Living A Transformed Life
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle C
Reformation Sunday provides the opportunity to recall the great events of the sixteenth century that transformed Christian thought and practice. The courage of people like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, and numerous other pioneers has transformed the lives of countless men and women over the past 500 years, but the great events which we commemorate must have relevance in our lives today if we are to apply the message of history. Fortunately through today's powerful First Lesson we have the encouragement we need to move forward as individuals and a society transformed into a new life in Christ.
Jeremiah, writing to the Hebrews who have recently returned from exile in Babylon, says that God will forgive the iniquity of the people and remember their sin no longer. It is a new day for the nation and its people. The sign of this new day is the covenant God now makes with the Hebrews. Unlike the old covenant, written on tablets of stone, the new covenant is inscribed on the hearts of the people. Thus, the law is now within the person. In order for people to see the newness and greatness in this special contract with God there is a need for transformation. Now God asks more of them; they must be a new creation. As God says through the prophet, "No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest" (31:34a). God will give the Hebrews another chance, a new city. Now it is up to the people to respond, transforming their lives and doing what they can to transform the lives of others.
The transformation that we need is provided by God. Sometimes we are open to this charge and other times we resist. But we generally find that even when we resist, God has a way of entering our lives and getting us to do what is needed. This situation is illustrated by a story of a sculptor and his master creation.
A well-known sculptor had a burning desire to create the greatest statue of Jesus Christ ever made. He began one day in his oceanside studio by shaping a clay model into a truly triumphant and regal figure. The head was thrown back and the arms were upraised in a gesture of great majesty. It was the artist's conception of how Christ would be -- strong and dominant. During the night, however, a heavy fog rolled into the area and sea spray seeped through a partially opened window. The moisture affected the shape of the clay figure so much that in the morning the sculptor did not recognize it as his master work. Droplets of moisture had formed on the model creating an illusion of bleeding. The head had drooped and the facial expression was transformed to one of great compassion. The arms had also drooped into a posture of welcome. It had become a wounded Christ figure. The artist stared at the figure agonizing over the wasted time and effort. Then inspiration came over him to change his attitude and mood. He began to see that this second image of Christ was by far the more true one. Thus, he carved into the base of the figure, "Come unto me."
The sculptor believed he knew what God wanted, but in an unexpected way he was transformed to a new view of his master creation. The sculptor realized that what God had planned, although not his original intent, was the best option. In a similar way, God molds and fashions us, like the popular image of the potter in Jeremiah (18:1-12), into what we should be. This process is seldom easy; in fact, generally there is some pain involved. But the end product is well worth the effort. After God is done with us, we are a more beautiful vessel and better able to continue the process in another.
God's loving plan to transform the world cannot be done alone, however. As disciples of God's son, Jesus, we have an obligation to do what we can to transform our world. The great religious reformers of the sixteenth century in many ways turned the world upside down. They forced people to think about God and their relationship to the Almighty. We often have no concept of how powerful our witness value can be and how we can, even unconsciously at times, positively influence others.
One day a businessman in a hurry tossed a dollar into the cup of a man selling flowers and rapidly went on his way. Half a block down the street, he stopped, turned about, and walked back to the flower seller. "I am sorry," said the man as he picked his favorite flower. "In my haste I failed to make my purchase. After all, you are a businessman like myself. Your flowers are of high quality and fairly priced. I trust you will not be upset with my forgetting to pick out my purchase." Then with a smile he continued down the sidewalk.
A few weeks later, while at lunch a nicely-dressed man approached the businessman's table and introduced himself. "I am sure you don't remember me and I don't know your name, but I will never forget your face. You are the man who inspired me to make something of my life. I was a vagrant selling flowers on a street corner until you gave me the self-respect and sense of personal dignity I needed. Now I am a businessman, too."
We have the opportunity to transform lives in many and varied ways. We can work on the systemic level and make efforts to assist the poor, work for social justice, and promote human rights in ways that will benefit people on the large scale. We can also work on the local and personal level to bring transformation to people. We may be able to assist a person to see another side of another individual and thus transform a problematic relationship into a positive and beneficial one. We may be able to help a person see that addiction is an end road to destruction and, thus, see the need to transform actions from those that lead to death to ones that bring life. We may as well be able to show a person who is estranged from God, by our words and actions, that God can and even must be the source of our sustenance and hope.
