Paul writes to the church at Rome in order to introduce himself to the congregation gathered there. Someone else, we don’t really know who, established a beachhead in Rome, a city in New Testament perspective representing the very center of the world, and Paul finds himself now planning a trip there to touch base with that eminent congregation. Surely they know who he is. He knows them, their crucial location, their vital witness. But how acquaint them with his character and convictions? How provide a lens on what intrigues and challenges him, what he cares about most? How does he present himself? He sends them a brilliant letter of introduction.
Now what we know as the first eleven chapters of this letter lays out a brilliant exposition of the Gospel’s full dimensions. Paul offers, first of all, a shrewd analysis of human nature and the way it can mess up our highest aspirations and engender egregious self-deception. He describes the tendency all of us exhibit much of the time in putting ourselves at the center of the universe, making the claim in one way or another of “that’s mine,” or “don’t forget me”, subtly enough, “me first.” We live, Paul observes, with an individual and corporate condition of setting ourselves against others, often looking for scapegoats to avoid our own responsibility, finding someone else to blame.
You know the story. Around our house when our kids were growing up, our youngest of four children, Benjamin, a real sweetheart of a boy, became the focus of attention when anything went awry, or some mysterious, unattributable catastrophe occurred— like breaking the huge pot of begonias, the soil spread around 25 square feet of living room rug, or setting the kitchen wastebasket on fire—the first words escaping the lips of his three older siblings still echo in Linda’s ears and mine: “Ben did it.”
Paul tells us this problem tends not only to corrupt us, it tends to corrupt our institutions too; whether they be nations, or religions, or peoples, or families, or businesses, or churches. “Me first.” “Mine.” “The good that I would, I do not; and that I would not, that I do.”
What can save us from this muddled and tragic condition? What pulls us out of this swamp of fragility, frustration, this frequent readiness to be easy on ourselves and hard on others? What finally saves us from ourselves? Paul insists we cannot do it ourselves. No bootstraps here. What salvages us, he says, when we are at our worst, when we are making a mess of our lives and of the world, what saves us is Divine grace. When we are turning our backs on one another, or lying about one another, or using idealistic or religious language to injure or eradicate or bomb one another into oblivion, from a divine point of view, we deserve the worst. But what happens? We discover even yet, while we are pulling away from one another, perhaps going to war with one another, this God of Jesus Christ loves us even yet, and rather than sending us to some unholy place and throwing away the key, this God unbelievably continues to search us out, reach for us, bid we cease our infighting, claims us as members of a divine family, embraces all of us, regardless race or creed, ethnicity or sexual orientation, whether we are Christian or Jew, Muslim or Bhuddist, Hindu or atheist, eager to heal us. While we scrap with one another for pride of place, or prestige, while we claim truth or civilization or God is on our side, trying in every way to trump the claims of everyone else, we see through Jesus Christ his kind of life, his way of life, his approach to others, his forgiveness even for those who finally do him in; we see the love working through Jesus manifesting itself in reconciling even those poles apart from one another: enemies. How his universal love includes us all, granting us another chance, and pointing toward a way of life that in this topsy-turvy and frequently troubled world might just save us, restore us and bind us together as a global family living in joy and solidarity, justice and peace.
Wow! Can we get that? Can we hear that? While we are still vexing, grieving, tormenting each other, the grace of God relentlessly pursues us seeking to bind our wounds and wipe our tears. What a marvelous God this is! What an incredible offer we receive! Not a door slammed, but a door opened. Not rejection, but acceptance. Not renunciation, but welcome. Amazing! Astounding! Astonishing! How respond to such kindness? What can we do? How acknowledge this undeserved, unmerited, reconciling, redeeming gift of grace?
Well, Paul answers our question. He says: because you know what it means to be loved even when you are unlovable; because you realize how grace and forgiveness search you out, seeking to bind you even while you resist it: Therefore, my brothers and sisters, I beg you, in gratitude for this great gift, to present your bodies, just as Jesus did his, a living sacrifice, wholly and acceptable to God, expressing true worship. Do not mold yourself to the whims, the fads, the trends, the ideologies of your times, but be transformed by the renewing, the recasting, the reshaping, of your minds by the will of God, so you may prove in Christ’s light what is good, and acceptable and perfect.
