W. Kenneth Lyons, 33°, G.C.
Grand Chaplain, The Supreme Council
10733 Van Lear Drive, Williamsport, Maryland  21795–1423

Since the terrible events of September 11, we are racing to bring this world to sanity, justice, and brotherhood.

"And what of ourselves? With all these witnesses to faith around us like a cloud, we must throw off every encumbrance, and run with resolution the race for which we are entered." Hebrews 12:1 Here is a first century preacher speaking to a group of his fellows. They were having a difficult time trying to comprehend why life seemed so difficult. Paul was telling them that they were not to lose heart because God had something better planned for them. I'm sure that Paul was somewhat surprised and disappointed that his colleagues were whining. They were standing on the brink of establishing a grand new way of life, a new era, not only for themselves, but also for the world. In the process they found the struggle difficult. Paul makes no appeal to their complaining. Instead, he takes his listeners out into the stadium and shows them runners who are preparing for a race. A worthwhile life, he said, is like a race to be run. "It's a contest like two gladiators in the arena. You can't hope to win unless you struggle." He was stating that you must have the "grit" to do whatever needs to be done, knowing that the "grace" of an all-powerful and loving God is at your side. I believe "grit" is resolve grounded in character.

Paul goes on to tell us that we should not "fight as one who beats the air." In other words, if you're going to fight successfully or win the race, you have to be prepared and play it smart. You have to know who you're racing with, the conditions of the field, your motivation for running, and most especially the finishing line or goal that you are trying to achieve. Since the terrible events of September 11, we are racing to bring this world to sanity, justice, and brotherhood. And we will run the good race by sharing the teachings and lifestyle of upright and Godly Masons. One lady in New York stated, "We are shocked, but we will also be transformed." The shock was inflicted upon us by terrorists. The transformation will and must depend on us. We are no longer victims, but agents of Godly transformation and change. As this woman went on to say: "Something good must come of this." So we, as Scottish Rite Masons, must be determined to run successfully. Whatever helps, we are to take on; whatever hinders, we are to cast off.

Masonry is placing a great deal of emphasis on increasing membership. As Solomon built the Temple, so we are to be good builders of Masonry. What we are today depends upon how well we built yesterday. What we shall be tomorrow depends on how well we build today. What we have built thus far, in our 200-year history of Scottish Rite Masonry in the Southern Jurisdiction, is of great importance. We will spend several meaningful days this week remembering and honoring those persons who built well to bring us to this glorious celebration. But while what we are is of vast importance, what we are becoming is more important.

In order to secure a prosperous future for our Scottish Rite, we must have a "vision." We have heard the song "Amazing Grace" being played recently throughout our land. This song refers to God's power and love. It also admonishes us that we were once blind but now we see. What do you see? What is your vision of the new and better world to come? What role must you personally play in this transformation? "Vision," in a practical sense, means having the ability and skill to apply our new world outlook to the changing times and culture in which we live. We then use this information to better communicate. But before we communicate, we had better decide on the message. The first question we ask ourselves is, "What is the one unique and great purpose of Scottish Rite Freemasonry?"

Now, let me ask you, "What is your favorite football or baseball team, your favorite car or T.V. show?" There is probably a good chance that the answers to the last few questions came more readily than the answer to "What is our one purpose as Scottish Rite Masons?" We all know that if our mission is unclear, then there is really nothing of meaning to communicate. Those members who don't know why they are here, what their mission is, will never be able to answer the prospect's question: "Give me one good reason why I should be a Scottish Rite Mason?" The question, "What is the purpose of Scottish Rite Masonry?" and your answer to this question are of great importance. Once you have the answer, will you have faith enough in that answer to then act on that belief? The forces of evil have the resolve to act on their misguided beliefs, and they have done so. Do those of us who stand for brotherhood, justice, and freedom have the same resolve?

Once we have agreed on our purpose, we then attempt to communicate that purpose and lifestyle to others. In order to communicate, we must be understood. Did you ever wonder why it's so hard for people to understand you? After all we're so simple and so nice. It's often hard for the other person to understand us because we all communicate within the realm of our age, gender, culture, socioeconomic status, education, experience, theology, country of origin, likes, dislikes, convictions, disposition, etc. For instance, people see things differently based on their age. An elderly man was walking down the road when he heard a voice. He looked down and saw a talking frog. The frog said, "If you kiss me, I will become a beautiful princess." The elderly man picked up the talking frog and put it in his pocket. As he walked on down the road, the frog said again from his pocket, "If you kiss me, I will become a beautiful princess." The old man responded, "At my age, I would rather have a talking frog."

When I counsel with persons who wish to be married, I try to impress upon them the difficulty of communicating. When I ask each one to respond with an impression of the word "blue," what comes to mind? Is it a color? Is it a specific shade? Is it a mood as in "feeling blue"? Is it New Orleans's blues? Yet blue is a simple word. What if we get down to the "value" words like "good" and "bad"? There is even an expression, "That's bad," meaning to the younger generation, "That's good"!

Every word we use may have a different meaning to someone else because we come from different backgrounds and have a different set of experiences. Some things people have attributed to my sermons I would never say, much less think. For instance, I may announce from the pulpit: "This afternoon there will be a meeting in the South and North ends of the church. Children will be baptized at both ends." Or "At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be what is Hell? Come early and listen to our choir practice." People hear in terms of their meaning, not mine.

