A Sermon preached on 27 August 2023 (Pentecost XIII) at St. Augustine’s, WI and St. Christoph, MZ
Exodus 1:8-2:10, Romans 12:1-8, Matthew 16:13-20
Matthew Henry was a famous 18th century Bible commentator. He begins his commentary on chapter 12 of Paul’s Letter to the Romans with the words: “The apostle, having at large cleared and confirmed the prime fundamental doctrines of Christianity, comes in the next place to press the principal duties.” Or in other words, in chapter 12 Paul moves from laying the theological foundations to building upon them with guidance for right behaviour, with his recommendations for how we turn our faith into action. This is just like our Baptismal Covenant where we begin by first affirming our beliefs in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit before we covenant to actions and behaviour that result from those beliefs.
So, what does Paul want us to do? The opening verses call on the Romans to present themselves, their “bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1) So, the first element of right behaviour is worship – and you can all put a tick in that box! You might recognise the phrase, a living sacrifice. In one of our Eucharistic Prayers (D) we pray to God to “Grant that all who share this bread and cup may become one body and one spirit, a living sacrifice in Christ, to the praise of your Name.” In the other prayers we also talk about “offering our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all.” We respond to the unique sacrifice of God’s son, to the giving of his body and blood, with our own sacrifice, by giving ourselves. Our self-offering is the appropriate worship response to God’s divine gratuity. That is why in our tradition the Eucharist, the Great Thanksgiving is our principal act of worship as it puts giving and self-giving at the centre. It makes our offering holy and is an expression of our willingness to be changed and transformed.
What does God do with our offering? Gives it right back again to be put to use in accordance with the revealed will of God, for what is good, acceptable and perfect. The proper use of a living sacrifice is in sacrificial living! To live for God is also to live for others. Paul is writing to a community and while faith has a personal component, because whether and when we turn to God is our own personal choice, the proper context for practicing that faith is in community. That’s another box you can check off! When Paul exhorts his readers: “Not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think,” (12:3) he is not putting them down. The purpose of this call to humility is I think first to remind us that we are not in competition with one another, we are not comparing the measure of our faith, which is something that God assigned anyway. Instead, our faith in God acts as our common denominator, rather than wealth, position, education, status, ethnicity, or upbringing.
As a fellowship of transformed – or better still transforming - believers, we share a perspective and goals that they are best achieved together. Paul uses the image of the body to describe this: “For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.” (12:4-5) This is one of two passages (the other one is 1 Corinthians 12) in which Paul uses the body as a metaphor for Christian community. What we have in common is our shared identity in Christ. Thankfully that does not make us all the same. Just as our picnic afterwards would be very boring if we all brought the same salad and dessert (I must admit that I haven’t checked, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the case), so our community would be equally boring if we were identical clones! Instead in a Christian community everyone puts their different ideas and talents to work for the common good, and for our mutual benefit, and for God’s mission in the world. Difference and diversity make us stronger and more effective.
Paul concludes this portion of chapter 12 with a list of some of the “gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.” (12:6) If we look at them more closely, we see that they are ministries that build up, sustain, and grow community. Like Paul, we as a church also recognise and value these gifts and those who have been given them. In the past we have had a ministry fair at this service, as an opportunity to see what ministries are on offer, and where support is needed to help you decide where you are best suited to serve God in this church. We believe that everyone has a role, not just the ones Paul lists, though they are important and relevant for us too and none of them require ordination!
Prophecy, for example, includes inspired prayer and preaching. This is something I am glad to share with a wonderfully talented group of faithful people. Ministry – in Greek diakonia – is about service and includes among others the ministry of hospitality. We will focus on teaching, faith development, a little later in the service when we celebrate the Sunday school graduation and give thanks for our teachers and youth leaders. And while on the theme of formation, you have each received an adult formation survey that we would like you to fill in, so we know where your needs are. Perhaps you also have an idea about something you want to offer as a class or course!
To exhort is to encourage and persuade – strongly. It is about helping others be their own very best. We don’t have a team of exhorters, perhaps we should, but even without I see this as a ministry of mutual support and encouragement. We do need givers; you will hear more about that next month when our stewardship campaign starts and right now, we need some generous givers towards our roof repair! But our church is built on the principle of self-support, that everyone gives as they are able.
The leader is literally “the one set before.” In our church polity you choose your own leaders, you set people before you for a time. And the image of the body, stronger and more effective in diversity, applies especially to our leadership body, the Vestry, which needs to reflect the diversity of the community. Last, and certainly, not least Paul names the compassionate, those who do acts of kindness and help others both in and outside the church. If any of these roles interest you, and you don’t know who to talk to – come to me. I will point you in the right direction.
Even if I jokingly talked about ticking boxes, that is not what this is about. Everything Paul recommends, our self-giving, our community, our serving God, one another, and the world assists in our transformation. It is about becoming what we believe.
Amen.
