With those stories in mind the sermon actually focused on the second reading of the day, 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20...
12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.Click through to read how this bears on our discipleship as Christ's followers.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
The presence of God in our lives transforms us. We come to him imprisoned, slaves to ourselves and our sin. When he touches us and washes our sins away we rise as new people, free from our former slavery, empowered to do his work. Neither sin nor Law nor circumstance can restrain us or take us away from God ever again!
This freedom opens up many paths to goodness. Without God none of our paths led anywhere good. With him even our darkest roads--yes, even the road through death itself--lead us closer to him in the long run. Where once we had to worry about up or down, left or right, stay or go, fearful that we'd lose our salvation if we made the wrong choice, now we know that up and down, left and right, staying and going all contain measures of the Spirit that dwells within us and will not let us go.
Another way of saying this is that God coming to us and saving us frees us from having to worry about ourselves and our own salvation. His assurance sets our mind and heart at ease, allowing us to focus on other things rather than obsessing about what's in store for us.
There are two ways to use this new-found freedom. The first is the selfish way. "I know God saved me, claimed me, and will forgive me so I will do whatever I want! He'll just clean it up for me!" In a technical sense this may be true but it shows a profound misunderstanding of, and appreciation for, God's gifts. "I have the right to do anything!" (or "I'm free!") is the first realization of the saved disciple. But if we stop there we miss the purpose of our salvation.
Paul reminds all God's followers that just because they have the right to do anything doesn't make everything they do right! The old scale of weighing actions--"I have to worry about myself and do whatever will get me saved"--is properly dismissed the moment we realize we are saved. But we still need some measure by which to judge what we do. Saying, "I have the right to do anything!" and stopping there simply replaces the old "I have to worry about myself" with a new one. Except this time instead of judging by what gets you saved you're judging by your personal tastes, what seems to advantage you, or what's convenient. Either way, it's still all about you.
The proper response to God's grace is to take yourself out of the equation. "I don't have to worry about me anymore, nor do I have to be a slave to my likes and dislikes or convenience. Instead I know God has taken care of me fully and completely. I know he will continue to do so. This leaves free all the time and energy I spent worrying about myself. Now instead I can serve others!" This is what Paul meant when he urged God's followers to do things that are beneficial...not beneficial for them by the old standards, but beneficial for the world they are called to serve. That's our new measure!
Many of us spend time going things that are instantly gratifying but of no lasting importance...perhaps of lasting harm. Paul cites sexual issues as an obvious example but we could just as well count smoking cigarettes, eating Twinkies, or whatever we do that seems fulfilling in the moment but ultimately turns out empty. Those things aren't beneficial for the world. They're a waste of our time.
Many of us spend our lives in a bubble, seeing no farther than ourselves and/or the 2-3 people we love most. We walk down the street without noticing each other. We walk through grocery stores ignoring everyone around us. We work as if our tasks were the only (or at least most) important ones. We consume as if resources are infinite.
As followers of Christ we're called to use our time, our bodies, and our words well in service to the God who saved us and made us followers in the first place. This requires getting past both of these bad habits. We're to put aside instant gratification, holding onto and nurturing those things which are of lasting significance. Because those things inevitably involve the good of our friends and neighbors we are to interact with and care for the world around us, treasuring it as God does. To do otherwise is to prostitute the time, energy, and talents our Lord has provided and grown in us...defiling the holy temples that our bodies and lives were designed to be.
It's not enough to claim that we followers. We also have to know how to follow. It's not enough to claim God's freedom, we also have to know what that freedom is for. God calls us to a higher and more holy purpose than we could pursue on our own. That purpose is not confined to a church building and an hour of worship a week. It's interwoven with our lives and daily existence. God's words are like a pin, puncturing that self-serving, isolating bubble into which we flee to protect ourselves from the world. His message to us this week is clear: Come out! Be free! Taste and see what I have in store for you and then walk with me in purposeful strength, doing what is needful and beneficial in my name.
Let us hear and heed that call this day and every day.
--Pastor Dave (pastordave@geneseelutheranparish.org)
No comments:
Post a Comment