Romans 11:33-12:8 "Be Who You Are - in Christ!"

Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost - A 8-24-08

Pastor Troy Slater, Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Herington, Kansas

"Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessed, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise." Of course those words were the very first words of our opening hymn for this morning. Words of praise to the God of all Wisdom who is beyond our comprehension. Words of awe toward the Ancient of Days whose great name we gather to praise. Of course the only way we can gather to sing those words this morning is because God has already had mercy on us sinners by sending His only-begotten Son. In other words, God has acted in Jesus and so we can now respond in praise. …

And that's in fact where we find St. Paul at the beginning of our Epistle reading for this morning from the book of Romans. Responding with praise to the wonders of God's wisdom and grace. The book of Romans is often considered to be the chief book of all the New Testament books because of how masterfully Paul lays out the doctrine that we are saved solely through faith in God's grace in Christ. But then here at the end of chapter 11, the first few verses of our epistle text for this morning. Paul comes to the end of the deep doctrinal section of the book and he breaks out in a hymn of praise. "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!," he proclaims. "How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out! … from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen." It's a resounding "hallelujah!"; a rousing "Amen" to God's grace in Jesus. And certainly that is a big part of what has brought us together here this morning - to sing our "hallelujahs", to shout our "amens" to God's grace in Jesus.

But is that it? I mean is this, our formal worship, what happens here this morning, is this it for our response to God's grace? Do our praises end as we walk out of here this morning? … Well, does Paul end it there? … No he doesn't. Our reading for this morning doesn't. For after this joyous "Amen"; after this praise for God's grace in Christ, Paul continues our reading with a "therefore"; a "because of"; a "as a result of".

In other words while yes God's undeserved grace to us in Christ Jesus does result in our hymns, our thanksgivings, our offerings, our amens, our formal worship, certainly our response is more than that. Because Jesus lived and died for you and has claimed you as his own through the waters of Holy Baptism, there is, Paul says, also now to be "this".

And what is the "this" that is now to follow? Well St. Paul continues, "therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship."

But I thought that this is our act of worship? Sunday morning - 10:30 to about 11:30 here at 802 East Trapp St. This is our spiritual act of worship. …

Well while as important as it is that we be here regularly hearing God's Word, receiving His Word of absolution and the Sacrament, and responding with our "hallelujahs" and "amens", no it's not it. Worship is more than that - it's "offering your bodies", St. Paul says. It's offering yourselves - your lives - as "living sacrifices". "Living sacrifices." Well what in the world is that? … Well perhaps this illustration can help us understand. … I was home for lunch yesterday and the Olympics were on the television and they had "synchronized swimming" on. I know, not much of a sport, but it was the Olympics so I paid at least some attention to it while I did a few other things. But anyway, one of the comments by the commentators caught my attention. They were talking about how one of the Chinese women who was competing, during training a few months ago had apparently asked for a weekend to go home and see her family. No big deal I guess we would say but what caught my attention was that they said she had asked for this weekend off because it had been 12 years since she had seen her family. 12 years! Apparently in China if you show some talent in an Olympic activity at a young age, you "get to" go to these academy's and dedicate your life to the sport - it's what you eat, it's what you breathe, it's what you think about, it's what you do, it becomes who you are. The commentators seemed to think this was dedication on her part, I would probably call it ridiculous - after all, it's just a sport. It seems that she and many of these young people have become "living sacrifices" but sadly, it's not to the one true God, it's to a country - it's to a sport.

And while that is a negative example, it does in a way show the type of radical sacrifice that Paul is referring to here. Of course that "living sacrifice" isn't to a sport, it's to God. After all, He is our life. He is the one who made us. He is the one who gives us all things, the one who has even redeemed us by giving Hi sown life for us - even unto death. We are His. And so in calling us to be "living sacrifices" Paul is saying that we are to offer ourselves - our lives, our time, our talent, our treasures, our relationships, our relaxation, our whole being, our whole selves, our whole lives to God - in service to Him. In other words, what's to be our sacrifice to God? Well go look in the mirror, there it is, it's you, it's all of you. … Of course this sacrifice doesn't take place, as some have assumed over the years, by selling all your stuff, leaving your family and joining a convent or a monastery; no rather this sacrifice it takes place in the situations and in the places that the Lord gives you in life. It takes place as a mother, as a father, as a worker, a citizen, a neighbor, a friend. There you are called to be a "living sacrifice" dedicated to God - doing His will. …

Although today we are encouraged by many in the world to compartmentalize our faith - to secularize our faith. "don't take your faith too seriously" is really what they mean. What you believe in or sing about on Sunday morning, some will tell you, you're just supposed to leave it there. Your faith doesn't belong in politics, it doesn't belong in science, it doesn't belong in public, it doesn't belong in school. A "living faith" might be okay on Sunday morning, but keep it away from Monday afternoon.

