Sermon for June 26, 2019: To KNOW and to GROW: FRUIT!

The following sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson, on June 26, 2016, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA. It is the 5th sermon in a 6 week series on Galatians, entitled TO KNOW, and TO GROW. 

Galatians 5:1, 13-25¹For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
  ¹³For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. ¹⁴For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁵If, however, you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
  ¹⁶Live by the Spirit, I say, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. ¹⁸But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not subject to the law. ¹⁹Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, ²⁰idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, ²¹envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
  ²²By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

Today, we are in our 5th week of reading from Paul's letter to the Galatians, and as we read from chapter 5 today, we remember that Paul wrote to the Galatians and to us; so that we can KNOW and GROW. Mostly, so that we KNOW that we are the People of God and so that we GROW in what our holy identity means.

Paul writes today so that we KNOW that we have been called to lives of freedom, and that it is Jesus Christ that has set us free to live these lives. In making this point, Paul also clarifies, that this freedom is not mere self-indulgence. Rather, the freedom that Christ sets us free to live for, runs counter to self-indulgence. 

To help us get the picture, Paul lays before us two lists. The first are those things which are self-indulgent, and merely feed our own desires, or our own flesh, our own condition of doing-whatever-I-wantism. The second list are the things that nurture us, the Fruit of the Spirit. These are the type of things that we are free to indulge in, the things that God has given us as a part of our daily lives, and the things that really do make life worth living. As the People of God, these things are what help guide and fulfill our lives. 

Now, I have a story about one fruit of the Spirit, self-control. I have found this story useful in sharing it with Charlie and trying to teach him about self-control. When I was younger, maybe 7 or 8, I was outside playing and my sister locked me out of the house, perhaps not even the whole house, I think our other door was indeed still open. Regardless, I just really wanted to get into the house through that door. My own self-indulgent tendencies took over, and I was just so mad and upset, and to make matters worse, was that there was full-length window right next to the door. Through that window, I could look in and see my sister, who was making faces at me and teasing me. My own anger level was rising, and much to my sister's surprise and my own, I kicked that window. Thankfully, it didn't just shatter all over the place, but it is etched in my memory how I took my foot out, and all I could see was the hole where my foot had been. I guess the window was only a little broken. But I had really displayed an utter lack of self control, one of the things that really mark us as the People of God. 

My parents were so upset they sent me away, they told me to just leave, and so I went and stayed at my neighbor's house for three weeks. I'm kidding, my parents loved me, and their love is what made me a part of my family, not my own good behavior or ability to show all the Fruit of the Spirit. I'm sure that I got into a little bit of trouble, but I mostly remember the lesson I was taught about self control. This same lesson is one we try to teach to others, one I'm trying to teach to my own sons. This is a lesson we remember and keep in mind as adults, because just like our inner-child, we can become self-indulgent as well. 

These things that things that Paul writes about in his "no" list, in his "don't do these things" list, are things that we all keep on continuing to do right through our lives. They are things we all engage in, even Paul, and of course myself. Enmity, strife, anger, and all the other no-no's are places we like to dwell in, soak in, and feel in. Sometimes it feels so good to let go, and perhaps kick that proverbial window, just as I did. No matter who we are or where we are, we are all subject to the items on the "no" list. 

Today, with the rise of the internet, of social media, it seems as if our self-indulgences are on a whole different level. `With so much opportunity, right there at our fingertips, a click away, it's so easy to post something, or respond, or like something, or do whatever, as the people we are interacting with may not seem like people. They are just a screen and our interactions can lose some of their humanity, and some of their fruit. At the same time, the internet has the ability to connect us to each other in ways that we would have never thought possible years ago. The internet, like everything else that has been a new thing in the lives of humans has it's positives and negatives. The problem, as always, lies with us as humans, and our own problematic inner-child or self-indulgent spirits. In the end, it is our self-indulgences that divide us and work to destroy us. 

Yet, Paul reminds us, and WE KNOW, that we, as the People of God have been set free. We have been set free in the same way that God is free, and as we consider God's freedom, we see that God is also very indulgent, and indulgent over us. God is so indulgent, that God created this whole world, so full of good things, so full of fruit, (so full of sap! but also maple syrup.) so full of things for us to enjoy.  Indeed, our indulgent God has created an abundance of fruit, both metaphorical and literal, for us to share, to dine on, and to live on. 

