May the mumbling commence!
The Apostle Paul can be quite thick sometimes. That thick nature can sometimes be due to difficult concepts that are dressed heavily in the culture of his day, but other times that thick nature is due to vital truth and information. The basic trouble for today’s church family is to be able to tell the difference between the two. In the quest to tell the difference between cultural dress and vital truth, I believe that looking for themes in Paul’s writings can begin to answer that question.
Because of the thick nature of Paul’s letters, I hesitate to have too long of a verse grouping as a preaching text. Though it is good and right to include some of the text’s context, I want to focus on just a few verses in my preaching. Today’s Scripture reading from Romans contains a two-verse set that could drive a sermon. Read these two verses that begin Romans chapter twelve:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
First, a quick bit of context: Paul has just written about the olive tree, which often symbolizes Israel. The root that makes this olive tree thrive is the Lord. Paul speaks to the Gentile community in Rome about being grafted into this olive tree. They are thriving, but Paul warns them not to be judgmental toward Jews. All branches of the olive tree are beneficiaries of grace through the avenue of mercy through Jesus Christ.
The former branches might come to faith through mercy and grace, and they will thrive especially because they were native to this olive tree. This precedes this passage that illustrates the mercy of God. It is in light of this mercy that Paul begins to speak of sacrifice and worship.
After these verses, Paul talks more about grace and being level-headed in thinking about yourself. He encourages each person to recognize his or her role in the body of Christ – perhaps with the vision of the whole group – and do it in proportion to their faith.
Now, we can begin to dig into these verses. God’s mercy to us erupts in a offering of our bodies as living sacrifices. Whoa! What does that mean? Do we sacrifice ourselves, and if we do, how do we remain living?!? That is why we continue to read on in the verse. This offering of ourselves as a living sacrifice is a spiritual act of worship. This sacrifice has more to do with the way that we live – the attitude that forms what we think and say and do.
This sacrifice means dramatic change. We are to leave the patterns of this world behind. We leave these patterns to take up the pattern of obedience – the way of Christ Jesus. To take up Jesus’ way of life is a never-ending journey. That never-ending journey means that our minds – our attitudes – need to be constantly renewed. This renewal is not only day-to-day but also moment-to-moment.
When we seek this renewal within a body of believers, we can be successful and thrive in the Spirit of God. This type of success will open the way to testing what the will of God is. As we are renewed and transformed by the Spirit together, we will learn to approve of God’s will – even if God’s will doesn’t make any sense to us.
In human terms, sense is all a matter of perspective. In divine terms, sense transcends all our greatest thoughts and imaginings. Bottom line..? Sense does not matter. It doesn’t matter because we have come to know together that God’s will can be nothing less than good, pleasing and perfect.
So let’s find our place through the mercy and grace of the Lord to encourage fellow Christians not discourage and to build up not to destroy. Let’s relate to each other with peace and hope not crumble in division. Then, we will become a beacon of light and truth and mercy and grace to the world.
In my humble opinion, these verses from Romans are vital truth for today. The only question is what you and I will do with the truth heralded in them this Advent season and beyond…
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment