Romans 13:8-14 - Urgent Notice

Rally Sunday, Sept. 7th, 2014

Urgent Notice

Pr. Paul Cannon

Grace and Peace, Bethany Lutheran Church, from God our creator, the Holy Spirit, and our Lord Jesus Christ,

I am very excited to be with you all right now on this very important day in the year.  I know that many of us have been waiting, anticipating and preparing for this day to get here, and for most of us, it didn’t come soon enough.

We’ve got flags up, you’ll see some special decorations, and most importantly, we have our favorite snacks ready.

Hallelujah, the day has finally come! It is ... FOOTBALL season.  It starts today.  Well technically, if you’re a Packer’s fan, the season started on Thursday (I’m sorry to bring that up), but if you’re a fan of the Bears or any other team, the season starts today.

I have the unfortunate distinction of being a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals – a team that hasn’t won a playoff game in over 20 years.  And yet, like many fans out there, when the clock hits 12 on Sunday, I’m usually itching to get home (I’m in the wrong line of work, by the way) – just so I can be there for the most boring play in all sports – the kickoff.

After all, there’s only 16 games in a season, so I better catch every second of it! I joke, but the NFL is certainly America’s sport.  And one of the reasons I think it’s become so popular for many of us fans, is because every game feels significant.  

Even more than that, it passes the two tests for something to feel urgent -  that feeling where something not only has to get done, but it has to get done right now.

1. Test one: Is it important? If it’s not important, it’s not urgent right? Judging by the number of jersey’s I see on Sundays, I know football is important to a lot of you! So it passes test one of being urgent.

2. Test two: Is there time?  If have too much time, there’s no urgency. The fact that NFL teams play only 16 games, gives them a condensed time frame to work with.  So it passes test two for being urgent.  

You put those two things together, and you get folks like me who get antsy at 12pm on Sundays.  

The same principal is true for almost all aspects of our lives.  The more important the matter, and the shorter the time frame, the more urgent the need for action.  

It’s why advertisements on TV tell you to call in the next 10 minutes for a very special offer!   It’s why boxes of old junk end up getting piled up in our basements and garages - because you feel like you can always get to them later. It’s why when we’re late for work, we drive faster than normal.

In Paul’s letter to the church in Rome today, we hear that same sense of urgency in his voice.  What he’s about to say can’t wait. It’s urgent - so not only is it important, but it also needs to start immediately.

He begins with the most important commandment, urging his church to love one another.  “Love” he says, “Because love does no wrong.”

It’s the most important thing you can do.  Love is what brought Christ to the cross.  Love fulfills the entire law - all the commandments. It changes lives - its presence or its absence shapes who we are and who we become.  

I don’t think I can overstate how important it is for us to love one another. But does it merit the urgency in Paul’s voice? Does it pass test number two? We have a lifetime to do this right?  There’s time, isn’t there?

He writes to the Romans, “You know what time it is, how it is now - it is now - the moment for you to wake from sleep.”  

The moment is now, Paul says. He doesn’t even give us 10 minutes like the advertisers on TV do.  Now is the moment for us to wake up.  Now is the moment for us to get our act together.  

But if you are a procrastinator like myself, you read this and say, “Whoa Whoa Whoa. Slow down Paul. I’ve got plenty of time here...no rush...what’s the hurry?”

Good Question!  Why does all this have to happen immediately?  Why the urgency?

Paul continues, “For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone and the day is near.”  Wait a second?  Salvation is near to us?  I thought that was a long ways off.  I thought salvation was what happened to us when we died!

Not so for Paul.  “The night is far gone,” he writes, “and the day is near.”  It’s an interesting way to put it.  You see, for Paul, the moment that God breaks into our lives isn’t some far off distant point on the horizon. It’s in baptism.  It’s here!  It’s now!  We’ve been baptized.  We’ve already been saved. “Where two or three are gathered in my name,” Jesus says, “I am there.”

The night is over. The dawn is coming!  Time’s up.  And so Paul’s conclusion to this is that we ought to start living like it.  “Let us live honorably” he writes, “as in the day.”

Our Gospel today echoes those sentiments.  Jesus tells his followers, “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out their fault.”  Don’t wait for it to blow over.  Go and seek healing and forgiveness. This is important, so go work it out!

Stop quarrelling with one another (Paul says).  Let’s not waste this precious gift of Christ by being jealous of what the guy across the street has. And of course, Jesus reminds us that when we do screw up - when relationships break down, don’t waste time stewing in your anger.  Go find healing and forgiveness if not with your neighbor, then with God.

Of course, this urgency isn’t just for when you’re mad at somebody though.  Living Christ-like lives is always urgent.

On Wednesday, we had our orientation meeting for Confirmation. And I asked them, “Why is this important to you?  Why are you here tonight? Why show up?”  It’s a good question for Rally Day right? The parents and students talked it over at their tables and they came up with some really great answers.

One table said, “Because I want my kids to be able to connect faith in their daily lives.”  Another table spoke up saying, “Because I want these traditions to be passed on to the next generation.” Another added, “Because I want them to have space to ask questions about their faith.”  And yet another said, “Because I want them to be surrounded by a community that loves them.”

