Getting The Big Picture
Sermon
Sermons on the Second Readings
Series III, Cycle C
A "global positioning system" can tell you the fastest way to drive from Point A to Point B -- which streets are one-way only, which streets to avoid due to construction or too much traffic, where to park once you get where you're going. Like a street map, it can show how the roads run north, south, east, and west; which roads are dead ends, or go over a bridge; how they curve and then straighten out again. Like the yellow pages of a telephone book, it can tell you where to find the nearest coffee shop, Chinese restaurant, or grocery store. Like a radio, it can give the latest traffic update. It even provides a bit of company in the form of an audible voice telling you where to turn right or left.
For this Day Of Pentecost, our scripture text describes the Holy Spirit, who guides us as children of God. Only the Spirit's leading is not about getting from Point A to Point B in the fastest way possible. It doesn't necessarily mean hearing an audible voice, and it's not mainly about finding the right restaurant or grocery store, although it might make a difference in the way we make some of those choices, too. Instead, our scripture gives the big picture of what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. Instead of focusing more narrowly on the thousands of individual decisions we make each day, it describes more broadly a way of life.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Are No Longer Afraid
Wherever we may go in life, we need never be afraid. The Spirit of God goes with us, is behind, and before us. As Paul preached to the Athenians at the Areopagus, "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). As he wrote to Christians in Rome,
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- Romans 8:38-39
In our scripture text for today, it is "a spirit of adoption" that banishes fear from our lives.
On a practical level, when it comes to the thousands of decisions we make each day, we can relax in the knowledge that God will lead us and never leave us. We don't need to be overly anxious about life, about what we will eat or drink or wear, or even how long we will live. As Jesus himself points out in the Sermon on the Mount, God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. "Are you not of more value than they?" he asks (Matthew 6:26). As adopted children of God, we have a special place in God's care, so we need not worry or fear.
Yes, we are called to make good choices. In Romans 7, Paul shares his own struggle to do good. In Romans 8, he gives his readers a long list of instructions to give to the needy, practice hospitality, live at peace with others, and other good works. But as we make these and many other choices in our lives, we make them not out of fear, but out of God's love for us and confident of God's leading.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Have A New Relationship With God
There are many different names for God in the Bible. In the book of Psalms alone, God is addressed in many different ways as "God of my right" (Psalm 4:1), "O Most High" (Psalm 9:2), "my light and my salvation ... the stronghold of my life" (Psalm 27:1), "my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge" (Psalm 144:2). In all of scripture, the most personal address for God is used by Jesus as he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before his arrest: "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want" (Mark 14:36).
In this most intimate moment before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus prays to God as "Abba, Father." It's like saying "Father" twice -- first in Aramaic with the word Abba that means father and is left untranslated, and then again with the word "Father" that Jesus also uses at the start of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). In Aramaic, Abba was a form of address that a child might use with his own father or a student might use to address his rabbi teacher. It was a title that expressed both respect and close relationship, and it appears only three times in the entire New Testament -- in Jesus' prayer before his arrest, in our scripture text for today, and in Galatians 4:6.
In our text for today and in Galatians, "Abba, Father" is the heart's cry of God's children. No longer slaves to sin or the law, no longer strangers, we have been adopted into God's family by the Holy Spirit. We are now joint heirs with Christ, and we echo Jesus' own personal prayer to God as "Abba, Father." We have a new relationship with God -- a relationship of respect and love, as close as any parent and child or rabbi and student.
This new relationship with God can also make a difference to the way we make decisions in daily life. Do you face a challenging situation at home or work or school? Is there some concern that keeps you up at night? Instead of struggling with these things on our own, we can bring them to God in prayer, just as Jesus himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking for God's will to be done. We may not hear an audible voice in reply, but we can have confidence in our "Abba, Father" who hears us and leads us in every situation.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Know That This Life Is Not All There Is
As adopted children, we enjoy a close relationship with our Abba, Father. By the Holy Spirit, God is always with us, hears us when we call, and provides us with every good gift. These are very present mercies. But as adopted children, we also have an inheritance that is yet to come. This life is not all there is!
Our inheritance is described immediately after our text as "the glory about to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18) and "the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23). Ephesians speaks of "our inheritance toward redemption" (Ephesians 1:14) and our "inheritance among the saints" (Ephesians 1:18). Other portions of scripture refer to inheriting "the kingdom" (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 15:50).
It's not entirely clear what this inheritance is exactly, but it is clearly some time in the future, and this life is but a foretaste. Ephesians 1:7 says that redemption and forgiveness are already ours, yet a few verses later, Ephesians 1:14 says redemption is still to come as part of our inheritance. Colossians 1:13 says we have already entered God's kingdom; yet in the letter of 1 Corinthians, God's kingdom is part of our inheritance (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 15:50). This life is not all there is! There is yet more to come.
