The World Cup has provided me an opportunity to learn a new language.
First, I had to come to terms with the reality that what I have called “soccer” the rest of the world calls “football.” And this “football” is played on “pitch” not a “field” – although it looks a lot like a field to me. The teams do not play a “game” but rather play a “match.” The “final” score is called “full time” score. Teams don’t “practice” but “train.” Teams do not play “overtime” but rather play “extra time.”
It has taken a little while for my brain to “re-boot” and assimilate these new terms so that I can follow the commentary on the television. Knowing the language, the rules, the strategies are all important parts of being able to really engage, what, for me, is a relatively new sport as a spectator and fan.
Paul writes to the Galatian church these words: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Paul, remember, is addressing a church divided over the issue of circumcision, essentially a “who-is-a-‘better’-or-‘more committed’” believer in the community. Paul is not only challenging the false teachers in the community but he is warning the people of God against not “biting and devouring one another” over such matters. It is only by setting aside this and any future division that they would truly be able to exhibit and live a new life in the Spirit.
As I reflect on these words to the Galatians, it seems to me that what Paul is asking the people of God to do is to learn a new language and new terms for this new life in Christ. It would mean they would have to set aside what they thought they knew about God and life in Christ. A life regenerated by God’s Holy Spirit looks, sounds and feels different. A redefinition occurs that reorients God’s people towards His purpose in our world.
The challenge, of course, is to set aside human reluctance to let go of the known. It is high talk to speak of letting go and letting God but the unknown makes even the most saintly among us uncomfortable. The church historically has held up those whose lives reflected a tremendous life of faith. Yet each of those saints had their own struggles and challenges which were part of the process leading towards a redefining of their lives when they surrendered to the Holy Spirit’s power.
Last week I shared with you some of the challenging questions I am wrestling with as we continue to discuss the attributes of a missional church. (If you missed last week, you can find the text of that sermon in last week’s eSpear.) The greatest challenge we (and any other congregation considering missional church questions) face is our own reluctance to change. Change is fearful to most humans because it means letting go of the known and embracing the unknown.
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God,” (Hebrews 10.31) says the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews. And yet, the history of the people of God is written in the lives of those who have been willing to leave their known and venture out into the Great Unknown of God. Abram, remember, answered God’s call to leave his family and his land to venture forth into an unknown Promised Land. (Genesis 12) Only in the letting go of the known was Abram able to embrace a new possibility for his life and the life of his household. Only in the letting go was Abram able to share with the world the chance to experience the new life of blessing God was offering.
Later this week our city will host the International Conference of Alcoholic Anonymous. Tens of thousands of recovering people from all over the world will gather to share their experience, strength and hope found in the recovery program begun by two seemingly hopeless drunks in the late 1930’s
One of the favorite slogans of the recovery community is “Let go and let God.” This little saying is meant to encourage the person new in recovery to let go of the old, known way of living which no longer works and embrace the new, unknown life God will give through the 12 Steps. By letting go of the known, the newly sober can embrace the Great Unknown God who will daily reveal more and more of His love and grace as a new relationship blooms.
Further, it is in fully walking this disciplined journey through the Steps that hopeless, dying people are able to redefine, regenerate, their lives. It is through the Steps that clarity comes and new priorities emerge that make for a new, more satisfying way of life. “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result” of the Steps, a new life emerges that has as its hallmark loving service to others. And this new life is not lived in isolation. It is to be lived in the context of a community of others who are all committed to looking externally to the needs of those who still suffer and to share the blessings they have received.
The Rev. Samuel Shoemaker, an Episcopal priest in
This week I invite you to consider the following questions on your Sermon notes page:
W Which areas of my life do I need the Holy Spirit’s help to redefine?
W In what ways can this redefinition help me to clarify and prioritize my day to day life?
Beware the temptation to reflect only. Consider what tangible changes need to be made. Consider the third question:
W In what ways might Christ be calling me to join the larger people of God in loving service to others?
Jesus speaks words in our gospel text today that I believe to be important in our continuing conversations about the missional church. 62 “Jesus said…, ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’” He speaks these words as warning to those who wish to delay their joining Jesus in the
On the border we had a term, “mañana,” “tomorrow.” Of course, on the border “tomorrow” could be tomorrow or the next day or the next week. It is open-ended commitment. Jesus’ call is for full, immediate commitment to His mission. We can interpret Jesus’ words this way: “Don’t wait until you are ‘ready’ or you’ll never get started. Get on with the work! Go be a blessing!”
The Spirit of God is ready to give you what you need to get on with being a blessing in this world. We are invited to “stand firm” in the work of letting go and embracing God’s vision for our life of blessing in this world. Know that you will be tempted to put off until “mañana” what God is inviting you to embrace today. Resist that temptation knowing that God has blessed us with freedom – not to serve ourselves but to freely offer loving service to others. This is what Paul means when he says, “…live by the Spirit…walk by the Spirit.”
Allow the fruits of God’s Spirit – “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” – to redefine your life so that others might see the blessings of God and His Eternal desire to reveal Himself in their hurting lives and bless them in ways they could never have asked or imagined.
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