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Rev. Emily Owen
Biblical Text: Romans 12:1-13
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what the will of God— what is is good and acceptable and perfect.
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Let us begin in prayer:
O gracious and holy God,
Give us diligence to seek you,
Wisdom to perceive you,
And patience to wait for you.
Grant us, O God,
A mind to meditate on you;
Eyes to behold you;
Ears to listen for your word;
A heart to love you;
And a life to proclaim you;
Through the power of the Spirit
Of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
When I was in middle school, I entered my English class one day to see the word: “obituaries” written on the chalkboard. Our assignment was to write our own obituary including what we had contributed to this world, what sort of life we lived…what we valued…what we involved with…who we loved. We had to choose an occupation and an age that we died. We had to give some serious thought to the words that would define us after we were gone…which meant giving some serious thought to the life we would live. It was uncomfortable, it felt impossible and I didn’t like it one bit. I went through waves where I felt insignificant when I considered what I might contribute to the world and then there were waves where I felt there was no way that words could capture all of what I was, what I would do and what I was passionate about.
I thought about this obituary exercise as I thought about the struggles of Paul – forming these words in his letter to the people at Rome…words to urge these people of God who had already learned God’s grace in Jesus Christ, to live into that grace. And so we turn to our scripture for today we see that it begins with these words: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, Therefore. Usually when you say “therefore” you are about to say something that connects with what you have previously said. For example, after a long day working in the yard trying to make some order out of the leaves that seem to continue to fall faster than you can get them in a pile, you might hear me say…I am exhausted, therefore I am going to sleep. While I don’t actually talk this way and the leave gathering is usually done by my husband Henry, the rule remains that therefore connects one thing to the next. So what has Paul just finished saying, and what is he about to say? What comes after therefore?
The beginning of Paul’s letter to the people at Rome begins by reminding us that God had set Paul apart as a for Jesus Christ to share Christ’s gospel with the world. Paul affirms that the gospel brings salvation to everyone who believes in it. In a sense, Paul lays a theological foundation for the church in these first eleven chapters of Romans. Paul seems to pay particular attention to God’s righteousness, grace and law. He sort of lays it all out on the table – including his interpretation of the relationship between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians – where Jewish law divided them, Paul explains that their common faith in Jesus Christ would unite them. Just preceding our scripture for today, Paul reflects on the mystery and greatness of God saying – “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him, to receive a gift in return? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.”
And then we arrive at therefore and we arrive at our scripture for today. Paul says, “I appeal to you , brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Paul’s words continue as he moves from laying the foundation of the church to building on that foundation.
But we can stop and ask ourselves, what comes after the therefore for the church? We have heard and studied the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know something about God’s love and grace revealed to us through Jesus Christ. Therefore…? We receive God’s grace freely given each time we approach this table. Therefore…? (Today we baptized Eli Webb and we were able remember the gift of forgiveness offered to each one of us, something we can remember each and every time we hear the splashing of the baptismal waters. Therefore…? We gather together today as the body of Christ, doing ministry with one another and with God. Therefore?
What after therefore for us?
Paul’s word to us today offers ways that we too can build on this f
foundation, instruction on how we can respond to God who loves us and calls us…ways that we can live after therefore. Paul does this by putting into beautiful words what it is that we are called to do both as individuals and as the church.
Paul writes, “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”We are called to worship – on Sundays and on every day – to worship in a way that our bodies become a living sacrifice so that we may live and breathe and share the love of God in all that we do.
Paul says, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We are called to be continually transformed by God at work in our lives through study, prayer and community - that we might continue to seek what is God’s will – that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul reminds us to not “think of [ourselves] more highly than [we] ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” We are to be honest with who we are, with each other and with God.
Paul says, “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of .” We are called to be the church – not necessarily all the same – but to understand ourselves as part of the one body of Christ. So that even when we move in different ways, we remember that we are members of one body.
Paul writes, “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.” We are called to use our gifts and to recognize gifts in others that might be used to worship…to learn…to understand…to live in community.
And finally…Paul teaches us that we are called to love. He says, “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”
Our Old scripture reading that Bill read, tells of the time when the tribes of Israel had settled in the land of Promise. Now that their settlement is complete, they are ready to embark on this new life together, no longer wanderers and nomads, but instead, residents of a particular place…the cities and farmlands of Canaan. Our scripture reading picks up at a gathering at Shechem which takes place at this pivotal time for the Israelites. This is often called the renewal of the covenant. Joshua calls them to make a fundamental decision concerning their allegiance to God and their identity as people. He tells them their history, where they came from and what God has done for them. Then he says, “Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.” Now therefore. Again we see through these words of Joshua that God lives and moves in and among us, therefore…we are called to respond both as individuals and as the body of Christ. We are called to serve the Lord in sincerity and in faithfulness.
How will your life fill in the space after therefore? How will the life of this congregation fill in the after therefore?
I have a feeling that this was part of what my middle school English teacher was after. As thirteen year olds, we began to consider what sort of life we would live….what would be important to us….what gifts would we use….how would we make a difference to other people and to the world. It wasn’t about what we knew. It was about what we would do with the knowledge that we had.
My insights, knowledge and faith have changed since I sat in that middle school English class. And though our insights, knowledge and faith change throughout our lives, God’s love grace remain constant.
We are loved chosen and called by God, each and every one of us…therefore…
In the name of the creator, redeemer and sustainer. Amen.
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