On a practical level, this eternal perspective can make a difference in the real decisions we make each day. We don't need to be focused on getting ahead in this life and keeping up with the Joneses, for this life is not all there is! We don't need to be consumed by our consumer culture, for this life is not all there is! So maybe we can choose to pay a little extra for a cup of free-trade coffee instead of our regular. We can choose to support the mom-and-pop restaurant that cooks real food instead of the fast-food chain. We can choose to get out of the fast-lane of life in favor of spending more time with family and getting to know our neighbors. In these and many other ways, having an eternal perspective can help shape the life we lead every day.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Share A Family Resemblance With Christ Himself
Throughout his earthly life, Jesus experienced suffering at the hands of others. Religious leaders criticized him for healing on the sabbath. The crowds and even his closest friends and disciples misunderstood his teaching and mission. Although the people initially welcomed him to Jerusalem, he was arrested, tortured, and executed by crucifixion. Philippians 2:8 describes Jesus' suffering this way: "He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross."
Philippians 2:9 completes the story.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
-- Philippians 2:9-10
The suffering of Jesus gave way to glory! As "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ," we share this family resemblance with Jesus. Like him, we may have some suffering in this world. We, too, may be misunderstood for doing what we think is the right thing. We, too, may face criticism or ridicule for reaching out to those on the margins of society. All this may be very mild in comparison to our Lord, but we know that around the world even today some Christians still suffer persecution and martyrdom. Suffering is part of our family resemblance as God's adopted children.
The other characteristic that we share is future glory. Just as the suffering of Jesus is mirrored in our own lives, so too, the glory -- not in the very same way as the exalted Lord we worship, but the glory of our final redemption and eternal life that is still to come. When Christian conviction leads us to take an unpopular stand, when we speak with Christian compassion against exploitation or other injustice, if we should suffer criticism or even worse at the hands of others, we can take heart that one day we will also share in Christ's glory.
As God's adopted children then, we receive the strength and courage to face the tough questions in life, to make the difficult decisions, to do the right thing. Whatever we might suffer as a result, it is only for this life. Our scripture text for today stops just short of Romans 8:18, but that verse provides a fitting commentary here. Immediately after our text, Paul writes, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us." Both are part of our family resemblance.
So what does it mean then to be "led by the Spirit of God"? Can we think of God's Spirit as a kind of global positioning system for our spiritual lives? This is the big picture: When we are led by the Spirit of God, we are no longer afraid; we have a new relationship with God; we know that this life is not all there is; we share a family resemblance of suffering and glory. "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption" (Romans 8:15).
Let us pray: Abba, Father, we come to you as your children, trusting that you hear us and will lead us by your Spirit. In this world of great confusion and uncertainty, lead us forward with the confidence and courage that comes from being your adopted children and joint heirs with Christ. Amen.
For this Day Of Pentecost, our scripture text describes the Holy Spirit, who guides us as children of God. Only the Spirit's leading is not about getting from Point A to Point B in the fastest way possible. It doesn't necessarily mean hearing an audible voice, and it's not mainly about finding the right restaurant or grocery store, although it might make a difference in the way we make some of those choices, too. Instead, our scripture gives the big picture of what it means to be led by the Spirit of God. Instead of focusing more narrowly on the thousands of individual decisions we make each day, it describes more broadly a way of life.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Are No Longer Afraid
Wherever we may go in life, we need never be afraid. The Spirit of God goes with us, is behind, and before us. As Paul preached to the Athenians at the Areopagus, "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). As he wrote to Christians in Rome,
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
-- Romans 8:38-39
In our scripture text for today, it is "a spirit of adoption" that banishes fear from our lives.
On a practical level, when it comes to the thousands of decisions we make each day, we can relax in the knowledge that God will lead us and never leave us. We don't need to be overly anxious about life, about what we will eat or drink or wear, or even how long we will live. As Jesus himself points out in the Sermon on the Mount, God cares for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. "Are you not of more value than they?" he asks (Matthew 6:26). As adopted children of God, we have a special place in God's care, so we need not worry or fear.
Yes, we are called to make good choices. In Romans 7, Paul shares his own struggle to do good. In Romans 8, he gives his readers a long list of instructions to give to the needy, practice hospitality, live at peace with others, and other good works. But as we make these and many other choices in our lives, we make them not out of fear, but out of God's love for us and confident of God's leading.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Have A New Relationship With God
There are many different names for God in the Bible. In the book of Psalms alone, God is addressed in many different ways as "God of my right" (Psalm 4:1), "O Most High" (Psalm 9:2), "my light and my salvation ... the stronghold of my life" (Psalm 27:1), "my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge" (Psalm 144:2). In all of scripture, the most personal address for God is used by Jesus as he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane shortly before his arrest: "Abba, Father, for you all things are possible; remove this cup from me; yet, not what I want, but what you want" (Mark 14:36).
