This was my sermon for Invitation Sunday.
Three weeks ago those who were in worship that day were given 5 invitations to pass out to anyone they wanted; friend or not, known or unknown. The invitation invited them to this particular Sunday which was also a potluck lunch.
We had 25 visitors...Amen!
We had 25 visitors...Amen!
Romans 12:1-8 (click on the scripture to read it)
Romans 12:9-21 (click on the scripture to read it)
Invitation Sunday
I want to begin by saying it is good to be back from my vacation. Though I didn’t go anywhere over those two weeks, it was just what I needed to get caught up on some household things. It was an eye opener for me as I realized all the things at home that were being put off until later. Each time I checked something off the to-do-list my stress level came down a notch. All those little things in our lives quickly pile up when we don’t take the time to work on them. I thank you for the time off to get caught up.
I returned to work on August 15th, but I have not had the opportunity to see most of you since July 31st; it’s been three weeks since I was here on a Sunday. Being gone from St. Paul’s three Sundays in a row is a long time for me, but last week I was up at Galilee Episcopal Camp and Conference Center on Lake Tahoe with our men’s group. We had a great time on our first annual St. Paul’s Men’s Escape and I hope even more of us can go next year. I want to thank Rev. Kathy for presiding at worship last week and a big thank you to my wife Tricia and all the rest of the woman that we had to get permission from in order for us to Escape. I’m sure the men don’t have as much to keep secret as when the women go up to Galilee for their weekend, but nevertheless, what happens at Galilee stays at Galilee.
Being gone three Sundays in a row makes it clear just how important being here at St. Paul’s is to me. I personally can’t imagine going through the ups and downs of life and not being a part of a Christian community. I want to take some time today to talk about Christian community and how it binds us together in relation to Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans.
Forming the early church communities was not easy and things were no different for the church in Rome. In the year 49 A.D., or year 49 of the Common Era, the historian Suetonius reports that the Jews got expelled from Rome because of disturbances they were causing over “Chrestus”. They were fighting over Christ: Who was Jesus? Was he the Messiah and if so, what does it mean to live together as followers of him? The tension must have been really bad in order for them to get kicked out.
Paul’s letter to the Romans, which is to the church in Rome, was written about 9 years after they were expelled. We don’t know exactly when this early Jewish Christian community was allowed to regroup in Rome, but through Paul’s letter we see how he was trying to heal their conflicts and bring them together as one community.
For those of you who attended worship last week, you heard the first half of chapter 12 and today we have just heard the rest of the chapter. In order to paint a clearer picture of what Paul was teaching about living in Christian community we have to revisit last week’s lesson.
Last week we listened as Paul made an appeal to this community about the importance of coming together in order to renew their understandings of Christ and grow their knowledge and spirituality in order to see clearly what God wanted them to do in their lives. The image of community that Paul offers us is one where none of us should think we are better than the others and that we are to embrace the fact that each of us have gifts given to us by God; and though our gifts differ from one another, each of our gifts are needed in order to function as the Body of Christ. Paul writes, “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:”
This is what I miss and long for when I am not here at St. Paul’s. I miss being able to share my gifts with you, and I especially miss being here for you to share your gifts with me. It is through our willingness to share our gifts with one another that fills the gaps where our own gifts are lacking, and in turn gives us the support we need to get through and grow from the hard times in our lives. We are One Body with many members; we are the Body of Christ.
Last week Paul gave us the goal to be One Body, and this week he gives us some directions in order to make it happen. It’s kind of like he was writing a book called, “How to Live as Christians 101” or maybe “Christianity for Dummies”.
Paul said, “Let love be genuine;”… In order for love to be genuine, we have to be in relationship with those around us. God gave us two eyes, two ears, and only one mouth…To be in relationship with others we have to look within each other and listen to each other twice as much as we talk. When we honestly look and listen, we begin to hear and see what God wants for us in relation to those we encounter each day.
Paul said, “hate what is evil,”… The meaning of the word hate in this scripture is not the opposite of love, but it is the opposite of “hold fast”. Therefore we are to let go of evil, we have to let go of the things that are dragging us down and offer them up to God. Don’t dwell on it…let it go.
Instead we are to “hold fast to what is good;” and focus on the positive in our lives.
We are to “love one another with mutual affection;”… We are all created in God’s image, and our love for one another should consistently reflect that image.
We are to “outdo one another in showing honor.”… We are to shift our focus from ourselves to others; it is in others that we experience God.
We are to “not lag in zeal, and we are to be ardent in spirit,”… We are to be enthusiastic about living in the Grace of Christ, and we are to be passionate in our hearts.
We are to “serve the Lord.”… When we serve the least in this world, we are serving Christ.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering,”… Hope is to be celebrated… Living in the grace of God does not mean that life will always be easy. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering,”… Be patient and “persevere in prayer.” God will set before you what it is you need…Rejoice and be patient.
Paul says to, “Contribute to the needs of the saints;”… The word saints in this case actually means other Christians. So share what you have with other Christians, but don’t stop there; Paul also shares with us the importance of “extending hospitality to strangers.” Love you neighbor and a stranger.
Christianity is NOT easy… it requires us to wrestle with issues and concepts such as what it means to “bless those who persecute us”… This is not something we can simply do on our own; we need others to help us in our wrestling.
We are to embrace our emotions as we “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” Dealing with emotions is often hard, but when we listen with both ears, we will find the strength to make it through…We will find the strength to engage with and support each other right where we are in any given moment.
When people first start coming to church they are seeking something, but they don’t always know what it is. For me, I was born into the Christian faith and was raised as a Roman Catholic. During that time in my life the seeds of my faith were planted, but I didn’t really allow them to grow. I simply attended church and didn’t seek to make a real connection to Christ. After a tough time in my life I felt drawn into something deeper. My search led me into the Episcopal Church and into a meaningful Christian community. Though I had no idea at the time just how far I was going to be drawn into the ministries of the church, it was that small community that taught me what it meant to not only follow Christ, but to truly experience and be Christ for others in this world.
I don’t know where I’d be without the forgiveness and healing of the church, but I do know that there is nowhere I’d rather be. Thank you for being here at St. Paul’s today. My hope for you is that you will begin to, and continue to find God in your seeking; and as many members of One Body, we can wrestle with our faith together.
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