God is certainly free to create this world for us, and God is free to send us the Son of God. This is a God who would freely live among us, who would be a part of us.

 This morning, we hear Paul warn us, "Be careful, of biting and devouring one another, that you don't consume one another." While we are intent, because of our own self-indulgences, our own sin, of doing just that, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has freely come to us, whom by our sin, we bite, devour and consume. Yet, Jesus, freely acts in giving us his life, and transforming us by his Holy Spirit, setting us free from our sin and making us the People of God. Truly, as God's people we have been set free to live like our God of freedom, to serve like our God of freedom, and to be indulgent over each other and over God, and the world that God has made. By the work of Jesus Christ, we have been freed to love, even though our own self-indulgences seem to never go away. 

We are called to KNOW of our freedom as the People of God, and we are called to GROW in this freedom, not by doing everything right but rather by consuming the fruit that God so abundantly gives. We are called to GROW by coming together, and dining on the life, the fruit of our God; to dine on the Word of God, to hear it, to let it enrich us,love us, forgive us, and free us. We are called to GROW by consuming the Fruit of the Spirit that God gives, so that we may GROW in becoming the fruit that springs forth from the seeds of the fruit that we consume. We consume this fruit that God gives so that we may GROW by the work of the Spirit LOVING us, giving us JOY, bringing us together in PEACE, filling us with PATIENCE and KINDNESS, making us more GENEROUS, by being FAITHFUL and GENTLE to us, and by joining us through God's own SELF CONTROL; the kind of self control that Jesus Christ showed in freely giving his own life, for each of our own indulgences. 

May the Spirit continue to call us together to dine on this fruit and GROW in the freedom that we KNOW we have been given. By the work of the Holy Spirit, may we continue to taste and see that the Lord is good, and as a result, be that fruit for all of creation. 

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen. 

Galatians, we KNOW:

That the Gospel message is given to us by Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and it reveals Jesus Christ.

That Jesus Christ came to do something, to give himself for our sin and free us from this evil age. 

That Jesus Christ comes not to the healthy, but to sinners; sinners like Paul and sinners like us, to transform us and give us new life, to give us his life. 

That we are justified not by works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

God didn't make us the People of God to put us into a prison of rules and regulations. We have been made the People of God so that we can love God, love each other, and KNOW how much we are loved. 

It is by the grace and peace given to us by Jesus Christ, that has made and formed us as that People of God, and that it is through the waters of baptism where we are clothed in Christ.

We have been made the People of God to live a life of freedom. This freedom is not self-indulgence, but a freedom to be indulgent over God, others, and all that God has made.

and we GROW:

By considering the question that Paul asks about who we serve, and whose approval we are seeking. Is it the approval of God, or is it humans? 

By learning to trust in grace, and not our own human abilities and ways of doing things. We wrestle with the words of this quote from H. William Gregory. "Trust, and not rigidity is what defines the will of one converted by Grace." 

By opening ourselves to the presence of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, in our lives, and allowing him to live in, with, and through us.

By realizing that our pain and suffering, our shame and guilt, that our shortcomings, our sin, is an affliction that we all share.

By coming out to God's grace, and remembering that it is not how we act that makes us a People of God, but how we are loved.

By coming together to consume the Fruit of the Spirit, through dining on the Lord’s Supper, and feasting on the Word of God which is full of love, joy, forgiveness; ETERNAL LIFE.

Sermon for June 19, 2016: To KNOW and to GROW, Coming Out.

The following sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson, on June 19, 2016, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA. It is the fourth sermon in a 6 week series on Galatians, entitled TO KNOW, and TO GROW. 

Galatians 3:23-29

²³Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. ²⁴Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. ²⁵But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. ²⁷As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ,

This morning, just as we have for the last three weeks, we read from Paul's letter to the Galatians. This is a letter Paul wrote thousands of years ago to the churches of Galatia and it's a letter, which by the power of the Holy Spirit speaks to us today. 

Paul wrote this letter so that people, whether they be Galatians or Christ the Kingians, would Know and Grow. So that these people would KNOW their identity as the People of God and so they would GROW in what it means to be a people with such a holy identity. 

