Faith at Work: Nobody's Looking...
Gettysburg Presbyterian Church
Rev. Lou Nyiri
1 Peter 2:4-12
January 31, 2010

A decade ago, on January 27, 2000, the recently retired 31st Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (pronounced “core”) - General Charles C. Krulak – addressed those gathered at JSCOPE – the Joint Services Conference on Professional Ethics.  In his remarks he said the following:

“We study and discuss ethical principles because it serves to strengthen and validate our own inner value system.  It gives direction to…our moral compass.  The understanding of ethics becomes the foundation upon which we can deliberately commit to inviolate principles.  Based on it, we commit to doing what is right.  We expect such commitment from our leaders.  But most importantly, we must demand it of ourselves.”

“Integrity is an ideal.  It is something to be strived for.  And for a man or woman to ‘walk in their integrity’ is to require constant discipline and usage. “

He then explains how the word integrity came to be known throughout history.

It is a martial word – coming to us from an ancient Roman army tradition.
During the time of the 12 Caesars - (from Julius Caesar through the last of the first 11 emperors of Rome – Domitian-which covers roughly a century’s worth of leaders of ancient Rome beginning with Julius Caesar and ending with Domitian) – the Roman army would conduct morning inspections.  As the inspecting Centurion would come in front of each Legionnaire, the soldier would strike with his right fist the armor breastplate that covered his heart. 
The armor had to be strongest there in order to protect the heart from sword thrusts and archers arrows.
As he struck the armor, he would shout “INTEGRITAS” – which in Latin means material wholeness, completeness and entirety.
The inspecting Centurion would also listen closely for this affirmation by the soldier AND for the ring that well kept armor would give off. 
Once satisfied by the armor sound, signifying the person beneath the armor was protected, he would move on to the next man – and continue the inspection ritual & routine – striking the breastplate of each soldier and shouting “INTEGRITAS” – “INTEGRITAS” – “INTEGRITAS” – and so on down the line until every person had been inspected and found to have material wholeness, completeness & entirety.

About the same time, the Praetorians (the imperial bodyguards) were ascending into power and influence.  Taken from the best “politically correct” soldiers of the legions, these men received the finest equipment and armor.  During morning inspection, they no longer shouted “integritas” to signify their armor was sound.  Instead, as they struck their breastplate, they would shout “Hail Caesar.” 
Thereby signifying their heart, their allegiance belonged to the imperial personage…
– NOT to their unit
– NOT to an institution
– NOT to a code of ideals. 
They armored themselves to serve the cause of a single man.

A century passed and the rift between the legion and the imperial bodyguard & its excesses grew larger.
To signify the difference between the two organizations, the legionnaire, now upon striking their armor no longer shouted “INTEGRITAS,” but instead would shout “INTEGER” – which means ‘undiminished-complete-perfect. 
((For the math scholars in here, an iteger is what? – It is a whole number.  It is a number that is not a fraction or percentage of something it is the whole thing.))
For the soldier to shout “INTEGER,” it not only meant the armor was sound, it also indicated that the one wearing the armor was sound of character.
The person was complete in his integrity.
Their heart was in the right place.
Their standards and morals were high.
The person was not associated with the immoral conduct that was rapidly becoming the signature of the Praetorian Guards.

Integrity – It is the combination of these two words, “INTEGRITAS” and “INTEGER.”
It refers to the putting on of armor, and of working diligently and with discipline to ensure one’s entire being is one of completeness – or wholeness in character.
Integrity is what makes up our character.
Integrity is what allows us to deal ethically with the challenges we face today.
Integrity is what enables us to make conscious decisions about how we will approach tomorrow.
Integrity – your character – your moral fiber – is who you are when nobody’s looking…

As one grows in integrity, it become so much a part of the fabric we call our lives that we begin to think less about how we can become a person of Integrity because we are living a life of integrity.

Now when we speak of Integrity we often do so in terms of traits that persons of integrity exhibit – like honesty. 
While honesty is a part of integrity, let me press us to think bigger – to think how integrity is more than merely the traits a person who “walks in integrity” exhibits. 
To continue on with Honesty:  at its basic level, honesty is telling the truth. 
Honesty is making sure our words match our reality. 
As Mark Twain states, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
Honesty means:  What you say you did is what you actually did.

Integrity, though, is more than simple honesty.
Integrity is conforming reality to our words.
In our businesses, in our schools, in our families, in our circle of friends, in our neighborhoods, in our bridge groups, on our sports team, the person who “walks in integrity” works diligently to be one who keeps promises and fulfills expectations.

The person of integrity will not “sweet talk” to the face and then “bad-mouth” behind the back.
The person of integrity will not divulge your confidences to others in ways that are done to demean or put you down or to build up another relationship by sharing the “I know something you don’t know” news.
The person of integrity lives from a life perspective which believes and lives out:  I will treat everyone by the same set of principles – rules – ethics.

And we know this kind of person when we’re in a room with them because we are drawn to them…maybe immediately, though definitely over time as we watch how they interact with the world around them. 

It seems almost unreal to find a person who lives this way though when we do we want to learn from them. 
You know the kind of person of whom I speak. 

When we are in a room where someone is being “bad-mouthed” the person who “walks in integrity” is the one who is loyal to the person not in the room.
This is the person who will not succumb to the allure of duplicity – or in modern vernacular “two-facedness.”
The one with integrity knows that the key to the 99 is how you treat the 1 – because everybody is ultimately a 1. 