Let us on this Reformation Sunday rejoice that God stands ready to transform our lives, molding them into the image of his Son, Jesus. May we, in turn, do what we can to transform our world as Jesus would ask us. He is the one who came, died, rose, and set us free. He is the way to God and eternal life.
Jeremiah, writing to the Hebrews who have recently returned from exile in Babylon, says that God will forgive the iniquity of the people and remember their sin no longer. It is a new day for the nation and its people. The sign of this new day is the covenant God now makes with the Hebrews. Unlike the old covenant, written on tablets of stone, the new covenant is inscribed on the hearts of the people. Thus, the law is now within the person. In order for people to see the newness and greatness in this special contract with God there is a need for transformation. Now God asks more of them; they must be a new creation. As God says through the prophet, "No longer shall they teach one another or say to each other, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest" (31:34a). God will give the Hebrews another chance, a new city. Now it is up to the people to respond, transforming their lives and doing what they can to transform the lives of others.
The transformation that we need is provided by God. Sometimes we are open to this charge and other times we resist. But we generally find that even when we resist, God has a way of entering our lives and getting us to do what is needed. This situation is illustrated by a story of a sculptor and his master creation.
A well-known sculptor had a burning desire to create the greatest statue of Jesus Christ ever made. He began one day in his oceanside studio by shaping a clay model into a truly triumphant and regal figure. The head was thrown back and the arms were upraised in a gesture of great majesty. It was the artist's conception of how Christ would be -- strong and dominant. During the night, however, a heavy fog rolled into the area and sea spray seeped through a partially opened window. The moisture affected the shape of the clay figure so much that in the morning the sculptor did not recognize it as his master work. Droplets of moisture had formed on the model creating an illusion of bleeding. The head had drooped and the facial expression was transformed to one of great compassion. The arms had also drooped into a posture of welcome. It had become a wounded Christ figure. The artist stared at the figure agonizing over the wasted time and effort. Then inspiration came over him to change his attitude and mood. He began to see that this second image of Christ was by far the more true one. Thus, he carved into the base of the figure, "Come unto me."
The sculptor believed he knew what God wanted, but in an unexpected way he was transformed to a new view of his master creation. The sculptor realized that what God had planned, although not his original intent, was the best option. In a similar way, God molds and fashions us, like the popular image of the potter in Jeremiah (18:1-12), into what we should be. This process is seldom easy; in fact, generally there is some pain involved. But the end product is well worth the effort. After God is done with us, we are a more beautiful vessel and better able to continue the process in another.
God's loving plan to transform the world cannot be done alone, however. As disciples of God's son, Jesus, we have an obligation to do what we can to transform our world. The great religious reformers of the sixteenth century in many ways turned the world upside down. They forced people to think about God and their relationship to the Almighty. We often have no concept of how powerful our witness value can be and how we can, even unconsciously at times, positively influence others.
One day a businessman in a hurry tossed a dollar into the cup of a man selling flowers and rapidly went on his way. Half a block down the street, he stopped, turned about, and walked back to the flower seller. "I am sorry," said the man as he picked his favorite flower. "In my haste I failed to make my purchase. After all, you are a businessman like myself. Your flowers are of high quality and fairly priced. I trust you will not be upset with my forgetting to pick out my purchase." Then with a smile he continued down the sidewalk.
A few weeks later, while at lunch a nicely-dressed man approached the businessman's table and introduced himself. "I am sure you don't remember me and I don't know your name, but I will never forget your face. You are the man who inspired me to make something of my life. I was a vagrant selling flowers on a street corner until you gave me the self-respect and sense of personal dignity I needed. Now I am a businessman, too."
We have the opportunity to transform lives in many and varied ways. We can work on the systemic level and make efforts to assist the poor, work for social justice, and promote human rights in ways that will benefit people on the large scale. We can also work on the local and personal level to bring transformation to people. We may be able to assist a person to see another side of another individual and thus transform a problematic relationship into a positive and beneficial one. We may be able to help a person see that addiction is an end road to destruction and, thus, see the need to transform actions from those that lead to death to ones that bring life. We may as well be able to show a person who is estranged from God, by our words and actions, that God can and even must be the source of our sustenance and hope.
Let us on this Reformation Sunday rejoice that God stands ready to transform our lives, molding them into the image of his Son, Jesus. May we, in turn, do what we can to transform our world as Jesus would ask us. He is the one who came, died, rose, and set us free. He is the way to God and eternal life.