But is that what Paul says? Is that what God's Word says? Is it really even possible to separate our faith in the one true gracious God from anything that we do?

Not if we're taking our faith seriously. Not if we are living under God's grace in Jesus Christ. Not if we are being who we are. And that is in fact basically what St. Paul is encouraging us to do here in this reading this morning - be who you are.

Now I should probably clarify for a moment what I mean by this phrase, for after all, the world likes to use that phrase - tell us to be who we are, be our own person. That's supposed to be the key to happiness anymore. Just be yourself, do your own thing, buck any responsibility that might be holding you down. But there is a problem when the world tells you to be your own person. You see there is that "Old Adam" in all of us - the sinner with all its ungodly and dare we say damning lusts and desires. After all, how many lives have become trapped in addiction by following that advice? How many marriages have been ruined? How many teenagers have lost their way all because of that lie that you can somehow find happiness and meaning by following whatever desires and wants come your way? Yes it can be dangerous to encourage someone just to be who you are. For after all, what we are by nature is poor, sinful beings - objects of God's just and eternal wrath.

And so that's not what I'm saying, that's certainly not what Paul is saying. Rather he's saying, be who you are - in Christ. .. For yes you were bought at a price weren't you? You were bought with the precious blood of Christ. You belong to Him. That's of course what the invocation which we normally begin our Sunday morning services remind us of. "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." That is the name that has been put upon you through the waters of holy baptism. You belong to the one true God - He has claimed you as His own - you belong to him. … This week after dinner one of my daughters was putting her name on her Trapper Keeper for school. Marked it as her own. That name on it means it's not her neighbor's, it's not her teachers - it's hers. Well Christ has put his name upon you - marked you as His own. You don't belong to Satan - you don't belong to the world - you belong to Christ. "Therefore do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - His good, pleasing and perfect will." You belong to Christ and that means something. In fact it means everything.

Although certainly that fact doesn't mean we are no exempt from the world and its ways. And in fact in the remaining part of our epistle text St. Paul addresses one of these ways of the world. Pride - sinful, ugly pride. "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought" is how Paul describes it. Certainly the world measures greatness in being above others - possessing something that others don't have. In other words the world along with our fallen nature teaches us to be soloists. Look at me - it's about me. But life is never an individual performance. We are a part of God's orchestra - each endowed with special gifts and abilities. We belong to the body of Christ, Paul says. We don't all have the same function, but we do all have a function. And so we must learn the art of playing in God's orchestra. Giving, serving, doing unto others as we would have then do unto us; loving others as God has first loved us. In God's orchestra there is no room for thinking, "I'm better than him" but neither is there room for thinking, "I'm a nobody with nothing to contribute." There is no room for inferiority nor of superiority in the body of Christ. If I have a special gift, talent, ability - "measure of faith" is how Paul describes it, and we all do, then "Great," Paul says, "use it not to get what you can out of life, rather use it to give what you can through life."

In our bulletin for this morning we list "those who serve as we worship." We list myself, Mark, Ginny up there, acolytes, greeters - all serving to be sure. But before we start to think it's only in the church proper that true service takes place, we need to heed Paul's reminder that Christian serving is more than that. Christian serving - or Christian living we could call it - that being who you are in Christ - that living sacrifice - it includes serving as you do your 9-5 job not just to earn a paycheck, but to serve your neighbor and all your fellow man. .. Being who you are also includes teaching, Paul says, teaching your fellow man or your children or grandchildren about the world they live in or about the God who loves them. .. Being who you are also includes encouraging, visiting the sick or the elderly, pointing the discouraged to the hope that is in us … Being who you are in Christ is also generously contributing to the needs of others as Paul says; contributing your time at the food pantry or in helping your neighbor, and yes contributing to the needs of others even includes writing a check to support the local Relay for Life or our Together-In-Mission partner. Being who you are in Christ is also diligently leading as Paul says, leading your church, your community. Being who you are in Christ it's also cheerfully showing mercy to the hurting, the broken, the downcast.

Are each of us called to excel at each of those responsibilities - those gifts? No. Certainly not. For we are a part of a body - each with different functions, each with different gifts and abilities. Whether it be serving or teaching or encouraging or contributing or leading or showing mercy, we each have different gifts. And so let us use those gifts that God has given us - let us offer ourselves as living sacrifices to the God who has given us all things and who has even gone to the cross for our forgiveness and risen from the grave for our eternal salvation. Yes let us be who we are - in Christ. Let us be who we are in Christ. And yes to Him be the glory forever! Amen.