If we want to communicate, we better have an awareness of our "secret" language that unintentionally excludes others. Masonry is not the only organization with such a language. An usher at my church may welcome a newcomer at the door by saying; "Welcome to our church, here's a "bulletin," take a seat in the "pew" in the "sanctuary." The "prelude and introit" are about to start, and don't forget to take a "hymnal." I'll be happy to greet you again after the "benediction." What is a bulletin, a pew, a sanctuary, a prelude, an introit, a hymnal, and a benediction? What is a Lodge, a Temple, a Brethren, a Square, a Compasses, a Jewel, and a Rite? These words are virtually meaningless to the vast majority of those we must reach as prospects for our Masonic Bodies.

In order to reach those persons who will become the future of Masonry, we must ask very basic but essential questions. Who are the people we are tying to reach? Where do they live? What are their values and interests? Who are their heroes and why? How do they receive their information? What and who do they care about? On what do they spend their money? What are they afraid of? What makes them uncomfortable? Notice these questions have to do with how others feel, those persons whom we want to be part of our fraternity. Too often, in our own unintentional selfish way, we decide how others should feel based on our wants and needs and not necessarily on what is best for our organization and its future.

This is not always easy for the existing members who may also need to express their fears as to what might happen if "those new people" change what we are comfortable with. But as leaders of Scottish Rite Masonry, your task is to lead where others must go but are afraid to go. Some members may choose to stay behind and maintain the institution. That's all right. We need their help on that level; but we, as leaders, must have the "grit" to apply the age-old message of Scottish Rite Masonry in a way that others, of this generation, can receive it. This takes courage and may seem so threatening to others, but at least we cared enough to try! It's like the church that just received its first female pastor. Two trustees of the church had always taken the new pastor out for a fishing trip. Even though the new pastor was a female, they felt obligated to invite her. She accepted the invitation and went fishing. Several hours went by, and no one caught a fish. Since it was getting late, the pastor stated that she needed to get back to the church for a meeting. The men offered to start the engine, but she said, "Don't worry about it." She stepped out of the boat and walked on the water all the way to shore. One man looked at the other and said: "Not only can she not fish, she can't even swim!"

In most cases, your leadership will be appreciated because you are a "trusted" leader. You're like the man whose little girl came up to him and said: "Daddy, would you build me a playhouse in the back yard?" The father replied, "Sure I will honey." Then he went back to sleep in his chair. Ten minutes later, the little girl's mother came to Dad and said: "The funniest thing is happening. Our little girl is moving her little table, chairs, and dishes into the back yard. She said you are building her a playhouse." You see, just a word from you may make all the difference to those who trust you, but are uncertain and are looking to you for leadership.

As many of you know, I am a District Superintendent in the Baltimore–Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. One of the 86 churches I serve is located in Appalachia in Paw Paw, West Virginia. A group of volunteers from our churches came to Paw Paw to build a house for a family with two small children. I noticed that the little boy from the family had been working very hard to help the volunteers in whatever way he could. The house in which he had been living had been condemned, so he was very excited about this new house. While he was turning some dirt over with a shovel, he looked over at me and said: "Guess what's happening tomorrow? We're getting our new door knob!" I expected a small child to say something like, "I'm going to the pool, or we're getting a dog." But this new door knob, to a little boy in Paw Paw, will open a whole new world, and he knew it.

For Christians, there is a familiar painting of Jesus knocking at a door with no doorknob on the outside. Thousands of sermons have been preached admonishing the parishioners that they must open the door from the inside of their hearts to let Jesus in. What if Jesus were knocking at the door and saying: "Turn the door knob and come out! See and get to know the people outside of your familiar surroundings so that you will be better prepared to share my message." What if the Tyler of the Lodge knocked on the door, not to gain admission, but to say, "O.K., you guys, everybody out and share the good news of Scottish Rite Masonry!" Incidentally, take the October 2001 issue of the Scottish Rite Journal with you. It is titled, "Welcome to the Scottish Rite!" Its a wonderful issue to use for introducing prospective members to our Fraternity!

You may have noticed that I am not so concerned in this sermon with our ritual and what we do and say in our Scottish Rite meetings. Honestly, I don't feel qualified, except to quote I Peter 3:8; "All of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." Rather, I am concerned with how we are attempting to relate the great truths of Masonry to the culture in which we live. Remember, our contemporary culture may not be what we want it to be, but it is what God made it to be. So it is a gift to us from God. Many of our Scottish Rite Bodies are having seek-and-search meetings where the tuxedos come off and the flannel shirts and khakis go on. This is not surprising, since GQ Magazine reported that 75% of the adult males in the United States do not own a suit. There are good men who are knocking at our door, yearning for the great truths of Scottish Rite Masonry. When we meet and greet them where they live and move and have their being, we very simply show that we care.

A little girl, whose father was in the World Trade Center when it collapsed, asked her mother what happened to her daddy. Her mother told her that God's hands lifted her daddy up to Heaven just as the building collapsed. The child's reply, when she heard this and thought of all the other thousands of people who were in the building, was: "Does God have enough hands?"

Your hand in mine, and my hand in yours, stretched out across the Southern Jurisdiction of the Scottish Rite, covers most of the territory of the United States. Together, we can grab hold of this world and snatch it out of the hands of sin and despair, and into the shining light of brotherhood through Scottish Rite Freemasonry.

Brothers, the harvest can't wait. Our world is anxious to hear and experience what we have to offer. Remember that Scottish Rite Masonry is not just an institution to be guarded, but, more importantly, a lifestyle that must be practiced, cherished, and shared with others. If you have the "grit" to go out and share Masonry with others, I guarantee God will give you the "grace" to succeed.