Now, one thing that may be overlooked in our 'knowledge' about being the people of God, one part that we might take for granted is the greeting that Paul uses in his letter, "Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ," the same greeting which I gave at the beginning of this sermon. As the People of God, these words remind us what it is that makes us such a people, the thing that initiates this relationship, and that thing is God's grace and peace given to us out of love. It is God's grace and peace, given to us not because of how good we are, or how great our children are, or what country we come from, what religion we necessarily practice or even who we love, rather it is given to us because we are in need. God's grace is given to us because we are all sinners.  The whole point of grace, is that it given to someone who's done something wrong, not someone who's done everything right. So we remember, as the People of God, that this greeting, and the grace it bestows, is where our faith comes from and it's where our faith grows from. 

Apart from grace, there is "the law" as Paul puts it; the law which would have us do all the things that God wants us to do, the law which would have us do everything right, the law which is subject to endless interpretation, the law which greets us in a different kind of way: "YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, ANYTHING YOU SAY CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU IN A COURT OF LAW." or "DO YOU SWEAR TO TELL THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH..." or there is always this greeting, which I know from more then just the movies and TV, which I know from actual experience, "DO YOU KNOW WHY I PULLED YOU OVER? The law isn't really concerned with my own personal well-being, or anyone else's for that matter. 

While the law is good for the general ordering of our society, it can't give us grace or love. The law can point out our wrong doings, it can accuse us, it can uphold our rightness over and above someone else, it can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, but it doesn't build relationships. The law doesn't make us People of God or keep us as people of God. 

Yet, we do give thanks for the Law, God's Law. The law which tells us to love the Lord, our God with all our heart, and soul, and mind; and to love our neighbor's as ourselves. We give thanks for the Law, because through it's commands, it does have the ability to keep us safe, somewhat. Recently, I've been given new insight into what Paul is saying to us regarding the Law as our guardian, as keeping us safe. This insight came to me through work with the Holliston Drug and Alcohol Awareness Coalition, and in hearing different people's stories. One theme that has come up recently, is the story of parents whose children, while struggling with addiction, have either been locked-up in jail or prison, or spent time in in-patient rehab. Troubling as it is, for parents who are in a constant state of crisis, worried about where there child is, where they are spending the night, or even if they are alive, having some security that there child is at least safe, brings some relief. While a parent never dreams of wanting this for their children, this type of "law" watching over their children is far better than the alternative.

This idea of law as our guardian, can be very useful to us, and help us to get through some of life's toughest moments, especially when the love that we bear becomes so painful. But being locked-up, is not how parents want their children to live, it's not how any of us want to live, it's not how God wants us to live, it's not how we are created to live. 

WE KNOW: God didn't make us the People of God to put us into a prison of rules and regulations. We have been made the People of God so that we can love God, love each other, and KNOW how much we are loved. 

WE KNOW: It is by the grace and peace given to us by Jesus Christ, that has made and formed us as that People of God, and that it is through the waters of baptism where we are clothed in Christ.

Indeed, it is sheer grace that makes us the People of God, and in Christ, that grace is among us. This grace forms us as the People of God to become One, to grow together, with God and with each other. By this grace we have been made the People of God so that when sin comes knocking at our door and greets us with such tragedy as the events in Orlando last Sunday, or the events in Charleston last year, we don't ignore it. When we see and hear of our sisters and brothers, of our fellow children of God suffering, being persecuted, having violence done against them just for the sake of who they are, by the grace of God we are called to join with them in their suffering, called to love them, called to be One with them. By the grace of God, as the People of God, we are called to be the Body of Christ with them. A body that knows suffering and death, but that most surely knows resurrection. 

Here in the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, it is grace that has helped us see the pain and suffering of so many people who love someone of the same gender, or who don't fit neatly into traditional expressions of romantic love, have gone through, physically, emotionally; externally and internally. It is grace that has helped us as a national church to break open some of these "prisons", which never should have been there in the first place, and allowed us to be blessed with the gifts of so many of our sisters and brothers in ministry. 

It is this same grace, which has brought us this far, which helps us to see the persecutors of such crimes, and KNOW that we offer grace to them as well; as hard as this may seem. God's grace is intent on bringing us together, on making us One in Christ; where there is no longer slave and free, Jew and Greek, male and female, but only One. 

Truly, we have been clothed in Christ, so that we can remember what God's grace has done and so that we can be this grace for the world. This graceful living isn't easy, if it was, it would just be how we always act. It isn't easy, even for us, who hopefully hear of this grace everyday, who are on the receiving end of this grace. Living in grace can be hard, and it's why God is constantly at work in us. God is working by calling us together, and feeding us with his body and blood, so that we may KNOW what it is that makes us the People of God. So that we may KNOW our brothers and sisters, so that we may KNOW that God's love is what wins!

