Fr.
Robert R.M. Bagwell+
Pentecost 4 + Year C+ Proper 8
Being Who We Are
Being Who We Are
26, June AD 2016
St George Parish + Savannah
I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Psalm 16
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62
I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
Psalm 16
Galatians 5:1, 13-25
Luke 9:51-62
The father says to the son: “So
your intentions were good. That's what matters. The son responded: “but isn't, like, the road to hell paved with
good intentions?” His father responded
“Yeah, well, so's the road to heaven. And if you spend too much time thinking about where those good intentions are taking you, you know where you end up?” “New Jersey?” he responded.
“I was thinking 'nowhere,” said the father, “but you get the point.” (Neal Shusterman)
“Yeah, well, so's the road to heaven. And if you spend too much time thinking about where those good intentions are taking you, you know where you end up?” “New Jersey?” he responded.
“I was thinking 'nowhere,” said the father, “but you get the point.” (Neal Shusterman)
How intentional are we about following
God’s will for our lives? Do we think about it?
There are so many things that pull us in all sorts of directions and
dilute our focus in this very demanding contemporary culture. We read today
that Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. This is a Greek rendering of a
Hebrew expression denoting a fixedness
of purpose. Jesus is very intentional and we are called to
the same intentionality as His followers and representatives in this
world. What is it to represent? One thing about it is to re-present Christ. At Antioch the Bible tells us that we were
first called Christians. What does that
mean? It means “little Christ.” In the gospel today, we are told that the time was coming for Jesus to be taken up. What does that mean? It is an equivalent expression to what was said on the mount of Transfiguration. He is about to make an exodus of the captives to sin into the glorious freedom of salvation for the human race. He was about to leave his ministry of teaching healing to his mission of sacrifice and atonement for the world. Why did he do it? It was Jesus for who his was the Christ of God.
We say we “go to Church” but this building is simply where the REAL CHURCH gathers. It is a place to go and be refilled for the labors God has assigned to us. If you will, we practice on each other here so that we may live more our mission outside of the sacred walls. That is really what Paul is addressing to the Church at Galatia: Christian living. Before I begin this, I want to say something. You do know that when the preacher preaches, he is also preaching to himself, don’t you? So let’s dive in.
Who are we as followers of Jesus?
What controls us? Are we controlled by others? Do we have “self-control”? Many of life’s goods and evils come from the
issue of control. As we approach the day we celebrate American “freedom,” it
behooves us to ponder what it means for us as Christians. . This morning we are going to talk about what
God means by “control” and what the Devil means by “control.” Many who live in the “flesh” or natural
sinful nature are in bondage, not in Christ’s freedom.
What controls us? Control is important because
within it is the concept of “submission.” No one likes to be
controlled. When we think of “control”
we often think of “oppression”.
Oppression is why the first pilgrims came to this country. Submission and oppression are not the same
thing.
Submission is a word of power because only the
person being asked to submit can do so.
Oppression is one being forced against the will. Submission is to come under THE
MISSION of God in Christ. It is
to become world-makers, kingdom-builders for the sake of God in Christ.
It is the setting of our individual and
collective faces, not toward Jerusalem as Jesus did, but towards the living out
of our Christianity in the world. In baptism and salvation, that is who and me are
in the Lord.
God does not oppress those he calls. He is Lord but he is also: dear, dear Father.
He respects human being’s rights so much that he will protect our right to go
to hell if we want. God offers what he offers out of love. It is not for God to fulfill his needs that God says, live by the Spirit but for our good.
Most in this world, who desire to control
others, do it for something that is not for the other person, or for some
greater benefit to others, but is somehow for themselves. Some have been hurt
in the past and believe that unless they control others, they will be hurt
again. Some learned the behavior from others.
God did not put us here to “control” our spouses, our friends, our
children.(which doesn’t mean not making your children mind). A good rule of
thumb is not to try to “control” that for which we are not responsible or accountable.
. Then let us seek to exercise authority
with love and self-less concern. This is
our commission from Jesus.
If in this world, someone is controlling us, and
someone is currently trying to, as lovingly as we can, we should try to
confront that person, firmly and not allowing ourselves to be controlled. If we do not, we become as guilty as the one
controlling us. I think we know where
control ends up: anger, resentment and ultimately bitterness.
Now, what is the remedy for our Christian walk?
If we wish to have favor with God and enjoy the benefits of our salvation in
Jesus Christ here on earth, we will seek to submit ourselves to being controlled
by the Holy Spirit. Each week most of us pray or sing Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. Do we realize that this includes our
becoming as Jesus Christ is? Do we offer ourselves to God as a living
sacrifice and then when God comes to bring some pain, some change, something in
our lives that will require of us a thimbleful of “submission” do we say, “NOooooo
GOD !” or do we set our faces to accomplishing the
goal as Jesus did for us and winning the prize as children of our Father in
heaven, as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. That is who we are!
