On the Way to Wonder

         We are pondering Paul’s introduction to his letter to the Romans.  He does not know them so he first introduces himself as “a slave” of Christ Jesus and then as an apostle under assignment, “called.”  Paul wants to meet these young Christians whose reputation of faith is known all over the civilized world then.  They were his heroes or models.

         When I was a young adult I attended a street rally held by a politician running for governor who later became President of the United States.  I did not get to meet him but I had his signature on a card I kept pinned to my corkboard.  Once I stood with my brand new baby in arms as the President of Kenya walked by and he paused, pointed his ruler’s stick at my daughter and proclaimed, “She too will go to this school.”  And she did.  We all have heroes and people we admire that we would love to meet or at least be in a meeting with.

         Paul is not giving thanks for a good deed done to him, from which he benefited.  He writes, “I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you. (Romans 1:8)” He is thanking God for how the Roman Christians have lived their faith in the middle of a pagan city.  He wants them to know that he is one of the prayer warriors, one of the unknown masses praying for them constantly and he is trying to figure out a way to meet with them so they can share their faith.

         Is there someone who has been a model and mentor to you that you might want to thank for how they have lived their life in a way that deeply impacted you?  “Thank you for being you, cause it has helped me to become me.  Perhaps we say nice things on birthday cards or anniversaries but today perhaps there is someone you could write a just-because card to with words of affirmation.  Some of our mentors and heroes have passed on but we can ask God through Jesus to relate our gratitude for their lives.  Gratitude is a powerful force for good in our lives and in our world.  Take time in prayer to remember those who have blessed you and whom you would love to meet with and have a good chat about life!

^“ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, 

⁶ including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, (Romans 1:5)”

         Paul’s first sentence in his letter to the Romans is definitely a mental challenge.  We pondered his introduction as a “slave” of Christ Jesus and what title we would choose.  Then he says he was “called” to be an apostle to the Gentiles and Jews because of his direct encounter on the road to Damascus.  I suspect our Christian identity is not necessarily something we lead with as we introduce ourselves to others but we wait for “the right moment.”  In this same sentence that introduces not only Paul as the author but also his message he is about to introduce, Paul now says we too have grace and apostleship through “the obedience of faith.”  Hmmm. Paul does not set faith and works as opposites like many are prone to do when talking about salvation.  Paul sees faith working hand in hand with obedience, the living out of the faith we profess.

         Romans is going to confront us with the integrity of our faith.  Today the question is “Do we walk the talk?”  Paul does not want this to be a question just for those other guys whom we identify as “sinners” but he is going to build a message that challenges his readers to take their own spiritual temperature, honestly reflecting on how well they have integrated their faith with their lives.

         Let’s take that question out of the “hell fire and brimstone” context we often put it in and let’s put the question in to the context of how we want our friends and family to understand us.  Do we want to be known as a “player” or as “one inch deep and a mile wide” or “all blow and no show”?  The rubber meets the road if you ask me how I want to be seen in the eyes of my grandchildren and my friends.  I want my faith to bring about obedience to the wisdom of the God who made life and knows how it works best.

         May we join Paul today and pray that we grow in our ability to submit our will, obedience, in faith to the God who has revealed himself to us and desires to grow a relationship of grace with us.  Lord, help.

         We are looking at Romans 1, the greeting of a letter written by Paul to the church in Rome where he hoped to visit.  He is introducing himself.  The Roman church might have had many characteristics like our urban churches that are multicultural, multilingual, and hence facing the challenge of maturing Christians that have diverse backgrounds and beliefs.  I suspect it is similar to people marrying from different ethnicities or even different areas of the States.  We can find food for our lives!  Paul’s introduction might be somehow similar to me introducing my “date” to my parents who had not met him and who had their own ideas of what someone raised in Kenya might be like.  I suspect that in that back of their minds were questions about his intentions.  Paul writes to the church in Rome and first says he is “a slave of Christ Jesus” but then he continues on to identify himself as “called to be an apostle.”