God's grace calls us together so that we may KNOW we are the People of God, and God's grace calls us together so that we may GROW. WE GROW in coming out to this grace. WE GROW in realizing that our pain and suffering, our shame and guilt, that our shortcomings, our sin, is an affliction that we all share. WE GROW when we come out in our pain over loved ones who are lost or our own lack of control over things, and share it with each other and with God. The many afflictions in our lives, the things that cause us to suffer are not things that should separate us, and they certainly don't stop us from being the People of God. These things are only the places in our lives where God's grace is at work, driving out that which works to separate us, and bringing us into relationship again and again. WE GROW in coming out to God's grace, so that it can take our inner-demons, the ones that we all have, the ones that we pass on to each other and even to our children; so that this grace can break down the walls that separate us, and light can shine in the dark places of our lives and world. 

WE GROW by coming out to God's grace, and remembering that it is not how we act that makes us a People of God, but how we are loved. As we remember that fact, as we experience it, as we share in it, we see that we are indeed clothed in Christ, that we have been made One in him, and we rejoice over all that God has done!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 

Amen

Galatians, we KNOW:

That the Gospel message is given to us by Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and it reveals Jesus Christ.

That Jesus Christ came to do something, to give himself for our sin and free us from this evil age. 

That Jesus Christ comes not to the healthy, but to sinners; sinners like Paul and sinners like us, to transform us and give us new life, to give us his life. 

That we are justified not by works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

God didn't make us the People of God to put us into a prison of rules and regulations. We have been made the People of God so that we can love God, love each other, and KNOW how much we are loved. 

It is by the grace and peace given to us by Jesus Christ, that has made and formed us as that People of God, and that it is through the waters of baptism where we are clothed in Christ.

and we GROW:

By considering the question that Paul asks about who we serve, and whose approval we are seeking. Is it the approval of God, or is it humans? 

By learning to trust in grace, and not our own human abilities and ways of doing things. We wrestle with the words of this quote from H. William Gregory. "Trust, and not rigidity is what defines the will of one converted by Grace." 

By opening ourselves to the presence of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, in our lives, and allowing him to live in, with, and through us.

By realizing that our pain and suffering, our shame and guilt, that our shortcomings, our sin, is an affliction that we all share.

By coming out to God's grace, and remembering that it is not how we act that makes us a People of God, but how we are loved.

Sermon for June 12, 2016: To Know and To Grow, Blessed Beginnings

The following sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson, on June 12, 2016, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA. It is the third sermon in a 6 week series on Galatians, entitled TO KNOW, and TO GROW. I will be making references to a document I produced, of the same name, and that is pictured within this post. 

Galatians 2:15-21

¹⁵We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; ¹⁶yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law. ¹⁷But if, in our effort to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have been found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! ¹⁸But if I build up again the very things that I once tore down, then I demonstrate that I am a transgressor. ¹⁹For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; ²⁰and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

Today, we read again from Paul's letter to the Galatians. This is our third week reading from this letter, and we will cover most of it in the six weeks that it serves as our appointed text for the week.

Paul wrote this letter to the churches in Galatia a long time ago, 2000 years ago, and Paul's words are written for us today as well. Paul writes to us so that we may KNOW and GROW, the same theme as the document that outlines my pastoral vision. TO KNOW and TO GROW is why Paul writes to us. 

In reading Galatians, we remember that Paul writes to us as one who has changed tremendously as a result of his encounter with Jesus Christ, who had been crucified and raised to eternal life. Paul, we remember, was once named Saul, and he had been going around, persecuting and trying to destroy the new churches that were serving Jesus. It was in the midst of these persecutions that Jesus came to Saul in a blinding light, knocked him off of his horse, and by his grace gave him new, transforming life, and a new name, Paul. This encounter was so transforming, that Paul soon started to build up the same church he had tried to destroy. By the power of the Holy Spirit, this transformed man not only wrote to the Galatians, but he writes to us today, so that we can KNOW and GROW.

In reviewing chapter 1, we KNOW:

That the Gospel message is given to us by Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and it reveals Jesus Christ.

That Jesus Christ came to do something, to give himself for our sin and free us from this evil age. 

That Jesus Christ comes not to the healthy, but to sinners; sinners like Paul and sinners like us, to transform us and give us new life, to give us his life. 

and we GROW:

By considering the question that Paul asks about who we serve, and whose approval we are seeking. Is it the approval of God, or is it humans? 