Commitment to Jesus and the kingdom of God call
for sacrifice and honestly, few even in the Church of Jesus Christ seem able to
“cut it.”We don’t like sacrifice.
Sacrifice is painful: pain suffering, eventual death. To willing embrace such a calling is beyond
our comprehension. The only problem with a living sacrifice is that it can crawl
off the altar, and isn’t that what we too often do? This brings us to the
sacrifices we are called to make. When the pain of our human nature begins to free
the rub, what do we do? They all involve our natural responses. But the sacrifice Christ calls for is for
our human wills. The “be reasonable, do it my way” we practice at times has
no place in that context, but that is not who we are in Jesus!
Today, St. Paul calls out the “works of the
flesh”. Skip the first four and the last three because those are what we
usually think of. Of course most of us do not do these or are not tempted to do
these, so that makes them much easier to use as battering rams to talk about
all of those “other people” which of course, we always believe that we are
not.
Notice the list:¨idolatry: that’s not
worshipping a statue, it’s making anything of more importance than God!! Witchcraft?
come on Paul. What is he talking about? Not the pointed hats and the brooms. The Greek word is pharmakia, sounds a bit like pharmacy doesn’t it. Giving ourselves
over to be controlled by something other than our minds and wills is what it is.
about. but “hatred” (of anything other
than evil), discord (being a trouble maker, turning others against one
another), jealousy (which usually manifests itself in talking badly about
others whose position we fear or envy) fits of rage (I don’t suppose we know
the power of a “rage-a-holic...however, people around you are controlled by the
fear of when you might “go off” again), selfish ambition (controlling to get a
position that is for some need we think we have) dissensions (dividing people
into “us” and “them” and actively through gossip or backbiting and undermining another) and finally
factions (that means causing strife in the body of Christ or anywhere for that
matter, sowing the Devil’s seeds in thought, word and deed.) Many times it is because someone does
something we do not like or hurts us we form a faction.
Do we confront that person and say, “when you
did this, I felt this way?” NO! That would require too much effort and
potential pain (and I might add, MATURITY!)
No, rather we make up our mind that this person is like “this” or
“that”. We make a judgment, without all
the facts mind you. But we think that we
can read their minds! That is why God
said: “judge not, lest ye be judged, for with the same judgment that you
judge others you will be judged.” Do
we keep this to ourselves? Of course not, we’ve been wounded, so we go to this
person or that person, saying something negative about this or that person or
just saying what will leave a little doubt in the other person’s mind about
that person’s character. We had might as
well put it on the evening news! .
We NAIL JESUS CHRIST TO THE CROSS AGAIN AND
AGAIN! But Paul said today in the
readings, “those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with
its passions and desires.” Notice what Paul says about these things: if you keep on biting and devouring each
other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will
not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (vss. 15 & 16) “Biting and devouring each other” Paul? Don’t you think that’s a bit over the top?
How farfetched? Don’t know for sure, but
I did hear about the family who left church only to have the priest for lunch!
The Devil wants to control our mouths. Unfortunately many of us “submit” to that
control because it feeds out flesh. It
is so hard not to spread gossip. Gossip
of course need not be a false rumor, gossip can be the truth, but it involves something
that we are not given the responsibility for by God or humanity. Do you
like to talk about other people? We
need to watch out. Some of us
this morning need to cry out to God for forgiveness and help with our mouths
including the preacher. If we move one verse up we read the words which should
be the mark of our faith: The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love
your neighbor as yourself..”You see, that is who you are. That is who I am in the Beloved, Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, “the truth shall set
you free”, (Jn.8:32) but that of course is only true if you believe the
truth and act upon it. I made a
serious mistake when I first became a priest.
I assumed that people gave a “DARN” about what the Bible
said; that they wanted to follow Jesus Christ! How many of us ask before we act, “would this
please Christ?” Satan tries to find a
wound, usually an emotional wound, to enter a life, especially if that life has
potential for God. We must take care how we respond. Do not reward evil for evil but as St. Paul
said, “overcome evil with good.”(Romans 12:21) Satan doesn’t know what to do
with that. It is so against our flesh
and his. If you want to really “get” the
Devil, when some sins against you, praise God and show love to the person who
hurt you. Join with the Spirit. Submit
to the Spirit and find the light of God beginning to shine through you and all
of your works and the joy of God’s salvation. St. Paul wrote: “the fruit of
the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self‑control.” This is true freedom and that is who we are.
In the collect we prayed: Almighty God, you
have built your Church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus
Christ himself being the chief cornerstone: Grant us so to be joined together
in unity of spirit by their teaching, that we may be made a holy temple
acceptable to you…our goal, the challenge of the Christian way of walking and
living. May Almighty God grant us the
grace to accomplish his purposes in and through us that we may live as those who
God has made us to be in His Son. .
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. AMEN
