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Hoping against hope, I am still someone who believes in: “We
are justified by faith and we do have peace with God through Jesus Christ to
whom we have obtained access to this Grace in which we stand. Amen Saint Paul! That
statement is almost 2,000 plus years old and we still struggle with it today.
Why do we struggle with it today? We struggle with it today because it's that
great challenge to our cost of discipleship—our willingness to be accountable
disciples.
“For those who want to save their life, will lose it, and
those who lose their life for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel, will save
it...” Jesus lays it right out there in today’s Gospel. He tells them
point-blank— if you want to be my followers, you need to deny the things of the
world, and yourself, live beyond yourself and take up your cross, and follow
me. This week's scriptures, you can see, are starting to get into
that Valley, or just beginning, not even in the middle of the road, of the
valley of Lent; but we are already being challenged with reflecting on Where We
Are.
I thought it was interesting to see so many different
thoughts and reflections talking about the very recent death of Billy Graham.
Of all the coincidence, our Old Testament reading for today from Genesis, is
basically about Abe and Sarah. He's 99 years old, Sarah's not too far
off and she is barren. God basically changes their names, blesses them and
tells Abe that he's going to help Sarah have a child and bless him with being
the father of a multitude of nations.
Billy Graham died at the ripe old age of 99, how amazing
huh? Both Billy Graham and Abraham were two great men of faith. That is more than apparent. I've been reading
a really interesting book as a part of my new doctoral class and it's called (what
a wonderful Title by the way!), ‘To change the world.’ Its subtitle also adds
to the impact of many things for one to think about... the subtitle is: ‘The
irony, tragedy and possibility of Christianity in the late post-modern world.
What I have been reading about, is talking about belief,
history and context. What it has been looking at, in particular, is what we
call, “worldviews” and philosophy of faith and society. The latest chapter
I was reading into, was talking about the politicization of anything and
everything and how faith is now utterly divided and persecuted by
politics. Billy Graham was one of those people who was put into a categorical
box by people divided politically.
I don't know much about Billy Graham, but for instance,
one of his quotes sounds very classical to me, he says: “… being a Christian is
more than just an instantaneous conversion, it is a daily process whereby you
grow to be more and more like Christ.” I
don't really hear politics there, I hear a strong voice of faith. But then,
this is what today's texts, all of the scriptures are challenging us with, and
that is Where Do We Stand? How firmly do we stand upon the foundation of faith
in the Gospel of Christ? Are we living into being bold, truth-filled Witnesses?
Billy Graham was certainly a bold witness as well as C.S. Lewis, who is
considered the quote patron saint of the Evangelical movement… though he was an
Anglican. Both of these men, contributed a lot to The Voice, impact of
faith.
We perhaps, probably take it for granted in looking or
thinking about Paul as being a true advocate of faith. Paul was someone who
most definitely reflected Billy Graham's quote... Even after that conversion,
where he had being knocked off his horse in confronting the voice of God to
help him to change… He still had a lot of spiritual work ahead of him to live
into that change, Faithfully. Here was a former Pharisee, who knew very well
what the Jews thought of their ancestors and how much they admired Abraham.
Let's face it, Abe's considered the father of not only Judaism and Christianity
but of Islam. God did truly make him a voice for many nations and many
generations. For Paul's purposes here, in this beautiful dynamic letter to his
Roman Church, talks about Abe's “perfect” faith.
What did Paul mean, in regards to, a quote perfect Faith?
Well as we have learned about spiritual formation, perfection in the gospel is
not how we think of perfection. It is a development that is turning the heart
to God, which includes some suffering and challenge, but it helps us to grow up
and pull ourselves out of the valley of things we are challenged by.
Speaking of pulling ourselves out of the valley and into
the light of God's grace and goodness, we need to seriously hear Paul's challenge
to us. After Paul says those famous words: “We are justified by faith through
Grace and we have peace through Christ…” He talks about “suffering producing
endurance and endurance produces character and character produces hope and Hope
does not disappoint us because of God's love which has been poured into our
hearts.”
What gives us character is everything that we experience
during our life-time journey in faith. I think it's fair to say that
Billy Graham was definitely a character. He, not only, was never afraid of
sharing what God told him to share, but he came out of an era of America being
divided in other areas. Coming out of the Southern Baptist Church there was
some things that were set against him in the beginning. The Southern Baptists
don't believe in women serving at all... I don't think that was ever an issue
for him because he had greater things to lead the battle on. I was saddened and
frankly troubled to see the other day on social media, the political
polarization of his character being pigeonholed to both the “religious right”
as they call it and this person accusing him of being a racist just because he
is quote underneath that umbrella of “Conservative Christianity.” If anything,
there is ample documentaries and conversations and material of Billy Graham
seeking racial integration and even assisting Martin Luther King Jr. in
advocacy (who, well if people didn't know it or not was “Republican...”) That
shouldn't matter at all, but again when we persecute people of faith a lot of
the reality of the Truth is blurred or conveniently covered up.
We need to go back to hearing that great concept, epiphany,
saint Paul has here. Since “we are justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have obtained access to this
grace in which we stand and boast in Our Hope of sharing the glory of God.”
What does this mean to us in the 21st century if we justify everything and
anything of our own understandings and interests over and above that of God’s?
Just what kind of Faith are we leading other Christians to believe in?