By learning to trust in grace, and not our own human abilities and ways of doing things. We wrestle with the words of this quote from H. William Gregory. "Trust, and not rigidity is what defines the will of one converted by Grace." 

Today, Paul writes to us and he writes "We Know" "We know that we are not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ." Paul must have been writing with a Lutheran congregation in mind, because certainly, "We Know" that one is not justified by works. If you have been a Lutheran for a longtime and don't know this, then I would like to have a conversation with your confirmation teacher. But we Lutherans, as well as many other denominations, KNOW that we are not justified by works, but by faith in Jesus Christ. 

Knowing this today, we celebrate and say good-bye to Gerry Hava as the Blessed Beginnings Preschool director. It's appropriate to think of Gerry having a Pauline sort of role in starting Blessed Beginnings, though there were certainly many other hands and of course the Holy Spirit that went into starting it, but Gerry has been it's faithful director since the very beginning. 

This school, this ministry, that Gerry has played such a role in, wants young children TO KNOW. Of course, the goal is to have the young children learn some knowledge about a variety of different things, but, as far as I know anyway, there isn't standardized testing when the kids turn 5. They somehow are able to promote the children to kindergarten without it, though I'm sure it will be coming down the road...But, what Blessed Beginnings really wants the children TO KNOW, is that they are loved, that they are cared for, and that they are part of a great, big, amazing world in which God has given to us so many things. 

The great thing about Blessed Beginnings is that it is for everyone. There is no test, or certain type of child that the school is looking for, it is for everyone. In fact, Blessed Beginnings even offers Grace Scholarships, so that not even finances will get in the way of a child being there. The school is for all children because God's love is for all children. Today, we give thanks, for Gerry, for all the teachers, the volunteers, and the Holy Spirit, who have worked with so many children so that the KNOW of this great love. 

Of course, children grow a lot from the ages of 3 to 5. Blessed Beginnings gives children the chance to GROW in this knowledge that they are loved and to GROW in their trust of that love. It gives children the chance to GROW in sharing this love, in sharing themselves with each other and with this world. It truly is a Blessed Beginning. 

This time of learning and growing is what we as the Church do as well. The last time I checked, we are all children of God, and God has called us TO KNOW and TO GROW. 

God has called us TO KNOW that it is Jesus Christ who justifies, or makes us right, by his grace and God does this by giving us sure signs of this grace. We are given the waters of baptism, which splash over us not after we do something great or meriting them, but simply because of who we are and as a sign of God's unending love for all of us, and also for all who have not been baptized. We know that God certainly loves us before we are baptized, and still gives us this gift as a certain sign of this life, as a promise that we, and all of creation, are Children of God. God gives us the gift of baptism as a certain sign so that we may KNOW that we are not justified by doing works of the law but by grace. 

God calls us together by the Holy Spirit so that we KNOW that God's saving work is not a one-time thing, but continues on and on in us. TO KNOW that Jesus is freeing us from this evil age, that he's saving us from our sin, not just once, but continuously. Jesus continues to call and gather us, and feed us with his Body and Blood, a sure and certain sign of just how far God's grace is extended to us. We the children of God, need to continue to hear this from God, and get it etched into our being, we need TO KNOW this, so that we can trust more and more in the love God gives and the grace God offers. As this knowledge is imprinted on our hearts and minds, we let go of our own sense of control and rigidity, our own ways of doing things, and our mind is opened to the grace of God, and the new life that God gives. 

God is at work in us. Jesus Christ is alive in us. And we have been given these signs to show us that, to help us to KNOW. 

God helps us TO GROW as well. One sign of God's work in helping us to grow, is work that is done through us, us as human beings and us as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As you know, I was at our synod assembly the last two days, and we had a woman there speaking to us named Mikka McCracken. Not only is Mikka from the beautiful state of Minnesota, but more importantly she serves as the Director of Planning and Engagement for the ELCA's World Hunger Appeal. Mikka told us about all the wonderful things that our gifts from across the country are doing to help people both at home and abroad. One thing that she said that really stood out to me, was that 1-in-9 people across the world today suffer from chronic hunger. This number is much too high, but in the 1970's this number was 1-in-4. God is at work, the Holy Spirit is at work and is working through us, not because of how great we are, but because of God's great love, for all of creation. God is at work through us, making this world a sort of Blessed Beginnings classroom, where all of God's children can feel safe and free; free to love each other and share our lives together. God continues to be at work in us!