And then, with our minds, our thoughts, our wills, our decision making faculties, our choice sensors rigged anew out of overwhelming gratitude, we find ourselves acting and behaving toward one another in simply beautiful and gracious fashion. We discover our church as a body, much like a human body with members possessing different gifts, enabling us to function as an organic whole. God blesses each of us, says Paul, with a gift to be used for the building, the strengthening, the unity of our church as we pursue our common mission. He sees these wonderful people up here in the choir, gifted with ear, voice and enthusiasm, helping through music to provide a window on the glory of God. Or we cherish the gift offered us a few minutes ago from those representing Theater at Old South, assisting us to understand our ministry by telling truth coming through no other way. Or, in a few minutes we proceed to Mary Norton Hall and there find a vast potpourri of men, women and children engaged in agencies and projects who, for Christ’s sake, out of gratitude for grace given, build houses, feed the hungry, tend the sick, teach the needy, visit the prisoner, console victims. Some of them—some of us—provide visionary leadership, others keep accounts, answer phones, usher, set agendas, manage resources. Still others find ourselves in the trenches and frontlines cleaning up, pressuring Congress, writing checks, whispering prayers, attending meetings, purchasing food, attending meetings, granting succor, hanging in, holding hands, driving cars, offering encouragement, writing grant proposals, badgering legislators, driving nails, attending meetings—each of us exercising a gift, a competency, a unique contribution to a united ministry, each gift no less valued than any other, each extended and expanded by the spirit making the family of God far greater than the sum of all our parts.
And yes, because of grace rescuing and healing us, in this family of Christ, therefore, as the Greek grammar has it: we love genuinely, without hypocrisy; we cling to the good, no trucking with deception or betrayal, injury or evil; we harbor for one another a respect, honor and affection providing the cement of our community. With unimpeachable zeal, with unmitigated ardor we plunge into the service of Love; our hope overcomes all obstacles; whatever suffering we undergo tempers our patience; in all circumstances we discover ourselves at prayer. And yes, do we know of brothers and sisters around the world undergoing difficulty? We offer support. Does a stranger need a home? We make one available. Each of these illustrates the possibility of creative, radiant life as a consequence of the Divine gift of grace. The Christian ethic, so to speak, follows a monumental “Therefore.” Therefore: an open door and an open heart.
In the remainder of this marvelous chapter, we learn not only of our consecrated service to one another. Paul describes as well, the possibilities we experience encountering the larger world. Like bending over backward to see the world through the yes of our antagonists, empathizing with the terror and suffering of our neighbor. He urges a wise perspective on ourselves, recognizing with humor and modesty our own feet of clay; offering in adversarial and cruel situations, good will, helpful initiatives, realizing they may not always be received appreciatively; indeed perhaps resisted, squelched, repudiated. We see in someone who claims to challenge us another human being, perhaps starving, who needs feeding; perhaps naked who needs clothing; perhaps poverty stricken who needs money; perhaps homeless who needs shelter, perhaps sick who needs healing. Just as God in Jesus Christ overcomes evil with good, so we, riding the tide of grace—ourselves not innocent of evil—overcome evil with good.
O friends, the Gospel provides the very ground and essence of our ethical life here in this church. Look for a moment at the back page of your bulletins. Do you see the little note on the inclusive dimensions of God’s grace? It begins with a welcome to this house, and then you see half way down on the right this sentence: “Following the one who we believe is sovereign and savior, we affirm each individual is a child of God, and recognize that we are called to be like one reconciled body with many members, seeking with others of every race, ethnicity, creed, class, gender, physical or mental ability, and sexual identity to journey together toward the promised realm of God. On the threshold of Christ’s open door, we rely on the healing, unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and our guide as we all move forward with the work of this church in the world…”
You see, we gather here on the premise of God’s all-embracing, redeeming, restoring love. Therefore: an open door. Or look on page 7 of your bulletins. See the purpose of his church? Our purpose begins with worship, preaching the Good News, and celebrating the sacraments. In those three items we recognize the love of God. But there is more! “We seek fellowship with one another and with churches world-wide; we render loving service toward humankind, we strive for righteousness, justice and peace.”
Worship, preaching, sacraments: illustrations in one way or another of the love of God. Therefore: an open heart—fellowship, service, justice.
As Paul approaches the great chapter we just reviewed, he finds himself overcome with the unspeakable dimensions of God’s grace mediated through the life of Jesus. He finally writes, overwhelmed, in ecstasy:
Fantastic, isn’t it? Therefore—Therefore!—in gratitude and thanksgiving: An open door! An open heart!
Scripture Reading
Romans 12:1-21
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 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. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.