In this most intimate moment before his arrest and crucifixion, Jesus prays to God as "Abba, Father." It's like saying "Father" twice -- first in Aramaic with the word Abba that means father and is left untranslated, and then again with the word "Father" that Jesus also uses at the start of the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2). In Aramaic, Abba was a form of address that a child might use with his own father or a student might use to address his rabbi teacher. It was a title that expressed both respect and close relationship, and it appears only three times in the entire New Testament -- in Jesus' prayer before his arrest, in our scripture text for today, and in Galatians 4:6.
In our text for today and in Galatians, "Abba, Father" is the heart's cry of God's children. No longer slaves to sin or the law, no longer strangers, we have been adopted into God's family by the Holy Spirit. We are now joint heirs with Christ, and we echo Jesus' own personal prayer to God as "Abba, Father." We have a new relationship with God -- a relationship of respect and love, as close as any parent and child or rabbi and student.
This new relationship with God can also make a difference to the way we make decisions in daily life. Do you face a challenging situation at home or work or school? Is there some concern that keeps you up at night? Instead of struggling with these things on our own, we can bring them to God in prayer, just as Jesus himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, asking for God's will to be done. We may not hear an audible voice in reply, but we can have confidence in our "Abba, Father" who hears us and leads us in every situation.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Know That This Life Is Not All There Is
As adopted children, we enjoy a close relationship with our Abba, Father. By the Holy Spirit, God is always with us, hears us when we call, and provides us with every good gift. These are very present mercies. But as adopted children, we also have an inheritance that is yet to come. This life is not all there is!
Our inheritance is described immediately after our text as "the glory about to be revealed to us" (Romans 8:18) and "the redemption of our bodies" (Romans 8:23). Ephesians speaks of "our inheritance toward redemption" (Ephesians 1:14) and our "inheritance among the saints" (Ephesians 1:18). Other portions of scripture refer to inheriting "the kingdom" (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 15:50).
It's not entirely clear what this inheritance is exactly, but it is clearly some time in the future, and this life is but a foretaste. Ephesians 1:7 says that redemption and forgiveness are already ours, yet a few verses later, Ephesians 1:14 says redemption is still to come as part of our inheritance. Colossians 1:13 says we have already entered God's kingdom; yet in the letter of 1 Corinthians, God's kingdom is part of our inheritance (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10; 15:50). This life is not all there is! There is yet more to come.
On a practical level, this eternal perspective can make a difference in the real decisions we make each day. We don't need to be focused on getting ahead in this life and keeping up with the Joneses, for this life is not all there is! We don't need to be consumed by our consumer culture, for this life is not all there is! So maybe we can choose to pay a little extra for a cup of free-trade coffee instead of our regular. We can choose to support the mom-and-pop restaurant that cooks real food instead of the fast-food chain. We can choose to get out of the fast-lane of life in favor of spending more time with family and getting to know our neighbors. In these and many other ways, having an eternal perspective can help shape the life we lead every day.
When We Are Led By The Spirit Of God, We Share A Family Resemblance With Christ Himself
Throughout his earthly life, Jesus experienced suffering at the hands of others. Religious leaders criticized him for healing on the sabbath. The crowds and even his closest friends and disciples misunderstood his teaching and mission. Although the people initially welcomed him to Jerusalem, he was arrested, tortured, and executed by crucifixion. Philippians 2:8 describes Jesus' suffering this way: "He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death -- even death on a cross."
Philippians 2:9 completes the story.
Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
-- Philippians 2:9-10
The suffering of Jesus gave way to glory! As "heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ," we share this family resemblance with Jesus. Like him, we may have some suffering in this world. We, too, may be misunderstood for doing what we think is the right thing. We, too, may face criticism or ridicule for reaching out to those on the margins of society. All this may be very mild in comparison to our Lord, but we know that around the world even today some Christians still suffer persecution and martyrdom. Suffering is part of our family resemblance as God's adopted children.
The other characteristic that we share is future glory. Just as the suffering of Jesus is mirrored in our own lives, so too, the glory -- not in the very same way as the exalted Lord we worship, but the glory of our final redemption and eternal life that is still to come. When Christian conviction leads us to take an unpopular stand, when we speak with Christian compassion against exploitation or other injustice, if we should suffer criticism or even worse at the hands of others, we can take heart that one day we will also share in Christ's glory.
As God's adopted children then, we receive the strength and courage to face the tough questions in life, to make the difficult decisions, to do the right thing. Whatever we might suffer as a result, it is only for this life. Our scripture text for today stops just short of Romans 8:18, but that verse provides a fitting commentary here. Immediately after our text, Paul writes, "I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us." Both are part of our family resemblance.
So what does it mean then to be "led by the Spirit of God"? Can we think of God's Spirit as a kind of global positioning system for our spiritual lives? This is the big picture: When we are led by the Spirit of God, we are no longer afraid; we have a new relationship with God; we know that this life is not all there is; we share a family resemblance of suffering and glory. "For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption" (Romans 8:15).
Let us pray: Abba, Father, we come to you as your children, trusting that you hear us and will lead us by your Spirit. In this world of great confusion and uncertainty, lead us forward with the confidence and courage that comes from being your adopted children and joint heirs with Christ. Amen.
