46-16 Little Neck Parkway, Little Neck, N.Y. 11362
"The Church That Love Built". 

From the Pastor’s Desk                                                        March 2010

"I am the gate. All who come in through me will be saved. Through me they will come and go and find pasture. A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest. I am the good shepherd, and the good shepherd gives up his life for his sheep." (John 10:9-11, CEV) 

For those who were in worship for the first Sunday in Lent, this will be a rehash. But for others who were unable to be here that Sunday, I want to explain why I'm doing a sermon and study series on the Seven Deadly Social Sins this Lenten and Easter season. The list of Seven Deadly Social Sins—wealth without work, politics without principles, commerce (business) without morality, pleasure without conscience, education (knowledge) without character, science without humanity, and worship (religion) without sacrifice—was first enumerated by Mohandas Gandhi in1925, in an article published in the magazine Young India.

First, let me offer just a word of explanation about using a list of "social sins" compiled by a non-Christian.  While Gandhi was not Christian, he has been recognized by many Christians and Christian leaders—Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Bishop Desmond Tutu, and a series of Popes among them—as one of the greatest ethical and moral leaders and teachers of the world since Jesus himself. We as Christians have a great deal to learn from his wisdom and compassion.

Next, there is the right number of weeks—6 Sundays in Lent and Easter Sunday for a list of Seven Deadly Social Sins. That's a small thing, but it did play apart in my decision. And I'm even using at least one of the lectionary readings on four of the weeks, including Easter Sunday, since they relate to four of the social sins Gandhi enumerated.

Again, Lent has always been a time for reflecting on our sins. But preaching about the more traditional seven deadly sins—lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride—is limiting, since they are individual matters. There are only so many ways to say, "This is bad—cut it out!" Gandhi believed that these "social sins" had the power to destroy whole societies, not just individuals. So learning how to recognize and combat them is important to everyone, including Christians.

And finally, preaching on the seven deadly social sins offers us the opportunity to reflect on the impact we as faithful Christians can and should have on the world around us, not just on how we can better our own lives. And that helps to fulfill the teaching of Jesus, who said so memorably, "I came that they (that is, all people) might have life, and have it more abundantly." So for all these reasons, I have embarked on this Lenten series this year.

I hope you will join us for worship during Lent and on Easter Sunday for a look at each of these seven deadly social sins in turn. And please also take the opportunity to join us on Thursday evenings for our Lenten Soup Supper at 6:30 PM followed by a Bible study on the social sin for the upcoming Sunday. I am putting together PowerPoint presentations on each, and we have an opportunity to discuss each topic and share viewpoints before the sermon on Sunday. And of course, as always, I invite and encourage you to freely discuss the sermon during our coffee and fellowship time following the Sunday morning service, as well. 

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Paul Drake

SERMON TEXTS AND TITLES FOR MARCH 2010 

The following are the Scripture texts and titles for Pastor Drake’s sermons during the month of March, 2010.