"A Prisoner to Hope;" Sermon for Sunday July 6th, 2014 By Nicole Collins

Just this past Friday my husband and I celebrated the 4^th at my parents’ high-rise apartment building in Hinsdale, Illinois.  Being an unusual location for a high-rise in the middle of suburban Chicagoland...  The view was fantastic on many levels both for seeing nearly every Eastern suburb and the city proper’s fireworks exploding across the night time sky.

Another aspect of this view from my parents’ current balcony ironically connected me to today’s texts.  As mentioned, the view is somewhat surreal... where off in the distance appears the “light-floating island of Chicago” some 19 miles due east and the thick brush/ forest of dense trees as far as it seems to be.  Sitting at the little bistro outdoor table set, one’s eye matches the edge of the railing where the brush/forest of the land meets the boundless depth of the sky & of course the strange island of Chicago at the center.

For a moment one could imagine both how we are bound to our Old Nature aspect of ourselves spiritually—the forest & the railing bars and the sky with its floating metropolis being that inward drive to seek and live into the New Nature—our identity in Christ, “off in the distance:” A destination somewhat unknown, as the trees/brush leave hidden challenges lying wait for us to experience and grow from.

There is a saying that you can never really go home again... this is true on one level but vastly different when we think about WHOSE we are, what He gave to us and the reality of the lifestyle of Grace incorporating, remembering baptismally—our renewal and tension to be obedient even to suffering—our call to discipleship.

For over 20 years I lived both physically and spiritually in the city of Chicago; which through Christ’s work in my life has now revealed to me that this is the Old Nature’s landscape to my former self.  A landscape that didn’t remember yet understand what Baptism was, until my conversion to most literally hearing the Lord’s voice CALL and commission me to as he mentions even in today’s text: “²⁸“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The Lord with His instruction and guidance in my life has helped me to persevere by continually dying to my Old self and Rising into the New person, New life He wants me to take part in.  The Living Word of God connects to us most definitely daily in our experiences.  What makes the Word living is seeing the paths of Grace woven into its fine tapestry that the Holy Spirit most definitely guides and connects to our daily experiences in this world, but not of it!

Even the day before the 4^th of July had that same “landscape and sky perspective” to it as I hung an art exhibit in a Downtown Joliet café.  This originally came about from the prompting of the pastor at the 3^rd church I have been serving at this summer in order to finish my studies.  He’s an artist in his own rite and encouraged me to take on doing the exhibit as a fundraiser which is a few blocks away from his church.

It’s only been about a decade since I last exhibited as well as the Lord helped to strengthen me in spiritually seeing my life in a New way.  Looking at the handful of sculptures and reliefs I brought down had me see both sides of myself yet again: The Old—now in some senses, death and the New—preparing my family to venture into the valley of the Sun.

The tension and paradox of struggling to strive for being and becoming the New Person Christ wants you to become; exampled itself in seeing the former self in the spiritual encapsulation of art that couldn’t speak, couldn’t move except “BE.”

We can just stay with the reality of “BE/being;” or Become the disciple Jesus wants us to be by taking on the yoke of burden needed to grow and go with the Gospel!

Be-coming into the New Nature is not only a baptismal reality it requires tenacity where in some ways you become a prisoner to HOPE—this is that yoke of burden, carrying our cross we all must do as both saint and sinner and a part of the priesthood of all believers.

I don’t know what all lies waiting for my husband and I in the valley of the Sun... but I must HOPE upon hope that God’s thread of Grace continues to guide me along even when it truly becomes the valley: “^11b.... , I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. ¹²Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to you double.”

The Psalmist speaks to our goal on the journey: “⁸The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. ⁹The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. ¹⁰All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless you. ¹¹They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power,

¹²to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.”

Sojourning to the Valley of the sun is our physical journey ahead but sojourning to the valley of the Son is a life time’s for us all....  Think about our founder, Luther’s own journey.  Did he expect anything like what would eventually take place?  He dropped his service as a monk and became an amazing transformed person who inadvertently spurred on the Reformation!

He even proclaimed in defending his position on how we are to understand and grow in Grace as: "If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign."

A New heaven and a New earth are to be built by our unwavering obedience and commitment to strive to, as Pastor Dawson would say: “Do the Do’s of the Gospel.”  Doing the Do’s of the Gospel means fighting off Satan’s efforts to want to dwell in our self-contained, sinful desires and needs.  Daily remembering our Baptism is that discipleship process of Reflection, confession, repentance and renewal.  There are many stumbling blocks to help aid our avoidance of being accountable through Christ for the Kingdom of God...

The only victory to come from this perpetual, spiritual warfare battle is the spiritual fruits of Grace your New Nature lives strive to achieve!  Hope is the wonderful blessing from faith to BE strong and become salt and light for His glory, His will and precepts for our lives as children of GRACE.

GRACE much like HOPE needs to be an all-caps, extra-bold, Hollywood sized sign reality in your life.  I am grateful for everything the Lord’s Grace has revealed to my heart to grow.  All I could ever do is to follow and know that He shepherds me, and His Holy Spirit—enlightens, empowers, enables and encourages me to continue for His Sake and for my neighbor.

Let Us Pray:

Heavenly and Gracious Father,

May our hearts be and become gracious to Your Will

Help us to not shy away from being and becoming freely responsible servants

May our heart knowledge be led and fed by Your Holy Spirit’s tapestry of Grace

Weaving our lives together for Your Glory and honor and Blessing

May we come to rejoice greatly being bound to a Hope that will shape and transform the World!

We ask all these things in Your Most Blessed Name—

AMEN

Sunday July 6^th, 2014; 4^th Sunday after Pentecost; Year A; SOLA Lectionary      Nicole Collins

Psalm 145; Zechariah 9:9-12; Romans 7:14-25 & Matthew 11:25-30