The show of the summer is “America’s Got Talent”. Though a little different from “American Idol” the show also uses the court of three judges to retain the good talent and get rid of the riff raff. (There are a lot of people in America who have no talent and yet get on the show.) A few weeks ago a middle-aged man with a good-sized belly and thick sideburns thought that he could imitate Elvis. He had the Elvis white jumpsuit and he wanted to show us the hips that could swivel, but when he opened his mouth the crowd turned on him, immediately!! This was no Elvis!! And Sharon Osborne and David Hasselhoff and that English guy all agreed - three X’s and he was gone!! Good riddance!!

Poor imitations that people make of others is an agony to watch. Governor Mark Sanford from South Carolina has admitted to being of poor imitation of what he wanted to be. Though he is married and has four children, serves as a Governor, a political leader and a Christian he had a prolonged affair with a woman from Argentina. He is asking God to change him so that he can imitate what a husband, a father, a man, a Governor, a Christian and a leader should be.

A gentlemen in a church I once served confessed to me, “I’m not much of a Christian.” Though he came to church regularly his view of himself as a disciple of Jesus was not very good.

In this reading from Ephesians Paul has some direct words for us, “Be imitators of God.” (Ephesians 5:1) How is your imitation? How well do you mimic the ways of God? I think that Paul has put before us a challenge that is overwhelming, bigger than us!! And yet it stands right before our eyes. In the opening words of our text Paul says, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; to put on the new self, created to be like God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24)

Have you ever looked at the portion of our worship when we confess our sins as the time that everyone is saying, “I’m better than that!”? “I’m better than where I have gone with my life and my sins!!” “Yes, I have sinned against God and others, I have not lived up to what God desires me to be and to do, but, by golly, I’m better than that!!” You see, if we had no desire to be better, to improve, to be different, than we wouldn’t say a word about our struggles. If there was no confession of sins we could be saying, “My sins and ways are too big for me. This is nothing that I, or God, can do anything about.” But that is not what we say!! We are saying, “I’m better than that!! I’m not going to let sin rule my life. I’m not going to live as the old creation. I’m going to be new. I’m not going to be a poor reflection of God anymore!!”

In the sermon hymn for today we sang, “I want to walk as a child of the light. I want to follow Jesus. God set the stars to give light to the world. The star of my life is Jesus. In Him there is no darkness at all, the night and day are both alike. The Lamb is the light of the city of God. Shine in my heart, Lord Jesus.” (LSB, 411, verse 1)

It is not an easy thing to imitate God. One of the trials of the heart is the emotion of anger. One writer gave this picture of anger: Dad comes home from work, angry with his boss and yells at Mom. Mom, angry at Dad, yells at their Son. Son, angry at Mother, yells at Little Sister. Little Sister, angry with Brother, goes to her room, grabs the cat and throws it off the bed. Cat, angry at all human beings, bites the head off of a Barbie Doll. Anger seems like a simple reaction. But, it’s almost always complex.

How we handle anger must be a reflection of God making us into a new creation. This is what the Scriptures say, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold…Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” (Ephesians 4:26-27, 31)

Imitate God. Imitate the new creation that He has made you. It is not a sin to have anger. Jesus had anger when He cleansed the temple. There is a place for righteous anger, a just anger. We should be angry when evil shows its ugly face or when devilish things happen in our world. Our hearts should have an anger that such things are not right.

But a fuse that is short with others is not usually a righteous anger. An anger that is always on slow burn, that looks for the time to get back at another, is not a righteous anger. Paul writes in I Corinthians 13, “{Love}is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” (Verse 5) When our memory is vivid and unforgiving toward past events and people the devil is making his inroads into our heart.

Harold and Marilyn had just celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary when their grandson and his bride were married. At the wedding they were asked to give advice to the newlyweds. Their advice: “Never go to bed angry. Always resolve the difference before the lights are turned off.”

A poor imitation of God can be shown in our heart and our attitude and in how we resolve our differences. It can also be shown in the words that come from our tongue. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only that which is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” (Ephesians 4:29) Too many of us have trouble with our tongues. We can curse or become profane; we speak and the words can hurt others, what we say can destroy reputations. James writes, “With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” (3:9-10) He calls it “a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (3:8)

I’m sure that some of you are wonderful imitators of God. You reflect God in the best ways – keep on doing it!! “You have put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Hooray!! But some of us struggle with this. Words, hearts and lives don’t imitate our Heavenly Father very well.

So, where do we go? The first two verses of chapter 5, the words that begin, “Be imitators of God” offer us our hope. This is how it reads, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

We can only imitate what we have received. And what wonderful gifts we have received from our Savior, Jesus!! It all begins with His love and mercy. He came for us. He died for us. He treasures us so much that He would give Himself as a sacrifice for us. Good Friday is such a great day in our lives – on that day the love of God was opened as wide as it could be opened, and He invited you and I to receive His full gift of cleaning and cleansing. For every thing that is not a reflection of God, for everything that is a poor reflection of God, for things that are just the opposite of what God desires for us Christ did the complete work of redemption. His sacrifice, the offering of Himself for us was fragrant, sweet smelling, pleasing to God!! What amazing love God has for all of us!! “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.” (I John 1:7)

A good imitation of our God is not just the things that we no longer desire to do – such as having little control over our anger or having a tongue that is sharp or dirty – it is God making us different, changing us around. Here is one example that Paul gives, “He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.” (Ephesians 4:28) That is the imitation that we want. We just don’t stop doing evil, now we are directed to do good. One commentator said, “This paragraph counterbalances every vice with a virtue: falsehood is to be replaced by truth, unrestrained anger by timely reconciliation, stealing of others’ property by the generous sharing of one’s own, foul language by helpful speech, animosity by kindness.”

Are we just a poor imitation of Christ, just a poor imitation of a baptized, blood-bought child of God? No!! By God’s powerful Spirit we can be imitators of God, with kindness and compassion, loving and forgiving others just as we have been loved and forgiven by God. The Scriptures say, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:8-10)

God’s people – live a life worthy of the calling you have received!! Imitate the God who loves you, forgives you, purchased you and has prepared a home in heaven for you. Amen!!