Peter W. Marty preaches, during his final Sunday at St. Paul, on the essentials of Christian living. Resume virtues are the skills and achievements that may end up on a resume, centering on your credentials. In contrast, eulogy virtues involve your character, your depth, and the nature of your relationships. How do we grow our eulogy virtues? Desire, grace, faith, and gratitude. Desires shape the contours of our lives. A desire for God is the beginning of faith. Grace is the abundant love of God. Faith begins where certainty ends. There is nothing that beats gratitude for a joy-filled life.
Preaching text: Philippians 3: 8-12
A Splendid Torch
by George Bernard Shaw
This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.
I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" for me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.
