April 10, 2011 - Lent 5, Year A (RCL)
Today we’re back
to the letter to the Romans,
after a short diversion to Ephesians.
But instead of going back to the debate about faith and works,
we;re continuing with the issue
that Ephesians raised,
that practical discussion
of how we live,
of choosing between
right and wrong.
And Ephesians is clear.
Do the things that please God,
and don’t do the things that don’t.
Simple.
So just get on with it.
End of sermon.
Except
it’s not that simple.
Anyone who’s ever tried it
knows that
saying you’re going to do something
and actually doing it
are two different things
and b) knowing what is right and what is wrong
are often harder
than they might appear.
So lets start with b). Knowing what is right and wrong. We like to think
that we can divide everything in life into two categories: right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness, life and death.
But we don’t have to have lived
a whole lot of life to work out
that it’s not that simple. There aren’t just two categories. There are thousands.
The closest analogy I can think of
is when you go to buy paint.
Especially white paint.
You’d think it would be simple. Go onto the store and say,
“I’d like some white paint for the trim on my windows.”
And they’ll hand you a can labelled white,
and that would be it.
Instead what happens, is you go in the paint store, and say,
“I’d like some white paint for the trim on my windows,”
and they’ll say,
“What color white would you like?”
“What color white? White is white, isn’t it?”
“Have a look at this chart.”
And you’re given a fold out brochure, labelled “Whites.”
Inside are thirty or forty paint samples, and all of them look like white until you compare them with each other, And then you discover that some are really cream, and others almost pink, and some
definitely gray.
And it’s the same with black. Some blacks are more blue, some are ore purple, some are more brown.
We think there are these two extremes called black and white, but really,
what there are are a kind of constellation of colors
that approximate the two extremes.
And it’s the same with light.
There’s the light of a sunny summer day, and the light of a moonlit night;
there’s the dark of a shadowy closet, and the dark of a cave deep underground.
And the point where white turns to gray turns to black
is not entirely clear,
and nor is the point where dark turns to light.
You can’t simply define things
as one extreme or the other.
There’s always a whole lot
in the middle.
And that’s why
in his letter to the Romans
the apostle Paul
takes a different direction
from the letter to the Ephesians.
Instead of assuming
that things we do can be defined
as simply one thing
or the other,
good or bad, right or wrong,
pleasing God or not;
instead of giving us lists of things we should do
and things we shouldn’t;
here in Romans chapter 8,
he describes it differently.
Here he describes the way we live
as having our minds focussed
in a particular direction.
If you’ve ever been on a long hike,
you know how it works.
If you focus on where you’re going, you get a whole lot further than if you focus on your feet and how much they hurt.
And you might have noticed, that even when you’re not traveling, whatever occupies your mind
shapes your behavior.
If you think about food,
you’re likely to eat something.
If you’re thinking about your children,
you’re far more likely to call them.
Or as Jesus said, where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.
There’s an inevitable connection
between what we focus on
and what we actually do.
And so what Paul says is, set your minds not on the flesh, but on
the spirit.
So what does he mean?
One of the problems Christianity has had over the ages
is that we’ve been influenced
by a whole range of different philosophical viewpoints.
What typically happens
is that we hear something that Jesus says,
or perhaps one of the apostles,
or one of the other writers of the New Testament,
and we try to make connections with things we know.
We say,
“Oh, that sounds a little bit like what so-and-so wrote.”
And suddenly, without really intending to,
we replace what we originally heard
with a kind of synthesis, a mixture,
of that original saying,
and another more familiar idea.
So for example, we hear Paul talking about flesh and spirit,
and we remember that some of the Greek philosophers said something about that, they divided the world into two categories, and one was always good and one was always bad.
And then there were some other people, the ones that are known as Gnostics,
that thought that anything to do with the body
fell into the bad category,
and so flesh must be referring to our physical existence
and it must be bad,
and spirit must refer to something other than the body,
and suddenly we find ourselves with a whole belief system that says that our bodies are bad and we have to strive to escape them
into the world of the spirit where God is.
It all sounds
very logical.
Except
Paul
was Jewish,
trained as a rabbi, an academic, if you like,
and although he probably knew Greek philosophy
it wasn’t at the heart of his thinking.
And the sort of anti-physical dualism that we see in gnosticism
was still some years in the future.
So when Paul uses the language of flesh
versus spirit
he most likely isn’t talking about a dualism in which the physical is bad and the spiritual good.
It’s far more likely
that he’s using the word flesh
to mean that part of us
that is ruled by our passions,
that is primarily focussed on getting our own needs and desires met.
So to set our minds on the flesh
is to set our minds on making sure
that our own desires and needs are met. It’s to set our minds on ourselves.
And the apostle Paul is using the word spiritual
to refer to the Holy Spirit,
the spirit
of God
that in the beginning
hovered over the face of the earth
and was the means by which
God created life.
The Spirit, the breath, of God
is what gives us life,
our bodies and our spirits alike.
And through Jesus Chris, who resurrected
met the disciples in the upper room
and breathed his spirit into their lives,
through Jesus Christ, the spirit of God
lives in us.
And the Spirit is the one
who connects the Father and Son in God the Trinity;
the Spirit is the one who connects us with God;
the Spirit is the one who is at the core of relationships.
So to set our minds on the Spirit,
is to set our minds on relationships
and on those that we have those relationships with - both God
and other people.
So what we have is not advice that the physical parts of us are bad and the spiritual or religious ones good;
what it is
is that we’re to focus our attention on the Spirit of God,
and through that on one another,
rather than just on ourselves.
It’s about the direction we look.