         We can find his experience of being “called” in Acts 9 that tells how he encountered a bright light and voice on the road to Damascus.  For Paul who was formerly called Saul and who was committed to eliminating Christians, it was a life changing experience, personal and direct.  “This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. (Acts 9:15)” Paul is not volunteering but understands himself to be sent by God to tell others about the Gospel of the promised Messiah from the line of David and divine as proved by his resurrection. Paul clearly opens his letter identifying himself and intentions, credentials, for desiring a meeting with the Christians in Rome.

         We thought last week what title we might use to describe our relationship to Christ Jesus.  Most of us would not say slave.  Also most of us would probably feel a bit squeamish to tell another we feel “called” to share the gospel with them.   We prefer a more friendly approach, not so formal.  So let’s ponder today what might draw us into a conversation where we would share our core beliefs about reality.  Might it be: concern for the other’s eternal security, or a direct question about our belief, or a life threatening medical issue, or perhaps a counseling session to clarify a cloudy situation, and for students it could be a course on world religions.  I ponder how often I share just because I am so grateful for the difference God has made in my life and it just bubbles over in my conversation.  An attitude of gratitude is always contagious.  Blessings and may you have eyes to see God blessing your day!

         Last Sunday we celebrated Pentecost.  The actual day of Pentecost was this last Thursday, 40 days after Easter, the Resurrection.  We celebrated Ascension as recorded in Acts 1.  That was when Christ ascended or returned to his original glory in heaven.  Then the disciples returned to Jerusalem to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, recorded in Acts 2.  One of the favorite Pentecost songs is “Spirit of God Descend Upon My Heart.” George Croly of Dublin, Ireland, who became an Anglican minister in the slums of London wrote the hymn in 1854 expressing his deep dependency on the work of the Holy Spirit in situations that seem hopeless.  We had the hymn sung at our wedding as a prayer for our marriage.  Perhaps it is appropriate for your situation today!

1. Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;
   Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move.
   Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,
   And make me love Thee as I ought to love.
3. Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?
   All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.
   I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:
   Oh, let me seek Thee, and, oh, let me find!
5. Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;
   Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,
   To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;
   Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.
7. Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,
   One holy passion filling all my frame;
   The kindling of the heav’n-descended Dove,
   My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.

         My father’s favorite book in the Bible was Romans.  He loved the middle chapters where Paul talks about the struggle to do what we know is right but failing.  I picked up a commentary of Romans that said Romans is probably one of the most influential epistles in the Bible as it seeks to explain basic tenants that came out of the resurrection.  The Pentecost season that we are now entering is a time when we reflect on the meaning of living believing that Christ is risen and alive in my world and in my life today.  Paul’s long sentences scare me but let us spend some time gleaning its truth for us today.  But first let us look at the context.

         The author is believed to be Paul, formerly known as Saul, the persecutor of early Christians.  He is the voice of an “outsider” who became an “insider.”  He is writing to the church in Rome, the center of the Western civilized world as it was known then.  Civilizations in Central America, Asia or Africa were unknown, perhaps points of trade.  But Rome was where the political power lie and its language was far spread.  Paul knows of the church in Rome that is surely composed of Jews and other nationalities as church in capitals are prone to be.  He is writing to a more cosmopolital congregation, probably ethnically mixed, and already exposed to some teachings of Christianity.  Our churches today are facing the challenges of multicultural congregations too.  Paul writes to introduce himself and who he is.

“Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus…” (Romans 1:1)

         I have only begun the first sentence of chapter 1 and I already am challenged to stop and think.  Paul calls himself “a slave.”  That is a loaded statement.  We put the whole American history into those words and the trauma and injustice and powerlessness those words imply.  Paul will later pull out his long list of credentials as an educated, trained, well known somebody by human standards but he opens his letter understanding himself as “a slave.”