These are more than just important things.  They are urgent matters of God.  

Salvation is near, Paul tells us. The dawn is is coming. In baptism, God has made us a part of his family.  He’s already saved us, and so the only thing left to do is live for the people around you.

All that’s left for us to do is to love one another.  That’s the work of the people of God every day.  

That is what is so urgent.  

Thanks be to God,  

Amen

Let it Go

Sermon – Matthew 16:21-28

Let it Go

by Pr. Paul Cannon

Grace and Peace from God our father and our Lord Jesus Christ,

At the risk of sounding a little bit like the Disney movie “Frozen” I want to inform you all that today’s sermon is about letting go.  But where Princess Elsa is singing about letting her inner awesomeness out, I am going to be talking about letting go of our own lives. So you can breathe a sigh of relief - I will not be singing the song “Let it Go” for you all.

The truth is, we all have trouble letting go.  I had a little kid in my office this past week, and he was eyeing the bowl of candy that I always leave on my desk.  He turned to his mom and asked if he could have one.  She looked at me, and sort of gave me the “no-candy-for-him” look and calmly explained that it wasn’t his.

Well that didn’t make him very happy.  So when the mother asked her son to help clean up the toys he was playing with, he scrunched up his face and balled up his hands at his side and said, “No!  I’m not cleaning up.”

Cleaning up the toys had nothing to do with the candy of course - it was just his way of venting frustration.  He couldn’t let go of his disappointment in losing out on the chance at a nougaty piece of chocolate delight!  You’d be disappointed too I’m sure.

Though we can laugh at a child’s antics, in reality, most of us don’t act much different when it comes to our own disappointments, frustrations and anger.  We have a hard time letting go.  We scrunch up our faces, and clench our fists, until the anger spills out of us in ways that had nothing to do with our original injury.

We have to learn to let go, and while it sounds easy in theory, in practice it’s incredibly difficult.  We are not wired to do it.  When we’re angry, or when we’ve been hurt or when we’re afraid, every instinct we have tells us to hold on tight - because holding on to those feelings gives us the illusion of control. The tighter we hang on - the more control we feel we have over our lives.

The problem is, life tends to get in the way and disturb our illusion of being in control.  A loved one is diagnosed with cancer; an earthquake shakes up the very ground we walk on; a company decides they need to make cutbacks - and you are on the list.  

Life is a constant barrage of stuff happening that reminds us how little control we really have.  When all this stuff gets thrown at us, we want to grab hold and hang on for dear life.  

It’s exactly how Peter reacts when Jesus tells him that he has to die and then be raised three days later.   And so he too tries to take control. Peter turns to Jesus and says “God forbid it Lord. This must never happen to you.”  He doesn’t want to lose control.  He doesn’t want to lose his Rabbi.

We know the end of Jesus story, so it’s easy for us to pick on Peter for not being faithful, but in real life, we react like Peter all the time - we try to control situations beyond our grasp.

And so Jesus’ words to Peter could also be addressed to all of us. He tells Peter to deny himself and take up the cross, quote, “For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”

Or to put in the terms we’ve been using today, Those who hang on to this life will lose it, and those who let go for the sake of Jesus, will find it.

Let go of everything - let go of your anger, let go of your need to be in control, let go of yourself for Jesus’ sake - and you will find life.

But what does that mean and how do we do it?  

In our reading from Romans today, Paul is going to list some ways that we let go. “Bless those who persecute you...live in harmony...associate with the lowly...do not repay evil for evil...if your enemies are hungry feed them…if they are thirsty give them something to drink.”

It’s hard, but it happens all around us.

We’ve all seen what’s unfolded in Ferguson, Missouri over the last few weeks.  An unarmed teenager named Michael Brown was shot dead by the police after a confrontation, causing community and civil unrest there --even riots.

In spite of the chaos and sometimes violent protests, there was, in the midst of it all, another reaction that reminds me of what Paul is talking about.

Folks held candle-light vigils, and walked down the street with their arms up.  We saw youth groups praying on the streets and people of different races, religions and creeds walking in solidarity with one another. Even the victim’s family was calling for peace.

That’s what letting go looks like. Letting go of our anger - our need for vengeance.

And so Paul sums up this section by saying, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Giving into anger is understandable.  We all do it.  But when we see examples of folks overcoming it, and trying to create goodness and light in the midst of dark places - that is the work of God.

Overcome evil with good.  It’s a radical idea in an eye-for-an-eye kind of world.   Yet Paul insists that when our instinct is to hang onto animosity, instead we ought to hold fast to what is good - to let go of your anger and replace it with something greater.  

Instead of seeking revenge, seek to be a servant.  If somebody hurts you, pray for them.  If they’re hungry, feed them.  If they’re thirsty, give them something to drink.

Evil can be overcome with good.  We say this with confidence, knowing that Christ has already overcome all evil with the ultimate act of love on the cross.

Everything we do, is merely a reflection of what’s already been accomplished. And so, as Paul said, we cling to what is good - we cling to Christ - and let go of everything else.  And in this, we find life.

Thanks be to God.

Amen