive emphasis on appearance determines who gets which jobs and who marries whom. Wouldn't we all agree this is contrary to Christian values and harmful for all of us? While Matthew 6:28-30 is speaking about the dangers of placing too much importance on possessions, it would not be a stretch to recognize in it a warning concerning our preoccupation with what we wear and how we look. The comparison between King Solomon all decked out and the simple natural beauty of a wildflower is a poetic treasure of truth. For each of us, the real beauty is who we are and the uniqueness each one of us brings to the table. Our personal uniqueness is to be appreciated, not denigrated by revering the glamorous beauty queens while pitying or shunning the "ugly" ones among us. (Physical appearance is one of the concerns in Song of Songs 7:1-9.)
a. We create a world of false values. Someone once described our world as a display window where a prankster had gotten in and changed all the price tags around to send the message that inexpensive items cost more and high price items were ridiculously underpriced. This may be an apt analogy of the phony world with twisted values we have created. Money and success become more important than love and family. We have allowed physical appearance to become one of our most popular values despite its superficial nature. It could be said we are more concerned with how we appear -- what we wear, our makeup, body ornaments, and the like -- than the kind of person we will be. Greed, commercialism, comparative wealth, and communities that tempt us with immediate selfish gratification, all have corrupted our value systems. A central theme in the teachings of Jesus is proper priorities and a "first things first" philosophy.
b. It becomes a terrible waste. It is easy to see how we spend our money and energies going off in the wrong directions trying to meet society's artificial standards. Think of what we spend on fashions, makeup, body ornaments, and by extension, other accessories such as cars and houses to create an image of who we would like to be. Think of the eating disorders and diet efforts (although certain diet schedules are necessary for health) we suffer through to become more attractive to others. I am told the Academy Awards and similar events have become a parade of outrageous fashion in efforts to appear in the most stunning costumes and hairdos. Is there really anyone who honestly cannot see the dramatic contrast between this and the modesty of the Christian lifestyle?
c. Note what it does to others. By idolizing certain "beautiful" people, we are telling others this is what we all aspire to become. This is the ideal you should measure your worth by. To the extent you may not measure up, you are somewhat defective. There are those in our society who do not feel good about their appearance. Some may even be ashamed of how they look. This is the result of our false standards and obsession with appearance. It not only hurts the person whom society (you and I) has singled out as not attractive and perhaps even ugly; it also doesn't do the "chosen" and attractive person any favors either, although they are usually oblivious to the fact. Christianity, among other ministries, is in the business of making people feel good about themselves, as worthy and loveable individuals. Christianity is not in the business of lifting up counterfeit values.
(G-3, "Beauty Is NOT In The Eye Of The Beholder!" is a related message)
Some talented author (that would be me) has written a book about physical appearance (and other related issues) titled, Frankenstein and Miss America: Who's Who and Who's Not. It describes what happens when we give too much attention and place inordinate value on how we and others look. It permeates our entire society in many different ways, from kids picking on peers, to Miss America pageants that glamorize certain people as the ideal, to how we want our loved ones to appear in the casket. Excessive emphasis on appearance determines who gets which jobs and who marries whom. Wouldn't we all agree this is contrary to Christian values and harmful for all of us? While Matthew 6:28-30 is speaking about the dangers of placing too much importance on possessions, it would not be a stretch to recognize in it a warning concerning our preoccupation with what we wear and how we look. The comparison between King Solomon all decked out and the simple natural beauty of a wildflower is a poetic treasure of truth. For each of us, the real beauty is who we are and the uniqueness each one of us brings to the table. Our personal uniqueness is to be appreciated, not denigrated by revering the glamorous beauty queens while pitying or shunning the "ugly" ones among us. (Physical appearance is one of the concerns in Song of Songs 7:1-9.)
a. We create a world of false values. Someone once described our world as a display window where a prankster had gotten in and changed all the price tags around to send the message that inexpensive items cost more and high price items were ridiculously underpriced. This may be an apt analogy of the phony world with twisted values we have created. Money and success become more important than love and family. We have allowed physical appearance to become one of our most popular values despite its superficial nature. It could be said we are more concerned with how we appear -- what we wear, our makeup, body ornaments, and the like -- than the kind of person we will be. Greed, commercialism, comparative wealth, and communities that tempt us with immediate selfish gratification, all have corrupted our value systems. A central theme in the teachings of Jesus is proper priorities and a "first things first" philosophy.
b. It becomes a terrible waste. It is easy to see how we spend our money and energies going off in the wrong directions trying to meet society's artificial standards. Think of what we spend on fashions, makeup, body ornaments, and by extension, other accessories such as cars and houses to create an image of who we would like to be. Think of the eating disorders and diet efforts (although certain diet schedules are necessary for health) we suffer through to become more attractive to others. I am told the Academy Awards and similar events have become a parade of outrageous fashion in efforts to appear in the most stunning costumes and hairdos. Is there really anyone who honestly cannot see the dramatic contrast between this and the modesty of the Christian lifestyle?
c. Note what it does to others. By idolizing certain "beautiful" people, we are telling others this is what we all aspire to become. This is the ideal you should measure your worth by. To the extent you may not measure up, you are somewhat defective. There are those in our society who do not feel good about their appearance. Some may even be ashamed of how they look. This is the result of our false standards and obsession with appearance. It not only hurts the person whom society (you and I) has singled out as not attractive and perhaps even ugly; it also doesn't do the "chosen" and attractive person any favors either, although they are usually oblivious to the fact. Christianity, among other ministries, is in the business of making people feel good about themselves, as worthy and loveable individuals. Christianity is not in the business of lifting up counterfeit values.
(G-3, "Beauty Is NOT In The Eye Of The Beholder!" is a related message)