May we GROW, grow in the knowledge that it is Christ who justifies us, and GROW knowing that it is Christ who is alive and well in us today, and that he will be forever. "It is not I who live," says Paul, "But it is Christ who lives in me." Truly it is Christ who lives in us, and who will continue to do so through all time and space. 

For this we give thanks in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 

Amen. 

Galatians, we KNOW:

That the Gospel message is given to us by Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and it reveals Jesus Christ.

That Jesus Christ came to do something, to give himself for our sin and free us from this evil age. 

That Jesus Christ comes not to the healthy, but to sinners; sinners like Paul and sinners like us, to transform us and give us new life, to give us his life. 

That we are justified not by works of the Law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.

and we GROW:

By considering the question that Paul asks about who we serve, and whose approval we are seeking. Is it the approval of God, or is it humans? 

By learning to trust in grace, and not our own human abilities and ways of doing things. We wrestle with the words of this quote from H. William Gregory. "Trust, and not rigidity is what defines the will of one converted by Grace." 

By opening ourselves to the presence of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ, in our lives, and allowing him to live in, with, and through us.

Sermon for June 5, 2016: TO KNOW and TO GROW; Visions from God.

The following sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson, on May 29, 2016, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA. It is the second sermon in a 6 week series on Galatians, entitled TO KNOW, and TO GROW. I will be making references to a document I produced, of the same name, and that is pictured within this post. 

Galatians 1:11-24 For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; ¹²for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

  ¹³You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. ¹⁴I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.¹⁵But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased ¹⁶to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.
  ¹⁸Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; ¹⁹but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. ²⁰In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! ²¹Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, ²²and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; ²³they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ,

When I was younger, maybe late high school, perhaps college, I feel as if I was given a vision from God. Mind you, this was not a vision to go and become a pastor. Rather, it was a vision of riding a motorcycle. Not one of the big choppers that people like to cruise around on, but the kind commonly referred to as "crotch-rcokets." The kind that Tom Cruise so awesomely drove in the movie, Top Gun. In my vision, I was thinking about how cool that would be to have one, and how fast I could go. In my vision, I saw myself speeding up and down the road, and then God interrupted, and I, a young man who felt pretty invincible as many young people do, saw myself, flying off of that motorcycle and a long way into the air. I realized then and there, that God was telling me that a motorcycle would not be a good purchase for your life. God was saying "DO NOT BUY A MOTORCYCLE. EVER!"

There I was, a bold, invulnerable young man, and God interrupted, and gave me a better path, a different way of doing things. 

Today, we read once again from Paul's letter to the Galatians. In reading it, we remember that Paul, wasn't always Paul. In his earlier life, he had been Saul, a bold and zealous young man, a very religious young man, an important figure in the realm of Judaism. In his religious life, Saul had certainly known all the rules and was a stern protector and defender of the faith. So much so, that when a new expression of it started popping up, when churches, centered around this guy named Jesus Christ, a man who had been crucified and then was raised...Saul, a zealous person of faith sought to put an end to that church. Saul even held everyone's coats when one of the members of this new faith, Stephen, was being stoned to death. Saul new where he was headed in life, he had it all figured out and his religion, would take him to the top, both in terms of importance and righteousness. 

It was this person named Saul, who had a vision from God, who in fact had more than just a vision, but a revelation. The leader of this church that Saul was so zealously persecuting, a guy buy the name of Jesus, came to Saul, knocked him off of his horse, and blinded Saul with his great light. This revelation must have been amazing to Saul, as it was Jesus, who had been raised from the dead who had encountered him. But the most amazing thing about this whole encounter, this whole revelation, was that Jesus gave to Saul his grace and love, and transformed his life. Saul went from someone who had had it all figured out, to someone who realized what it was he was doing by persecuting the church and it's followers, and who saw how empty, even sinful his own self-perceived merit before God was. Because of Jesus' revelation to him, Saul, the one who lived with pride in his own works, was transformed into Paul, the one who lived by trust in the grace of someone else towards him. 

Paul, this person so dramatically transformed by Jesus, is a unique case. We don't have a lot of folks with similar experiences running around. It seems Jesus worked in this sort of way about once, and that was it. Yet, Jesus, our risen Lord and Savior, continues to reveal himself today. Jesus continues to reveal himself through Paul, as Paul went around starting to build up the same church that he had once tried to destroy, including the church in Galatia. In Paul's work, in his transformation and building up of the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit we see the work of Jesus revealed. 