         What word would you use to describe your relationship with Jesus Christ?  We like “child of God,”  “friend of God,” “servant of God,” or perhaps “creation of God.”  My family might say, “adopted by God.”  Few of us self identify as slave.  Draw two columns.  Put “slave” at the top of one and your word at the top of the other.  How are the two words similar and how are they different?  Sit with your title now and talk with God about the rights and privileges it implies.  How does your word prepare you to face into the unknown future?  Let’s thank Christ Jesus for his presence with us in our day no matter what our title.

“If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. (John 14:15-17)”

            Today is the actual day of Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection.  There are passages that talk about the work of the Holy Spirit but I like this one. The Holy Spirit is identified as my “advocate.”  Advocacy is a big word these days and often I am prone to equate it with marches and riots.  I am guessing that if the word “advocate” is dissected, “ad” implies adding and “voca” means voice.  Advocating is using your voice for people who cannot speak for themselves because of poverty, ethnicity, education, finances or a myriad of other reasons.  The powerless need an advocate to speak for them because they do not have social power or prestige to speak for themselves.  It’s something like that. 

         It is not comfortable to see ourselves as powerless.  Compared to another I pull out my credentials that I hope make me into a person of value.  Compared to God, I come up short.  By definition God is perfect and I am imperfect.  Jesus says God will send an advocate, someone to give me voice when I have no right to voice, and who will also be with me forever.  The Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of truth.”  The Spirit gives voice to the truth of my value before God.  I am his child.  He gives voice to my prayers when I do not know what to pray.  His gives voice to truth, speaks truth to me, when I try to deceive myself.  He teaches me truth when I am ignorant.  He is with me when I feel abandoned and alone.

         We often associate the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues, or assisting us to worship the unseen God we are growing to know.  That is important but let us focus today on his role as our advocate.  He is in our corner, not just for worship but also in all the places of our life.  Wow.  Thank you, Lord.

Acts 1:15-26

²⁴ Then they prayed and said, ‘Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵ to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.’ ²⁶ And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

            This week we are pondering in-between-times, those transitional periods as we go from one phase of life to another.  Jesus rose on Easter and we celebrated for 40 days until the Ascension when he returned to his original place of glory in the Godhead and he promised to return again.  We wait.  But he also told his followers to return to Jerusalem and wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost.  They waited.  Tomorrow we will celebrate Pentecost.

            Transitional, liminal times are challenging.  The followers waited, prayed and then chose Mathias to fill Judas’ empty spot.  It brings to mind a jogger running in place at a stoplight waiting to cross a street.  The runner is in the same spot but…yup, legs are churning to keep the heart rate up, watches are checked, and eyes are on the signal to be ready to run across the intersection as soon as the light changes.  Waiting, praying and planning are important.  They are preparing.

            We may be in one of those jogging-in-place times when the next step is not quite obvious.  It seems to me the followers did what was logical and what was necessary preparation.  I do not know that the choosing of Mathias was a great move but it was forward focused and a turn away from the grief of the cross to the anticipation of how the resurrection would unfold into their lives.  I notice they did not allow themselves to be consumed with anxiety about the loss of Judas or Jesus.  Their attitude is changing and even before Pentecost they are spiritually beginning to embracing a future that is about to unfold.

            Even we are on a journey through life.  It is so easy to become bogged down by guilt or worry about the past and our losses.  I wonder what “choosing Mathias” would look like in our lives.  Perhaps it is writing a letter of encouragement and affirmation to the graduate who is facing a new phase in life.  Perhaps it is decluttering some of the “memories” that are collecting dust but need to be released to the past.  I love the book Repacking Your Bags by Richard Leider and David Shapiro, 1995.  It was followed by Claiming Your Place at the Fire , 2004 by the same authors.  We all carry a briefcase, an overnight bag, and a suitcase that contain the “stuff” we need for each phase of life.  We need to periodically repack our bags, throw away that which is weighing us down, and identify the talents for the next phase.  The followers of Jesus were doing just that.  They did it in community and in prayer!  Good spiritual advice.  Let’s ask God if we need to declutter today and what we might need to do to prepare for the future he has for us.