A father was asked by his son the following soul searching question, every time he heard his father overreact to someone else or was the least bit impatient or unkind:  the child would look his father in the eye and ask, “Dad, do you love me?”
The essence of such a question is, if you father are able to break such a basic principle of life toward someone else, will you also break it with me.
How you treat the 1 sends a clear message to the 99 as to how you will treat them when they are not in the room. 

It’s not always easy…and…people may not always like you for it.
Remember though, what’s easy is not always what’s right.
Remember too, in the long run, people will trust and respect you more if you are honest, open and kind with them…if you are a person of integrity – a person who is committed to doing what is right – regardless of the situation…regardless of the cost to self.

As people of faith I believe this formation of character and integrity would fall under what theologians call – sanctification.
It is the process by which we are made into the persons God knows we can bcome.
It is the process by which we grow into what 1 Peter calls “holy [people].”
It is the process by which we grow into conformity with what Paul speaks of as “the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5).

The way we do so is altogether easy and altogether difficult – at the same time.
In seminary, I had a good friend who lived down the hall from me, who taught me a simple saying which I used with the youth I taught one Sunday at the Cheswick Presbyterian church (the younger kids loved it…the older ones ‘not so much’).  Now, I have to warn you all, this may be the very thing you remember most about today’s sermon, so pay attention…
It went like this:  “You read your Bible, Pray every day, and you grow, grow, grow.”  (He sang it for me…I sang it for the youth I taught…I’m not going to sing it for you all.)
The second verse went, “Reject your Bible, Refuse to pray, and you shrink, shrink, shrink.”

We are people of faith, and as faithful people we continue to grow in our faith, we continue to grow in having the “mind of Christ” we begin to more fully understand what it means to be:
A chosen people…
A royal priesthood…
A holy nation…
God’s own people…who once walked in darkness and now have been called out into a marvelous light…

As we read our Bibles…as we pray to God…as we engage in conversation with fellow Christian travelers along the roadway where faith and life intersect…as we participate in small group studies like the one coming up in Lent on The Apostle’s Creed…as we engage in such faith disciplines, we begin…

• To understand what it means to be a people who have received mercy…and we begin to treat others in like manner…
• We begin to abstain from desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul:
• Basically meaning the battle between two kinds of longings or desires – the world tells us that what we need to be content, happy, at peace are things of the flesh…temporary/fleeting things and we sometimes we might be tempted or even give in to temptation and sell our friends out to get them…
• And we set these “desires of the flesh” against our Christian desire which tells us we were created for more than this…we long for gifts which strengthen the soul…we long to become the persons God knows we can become...)…
• We also begin to discern through spiritual disciplines what it means to conduct ourselves honorably among [the people around us we encounter every day]…so that even if we are maligned, even if we are criticized for it, the people around us will see our honorable actions and glorify God when he comes to judge…

As we engage in such faith forming disciplines we do grow into the people God has designed us to be.
We become people who “walk in integrity.”

Remember, integrity is not something done instantly.
Integrity is not something we establish or create in ourselves in a day, a semester or a year.
Integrity is not as simple as “just add water” and you’ve got it.
And neither is our holiness.
WE grow into the people God knows we can become.
WE remember that our justification occurred some 2,000 plus years ago on a cross and we’ve been growing into our faith ever since.
And through the power of God’s Holy Spirit at work in our lives we can AND we will become the people God needs us to be.

Integrity is worked out in the crucible of life.
Integrity is something which becomes a way of life.
Integrity is woven into the fabric of our souls by the choices we make daily.

We either walk in integrity - daily - or we take off the armor of the “INTEGER” and we leave our hearts and souls exposed…open to attack.

The challenge for us is simple yet often very difficult.
We are called to be people “who walk in integrity.”
We must understand the full weight and measure of what integrity means for living our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ –
As people who once were in darkness and now have seen a marvelous light…
As people who are chosen and precious in God’s sight…
As people who are allowing ourselves to become the spiritual houses God needs us to become…
As people who remember we are a chosen race…a royal priesthood…a holy nation, God’s own people…

And as such people we allow this memory to shape our decisions!
We must allow this memory to constantly remind us that we once were people who had not received mercy and now we are a people who have received mercy. 
We are a people who now have the ability to choose to abstain from desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. 
We are people who can conduct ourselves honorably among [all people].  So that, even if maligned – put down - for our decisions, people will see the honorable deeds we do and choices we make and glorify God when he comes to judge.

We must find comfort in the protection our integrity as Christ followers offers us.
We must not become relaxed or lazy in the practice of our Christian integrity and identity.
And we must always – ALWAYS – remember that no one can take our integrity from us…

Integrity is personal.
Character is personal.
The fiber of moral being is personal.
You – and only you – I and only I – can give my personal traits away.

Do not forget though, our Christian faith reminds us, we are not alone, we have been given the promise of God’s Holy Spirit to be with and guide us each and every day…each and every step of the way.
Cling to that promise.
Rest assured in that promise.

And together or as individuals, let us allow that promise to influence the decisions we make as we daily choose how we will interact in the situations around us…

When we strike our fist to our heart will speak loud enough that the world will hear the combination of “INTEGRITAS,” & “INTEGER” that results in “INTEGRITY” – people who do the right thing…regardless of the cost?

To God, and God alone, be the glory, now and always.  Amen.

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