I don’t think anyone here likes to be called mediocre. You are a mediocre parent. You are mediocre friend. You are a mediocre student. This may be true in your life, but I am sure you do not like that label. Mediocrity is not something that we brag about.

But people become so content on being mediocre in their lives as Christians. Think about the term “at least.” Have you ever said that about your Christian living? “I know I have missed a few weeks in coming to church, but at least I’m here today.” “I know I am not perfect, but at least I’m not as bad as so and so.” “I know I am not going to Bible study like I should, but at least I went to church.” “I know I was not paying attention to the sermon and talking to my friends, but at least I am here.” “I know that I do not help around the church like I should, but at least I give my offering every week.” “I know I yelled at my loved ones all day long, but I least I didn’t hit them.”

“At least” is really saying “at the least.” It has the idea that I am doing the least that I can get away with. It is mediocrity at its worst. Does God really expect us to give our least to him? Does he command us to do as little as possible, give as little as possible, and act decently toward one another as little as possible? No!

As we continue our Advent series this evening, let us repent of our sins of mediocrity and plead for God’s mercy. Let us take comfort that God gave us his absolute best. Then let us throw off the chains of our lukewarm sinful natures and strive for goodness in our Christian lives.

Imagine if God took an “at least” attitude toward us. What if God decided that He wouldn’t give His best to us? We would be in deep trouble. Our sins would drag us down in this life and all the way to the depths of hell. But God did not settle for less than his best. He demonstrated His goodness toward us.

The word “goodness” is used three times in the sermon lesson for this evening. The first time is in verse 3 and it is attributed to Jesus. The English word “goodness” does not really do justice to entire meaning of the Greek word. In the Greek language, this word has the meaning “excellence.” It refers to a moral excellence or virtuous excellence.

God was committed to excellence for us. He did not settle on a lesser plan to save us from sin, death, and hell. God decided that He would give us His best. And so, committed to excellence, in His divine goodness, God sent His only Son to this World to be its Savior. God sent His Son, Jesus, to be born in Bethlehem of a human mother. He gave the best to us.

And Jesus, being true God, showed His goodness by living a morally excellent life, free from all sin, even though He faced the same temptations that we do. Jesus did not settle for “at least” either. He did not live perfectly and then just call it “good.” No, Jesus Christ died on that wooden cross with our sins heaped upon Him. Still committed to that excellence, Christ rose from the dead for our salvation. He took our sins away and earned heaven for us.

And God the Holy Spirit showed his excellence by calling us to be believers. The Holy Spirit used the goodness found in the words of the gospel to make us His children, through Baptism and the preaching of God’s Holy Word. God did not settle for mediocrity. He gave us His best. He saved us with His excellence. And He provides us with faith through His goodness.

God was committed to excellence in our salvation. That is our motivation to strive for excellence in our Christian lives. Nothing else will work. Nothing else changes hearts. It is God’s goodness alone. That is what spurs us out of our spiritual apathy into lives of excellence serving the Lord.

God’s goodness also strengthens us to produce fruits of goodness in our lives. Athletes fuel their bodies with good things so that they can strive for excellence in their sports. Could you imagine Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist, winning the Tour de France if he only ate junk food? No, he follows a strict diet, eating foods that fuel his body to strive for excellence. In the same way, Christians need to fuel their bodies to strive for excellence in producing fruit in their lives. We need God’s Word daily. We need Holy Communion. Without these things we become the spiritual weakling who is OK with being mediocre.

We know that God’s goodness to us is our motivation to produce fruits of goodness in our lives. We know that God’s Word is the fuel we need to strive for excellence. Now let us strive for goodness – for moral excellence. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Set the bar high for yourself. God does.

When you come to God’s house, give your best. Do you ever think about that when you are getting dressed for church? Or do you say, “Oh God doesn’t care what I wear to church, at the least I go.” Give your best to God, not your least. When you are worshipping, don’t just be satisfied with daydreaming. Expect more from yourself. Give God your best when you pray, sing, and listen. People, by nature, strive for excellence in the areas that are most precious to them. What could be more precious than God and His Word?

When you look around here, at God’s house, ask yourself, “Have we given God our best?” When you look at your calendar for the month, tell yourself that you will make the effort to produce goodness. You manage to set aside time for all kinds of other things every month. Set time aside to serve your Lord and St. Stephen. Strive for excellence in your life of service and giving to the Lord.

Strive for excellence in your moral goodness away from church also. Set the example for those around you. People have told me that I should be good because I am a pastor. No, I should be good because I am God’s child. Sometimes people expect pastors to be better people than they are. Why is that? Do you want to your pastors to be everything that you are not for you? It doesn’t work that way. We all should be striving for moral excellence. This means we should treat each other with the same goodness that God shows to us. We should make wholesome choices for our entertainment. We should do what is right all the time, even when people aren’t looking.

Strive for goodness in your life. Also study for goodness in your life. Read the Bible often. When you are sitting with your family, make sure you feed your family with God’s goodness found in Scripture. Make sure that you lead your family to church and Bible class. It can never be just a choice when we are striving for goodness. We must choose to study for that goodness. For goodness in our lives will only come about when have studied God’s goodness in the Bible.

Strive for moral excellence. Study for God’s goodness. Then live in that goodness. Just make up your mind that is what you are going to do. Don’t just walk out of this church tonight and be satisfied with being mediocre. Be determined to add to your faith goodness. God has given you great and precious promises to bring you to heaven. He was determined in His goodness to make you His dear child. Let us strive together in faith to produce fruits of goodness in keeping with repentance.