Quite a few years after helping to start this church, Paul wrote a letter to them, a letter that still speaks to us today. Paul wrote to those Galatians as one who had been transformed by Christ, and as one seeking to reveal Christ to them once again. 

Indeed, Paul wrote to the Galatians so that they could KNOW about how it is that they had come to be this church, this people of God in Christ. Paul wrote to them so they could KNOW about Jesus' love which did this work. 

Paul wrote to these Galatians so that they could GROW in what this identity means. So that they could GROW in being free from this evil age. So that they could GROW in the life of Jesus Christ, who gave himself for their sins. 

In Galatians, we hear Paul writing to us as well; to KNOW and to GROW:

TO KNOW: That the Gospel is from Jesus Christ, it is about Christ, and it reveals to us Christ. 

TO KNOW: That Jesus Christ came to do something. He came to give himself for our sins and free us from this evil age. 

TO GROW: We join with Paul in asking: "Am I seeking human approval? Or the approval of God? Am I hear to please people?"

Because of God working through people like Paul, we KNOW and we GROW. 

We KNOW that Jesus reveals himself today, the same Jesus that was revealed to the Galatians; the same Jesus that revealed himself to Paul. Jesus comes to us and is revealed in baptismal waters. Waters that promise us that we are children of God; waters that tell us that just as Jesus is God's son, we have been made God's children, that God's favor is upon not only us, but upon all of creation and upon all people. 

We KNOW that Jesus reveals himself to us today, as we gather in worship. We KNOW that he is full of grace and mercy as he reveals himself to us by giving us his life to us in the midst of our sin. He gives us his body and blood for us so that we may share it with each other. 

We KNOW that Jesus reveals himself to us here in worship, through the Word of God that has been handed on through the generations to us. We KNOW that Jesus reveals himself to us here, so that we may see our risen Lord Jesus' presence wherever we may look; his grace, his mercy, his love, his unending life. 

In our Year of Prayer, here in 2016, we pray to this Jesus. This Jesus who comes to us, not only when we are riding horses or motorcycles, and knocks us off of our old way of being. And he gives to us a new message, a new way of life; the way of grace and mercy. 

This week, we are to KNOW, we are to KNOW that Jesus comes and frees us from this evil age to transform sinners, to transform us. Jesus came to Saul for a reason, to transform him, to turn him into Paul by revealing to him his grace and mercy. Jesus' revelation to us today does the same. Truly, Jesus is here, transforming us.

TO KNOW: Jesus reveals himself to us, to transform sinners by his grace and mercy.

In knowing this, WE GROW. WE GROW in our trust. Just like Paul, this person who was taken from a life where the rules,  the way of being, how to get along in society, and how to be faithful and religious were all clear, and following them was what brought upon God's favor, and had it all shattered by grace, the grace of Jesus Christ. After this, Paul was left with only trust, trust in Jesus. In fact, in Paul's letters, it's never about what he is doing, but about revealing what Jesus is doing. Paul's letters are about revealing the One who he now follows, and revealing the Life that has been given to him. 

To the transformation of Paul, and our own transformation another way, I offer this quote which I recently read, from H. William Gregory, "Trust, not rigidity, is what marks the will of one who has been converted by grace." Paul was converted by grace. We have been converted by this same grace. May we learn:

TO GROW in our trust of that grace, and let go of our own human visions and human ways so that we may seek the way of life we have been given, the way of Jesus Christ. 

And, as we grow in our trust of this grace we have been given, it's abundant life will spring forth in us, and by the work of God, we will share it with each other, and all of creation.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

TO KNOW and TO GROW, Galatians Chapter One Summary:

TO KNOW: That the Gospel is from Jesus Christ, it is about Christ, and it reveals to us Christ. 

TO KNOW: That Jesus Christ came to do something. He came to give himself for our sins and free us from this evil age. 

TO KNOW: Jesus reveals himself to us, to transform sinners by his grace and mercy.

TO GROW: We join with Paul in asking: "Am I seeking human approval? Or the approval of God? Am I hear to please people?"

TO GROW in our trust of that grace, and let go of our own human visions and human ways so that we may seek the way of life we have been given, the way of Jesus Christ.