Acts 1:12-14

¹⁴ All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

         After the Ascension, the followers returned to Jerusalem to wait for God to fulfill his promise.  Yesterday we pondered how hard it is to wait for big events to happen.  There is that period between the proposal and the wedding.  There is the time between the conception and the birth.  There is the time between packing up to move and moving in to our new setting.  I like the word “liminal” that talks about inbetween times and spaces.  Perhaps the picture is like standing on a line or a balance beam and trying not to fall off.  As the future calls to us, the past reminds us who we are and whose we are.

         The followers returned to Jerusalem but Luke, the author of Acts, tells us that they “were contantly devoting themselves to prayer.”  That catches my eye.  I would be constantly planning.  Picking a name for the baby and getting the clothes ready.  Bugging my husband about the windows in the house and what kind of curtains I would need.  Checking out the reading list for the course to try and get ahead.  Watching the soil to see if it was time to start organizing my garden and what I would plant this year.  But these followers filled their time with prayer.  These are the same followers who went to Jesus and asked him to teach them to pray.  They saw that prayer was a secret to Jesus’ strength and they knew it was strategic now.  So let us honestly reflect for a moment.  How strategic is prayer in our lives right now.  Is it more formal and with our friends on Sunday in church?  Is it part of quiet times in mornings or evenings when we draw aside?  Perhaps it is more like a 911 call when we get in trouble.  Perhaps we have good prayer habits but perhaps we need a reminder to up our game cause we serve a risen Lord who cares about our lives and his Spirit is always ready to intercede for us.  Liminal spaces are not invisible spaces but good places to strengthen our prayer life!

Acts 1: 1-11 Acts 1: 1-11

^“7 He replied, ‘It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority.”  Acts 1:7

         Yesterday was Pentecost Sunday and we wore red and celebrated the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives and that God speaks in every language.  But in reality, this week we have our spiritual feet in two seasons.  Last Wednesday was “Ascension” when Christ “ascended” to heaven and this Thursday is Pentecost when the gift of the Holy Spirit is celebrated.  The Pentecost season actually starts on Thursday.  Many think of ascension like Jesus on top of a hill, going up an elevator to heaven, somewhere beyond the clouds.  Acts 1 tells the story.

         Ascension can have two meanings though.  It can be like going up an escalator but the second meaning is seen when Prince Charles ascended at the Coronation, he became King Charles as he was born to be.  At the ascension Jesus returned to his glory as true God, having completed the incarnation, life, death and resurrection.  The Trinity is a mystery that we believe but is so hard to explain.  Jesus tells the followers to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  They ask Jesus, “when?”  We know that question.

         The followers wanted to know when the kingdom of heaven would be fully here.  We want to know when in many areas of our lives too.  When will mister right come along?  When will my husband finally decline, die and ascend to heaven?  So many questions and Jesus answers that it is not for us to know the answer to many of our when questions.  God’s timing is not our timing.  It is so hard to trust and wait.

         Isaiah 40:31 promises,

“but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
    they shall walk and not faint.”

Waiting on God develops strength, vision like eagles, perseverance like runners, and the ability to walk and not faint.  Pick one of those qualities and try to name an adjective that helps flesh out ‘waiting” for you and thank God that he is working on the right answer at the right time to our prayers.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years
Bright, shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun

Amazing Grace, by John Newton verse 6

         The liturgical Easter season ends today.  Tomorrow we enter “The Time after Pentecost.”  We have looked at Easter through the testimony of John Newton the author of “Amazing Grace” that is such a favorite hymn.  He does not try to convince us of his theories of the Bible.  He simplying calls out to his experience of God’s grace.  I want to close these six weeks with this worship song that resonated with so many hearts.  The video is by the author and gives context.  Praise because “Christ is risen” is for times we feel our prayers answered, for when we feel low and unheard, any place and any time.  Now is the time to worship.  Let’s not wait for eternity