Jesus is having a similar problem in today’s Gospel. He
basically is sojourning into the villages of Caesarea Philippi with his
disciples and asking them plainly: “who do you say that I am?” They said,
either John the Baptist or Elijah or one of the other prophets and Peter, of
course, the devoted “blue-collar” disciple says: “you are the Messiah!” And
then you know, Jesus starts to tell them the truth. This being what's going to
happen to him and Peter is like oh my gosh! No! We won't let it happen to you!
and Jesus puts him in his place, rebukes him, says to him “get behind me, Satan,
for your setting your mind on things of the world and not Divine things.” What
did he mean by this in particular? Well for starters, there was a concept or “box”
that the Israelites envisioned the Messiah to be. The Messiah, they envisioned
was what the zealots and Judas Iscariot would persecute and lead Jesus to the
cross with. They wanted a warrior Messiah. They wanted a super Jesus to conquer
the enemy. They wanted, “an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth,” all old nature
thinking. This is human nature though, make things convenient, see things as
black and white, and control the outcome. The only reason the Pharisees went
along with everything in leading Jesus to the cross, is because he was a
troublemaker to their status quo and their political power.
When you take a stand in your faith, you're going to face
some kind of persecution, and some kind of challenge and of course some kind of
blessing. You're going to suffer for the sake of something beyond yourself… but
then, this is what Jesus talks about: losing your life for the sake of the
Gospel. When we stop tapping into that “Unholy Trinity of I, Me, Mine” in
informing what we should do and how we should speak, advocacy of the gospel will
be our speaking the uncomfortable truth of where God needs us to be. Remember
we are to be children of Grace and promise, but tapping into that New Nature to
live in the lifestyle of Grace, requires our hearts to go through that word,
I've been teaching you about, metanoia. This is that, great reconciliation of
realizing, not only who's we are and the love of God, but opening ourselves up
to share the fruits of faith.
Speaking of opening ourselves up to share the fruits of
faith; this coming weekend I will be delivering four talks at the Via de Cristo
Cursillo retreat. These are not sermons, these are witnesses, these are
meditations but most importantly, it is sharing my faith. It is sharing God's
work in your life to be empowering to others to become true leaders of their journeys.
Lay leadership is very important I think we get lost in the web of laws, rules
and regulations to understand the free-form calling and need for people, to be
involved in their faith. I know some of us here, who are just beginning their
new roles in our ministry teams, sorry dick, I know they're called boards… but TEAM
spirit is something important to teach! I know many new board members are
concerned or worried about crossing their T's and dotting their I’s and typing
up newsletters and being able to be responsible, committed enough in their new
duties. What's more important about this is being motivated, persevering the
uncomfortable challenge aspect of taking on these new responsibilities...
For once, we live Faithfully into that motivation, and
trust God, we let go and let God get to work through us, through our voices,
hands and feet. That saying, “let go and let God,” I actually first heard from
when I was just getting involved in serving Cursillo community retreats some 14
years ago. Put it in God's hands, God's love is there to help us along. When
you think of many of the Giants of Christianity, in the past Century or so,
they didn't get there by sitting behind their desk writing treaties or waiting
for things to fall into place. These people were active. They got their hands
dirty and sometimes their reputations... In regards to how we have built myths
around them; we have perhaps maybe championed, only a small aspect of what they
gave in their Witness as Servants of the Gospel.
I'm probably never going to be someone who will get that stature
or “myth” written around them, and I'm certainly not seeking that! But it
doesn't mean, that I do not live into being a bold Witness. That I do not
champion that justification by Grace that freed me? Grace is that extra bold
Hollywood-sized-sign-reality of the heart, that Jesus gave us through that
cross and that Resurrection; let's not forget that! We are essentially living into
a resurrected life. I bet you haven't thought of that one, often enough.
Clive Staples Lewis is an amazing prolific author. I have,
thanks be to God, due to a dear friend, every single book that that man has
written, and he wrote a lot. Here was a former atheist, (who became a Christian
almost by accident), but spoke to, addressed everything that God was
challenging him to grow from and that he was compelled to share. Probably one
of my favorites books of his, is a complex read called ‘The problem of pain.’
This book is essentially about our problem of understanding, the nature of
evil. That old question, that we love to get cynical about: why does God let
bad things happen? There is no satisfactory answer for that, but it does go
back to the core of our “inheritance,” we're both simultaneously Saint and
sinner. We're going to do some of the do's, of the Gospel, as well as we are
going to fall prey to temptation into the don'ts...
None of these leaders that we have had in our faith, are
perfect. But it doesn't mean we should go over there and say well maybe we
would admire Billy Graham more if he was a United Church of Christ Pastor, or
an Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Pastor or a Presbyterian and so on
and so forth.... The flavor of Christianity isn't what really matters. What
really matters is how you are loving God and loving neighbor with the fruits of
that New Nature that is planted within you to reap. That New Nature was
released and planted by God's grace. Our faith journey is what opens those
doors to be advocates of peace, restorative justice, love, mercy, compassion,
kindness and all those beautiful things. These beautiful things, don't have to
be the “dreams of hope” they can be reality. It is up to you to make it so.
Let us Pray,
Gracious and Loving God,
Help us to realize the importance of being faithful
advocates to Your Gospel of Grace
Inspire and challenge us to take up the cost of
discipleship
Motivate our hearts to reconcile our temptations, our
weaknesses which wound the cause of Christ.
May our faith find the power through Your love and peace
To change our world towards the Kingdom of God
We lift this prayer to You with endurance and a hope
beyond hope
For Your Gospel’s sake.
AMEN
February 25th,
2018; Second Sunday in Lent; Year B; SOLA Lectionary
Sermon By:
Reverend Nicole A.M. Collins, OSST
Psalm 22:23-31;
Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16; Romans 4:13-5:11; Mark 8:27-38
The link below is to this sermon's delivery at First Congregational Church at 9:30am
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