Kind of like going on a hike. We want to end up
with God.
And so we’re to set our attention that direction
rather than on our feet, or in this case, on ourselves.
Not because our needs are unimportant, but because if we’re fixed on God
we can be sure that those needs
will be taken care of.
Because it is the Spirit of God we’re focussing on,
the one who has given us life
and knows everything we need..
So what does this mean in real, practical, day to day terms?
It means, that we’re to focus on God, and God’s priorities.
And to use those as a guide.
We know
that life is complex. It’s not always easy to tell
what’s good and what’s bad.
So let’s go back to the paint analogy.
If you have a chip of the purest white,
you can compare other things to it.
and it’s pretty easy to tell
which ones are closer,
and which are really gray,
or a muddy color,
or solid black.
When we use God as our standard,
when we set our minds on the Spirit,
we have a pretty reliable guide
to what is right and wrong, or at least, what is more right
and less wrong.
And we don’t do it
alone.
We do it, knowing that the Spirit lives in us
and strengthens us,
and when we live
with our minds set on the Spirit,
and make choices based on that,
God’s very own Spirit
will bring us life
and peace.
But we’ve also realized
that being saved by God
doesn’t mean
that God will wrap us in cotton wool.
We might have new life in Christ,
but we still live life on earth, with all of its joys,
and all of its hardships.
Suffering
is something
we have to live with;
but as Christians we know
that it is not the whole of life.
God is with us,
with us in our sufferings,
giving us strength, and perseverance, and hope,
and will even bring good
through something that appears
irredeemable.
So we’ve dealt with two big questions.
Are we saved?
and
What about suffering?
And then comes, the obvious one.
So what, now?
And that’s where
we turn to the letter to the Ephesians. Here is a letter, unlike the theoretical theological emphasis of Romans,
here is a letter
that focusses on the practical.
What does faith mean
for the here and now?
And what Paul in Ephesians answers, is,
that being saved
is not just what happens when we die.
It’s what happens now.
Before Christ
we were people of darkness.
Now
we are people of light.
It’s what Jesus said, reported in the gospel according to St John:
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me
will never walk in darkness
but have the light of life.”
We have moved from the realm of darkness
into the realm of light.
And because of that
we live differently.
It’s kind of like someone who migrates to the United States.
When they first arrive,
they are strangers.
But gradually
they learn more about the culture here.
They may have to learn English; their accent begins to change.
They come to enjoy different foods, burgers and hot dogs and pancakes.
And slowly, almost imperceptibly,
they become part of this country.
Almost imperceptibly
from the outside. But for that person
the changes are deliberate.
To mix with Americans
rather than sticking with the safety of other immigrants.
To learn to cook on a grill, and make Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
To develop those American ‘r’s in their speech.
All of them signs
that they belong here.
It doesn’t happen instantly. It doesn’t even come with your citizenship certificate.
It’s a matter of choice.
And what Ephesians is saying, is that it’s the same for us.
We are now citizens
of the kingdom of God, the kingdom of light.
Now we have to make the choices
to live as citizens of light.
There’s a time in the history of the people of God, back in the Old Testament, where they are challenged,
“Choose who you will serve.” It’s presented as a one time choice.
It’s kind of the same in the gospels. John the Baptist
preaches to people to repent, to make a 180 degree turn.
It’s a one time choices.
And the same thing happens with Jesus.
Do you want to be healed?
Do you believe?
Will you follow me?
But that’s only the beginning
of a life of choices.
Time and time again
we have to make choices,
choices to live
like Christ.
Light
or darkness.
Good
or evil.
Life
or death.
Or in more practical terms,
things that please God, versus things that don’t.
All that is good
and right
and true,
versus all that isn’t.
And to know what those things are, things that please God, think that are good and right and true,
we have to go back a few verses in Ephesians,
to the end of chapter 4 and the first part of chapter 5.
First, there are the things that we’re told to avoid.
Some of them are the big ones, some of the so called seven deadly sins, things that most of us probably don’t do as a matter of habit. Fornication. Stealing. Lying. Greed.
But others are more subtle.
Don’t let anger consume you. Don’t let yourself become bitter. Don’t say nasty things about other people.
Don’t be a contentious person, arguing for the sake of it.
Don’t tell obscene or vulgar jokes.
Don’t get drunk.
All of them choices.
And on the other hand, the things we should do, the things that please God, the things that are good and right and true.
Speak truthfully to one another.
Work for a living,
and share what you have with those who are in need.
Be kind to one another.
Forgive one another.
Be gentle.
Say things that build others up.
Be thankful - to one another and to God.
It sounds obvious.
But it kind of is. But it’s not easy.
You know how it is.
It’s not so much that we plan to do the wrong thing.
just that
it’s easy to get caught up in it.
When you’re hurt by someone, it’s easier to get angry or bitter
than to forgive.
But Christ calls us
to forgive.
When you’re talking with someone,
it’s so easy to point out
someone else’s faults.
It’s harder
to look for their gifts, and be thankful - not just to God,
but to go thank them
in person.
It’s always easier
to talk about what’s wrong in the world, and especially in the church,
than to focus on what is right.
And so I invite you, as we move toward Easter
and the season of resurrection and light,
to remember that everything we do
is a choice,
and to choose to do
what pleases God.
To choose to do what is good and right and true.
Because that’s what it means
to be children of the light,
to follow our Lord and Savior.
And if we all do it, we will find
that the light of Christ
will shine brightly among us, here at St James
and in other parts of our lives,
and we will know for certain
not just the presence and love of God’s people,
but the presence and love of God himself,
and the richness
of God’s blessing.
© Raewynne J. Whiteley 2010