The basis for the sermon was mostly on Paul's letter to the Galatians (5.13-25), but also referencing the gospel reading (Luke 9.51-62). I've only got my portions, but here it is...
In
our Gospel this morning, Jesus invites people to follow him, as he focuses on
Jerusalem. We all want that, right? Jerusalem not being just a place on a map,
but the symbol of seeking out the holiest of holies. Who wouldn’t want to focus
there?
Apparently
a lot. People then, and sometimes us today. The folks in the first village like
having things their own way, and don’t want Jesus to come and change that. Then
someone says “I will follow you anywhere!” and the unspoken second sentence is
“so long as I can stay at home where I’m comfortable.” Another man is invited to
follow, but is so focused on his own immediate plans that he can’t see the big
picture.
We can put ourselves into that story;
following Jesus is not always easy, and at times we choose not to. It happened
in Galatia – and Paul tells them what happens when they’re not following Jesus.
It’s a scary list, we don’t want that said about us! So Paul then is very clear
that following Jesus is GOOD. And it’s practical, and realistic. There’s a
whole list of good stuff – and that’s what we’re going to focus on today; the
concepts, and some practical examples we can all relate to.
First off, there’s LOVE.
Paul is using the “agape”
love – that unconditional, unending, incomprehensible love. This is not the
nice affection that we have for things, but a deep-rooted connection with one
another, seeing in everyone else (regardless of if we know them, like them,
agree with them) that they are special and important and beloved of God.
*youth's part
Then comes JOY.
The joy of the Lord is not
fleeting, it doesn’t pass us by, it’s the permanent, foundational reality on
which we base our lives. It’s more than happiness – that’s worldly. It’s the
feeling deep in our core that comes from being loved by God, and it’s what
shines out of us when we choose to share that joy with someone else.
*youth's part
Then, Paul assures us
there is PEACE.
The world understands
peace as an absence of conflict. But Jesus tells us plainly that God’s peace is
not as the world gives. It’s not a worldly neutral zone, it’s the calmness and
serenity of putting our full trust in God’s care, no matter what happens in the
world around us. It’s no wonder this peace “passes all understanding” as it’s
in our hearts, not our minds.
*youth's part
The fourth gift Paul
assures us will happen when we follow Jesus is PATIENCE.
Clearly, Paul had never
been on hold with customer support; but everyone experiences frustrating times.
What matters is how we respond! A cranky-pants will get cranky, but a
Jesus-follower will try to avoid complaining, or making another person- child
of God - feel bad. A patient person tries to respond to the circumstance to
make it better for everyone.
*youth's part
Paul then speaks of KINDNESS.
Kindness is a sense of
compassion in the heart. Compassion means with extreme emotion. With that,
kindness then encourages us to act with a tender concern. It’s about helping
other people in their lives, just as we want other people to help us in our
lives. It’s seeing in a situation all the possible goodness and holiness that
can come about, and working intentionally to get there.
*youth's part
Then: GENEROSITY
Being generous isn’t just opening
our wallets to hand over some cash. That’s the effect or result: generosity is
that part of us that is convinced that everyone and everything around us is
full of a basic holiness – God is working in and through all things. Our
generosity comes when we see the world that way, and do our best to celebrate
that ever-present holiness.
*youth's part
Paul then speaks about FAITHFULNESS.
Obviously, we practice faithfulness
in our relationship with God, but it’s also important that we make loyal
commitments to one another: families, friends, the groups or communities that
we’re a part of. Our faithfulness to them is a reflection of our ability and
choice to be faithful / committed to God – and that’s something we all benefit
from.
*youth's part
Next on Paul’s list is GENTLENESS.
Older translations used
“meekness” here, but that started to be understood as “weakness” – and that’s
not what Paul is referring to. He’s suggesting that followers of Jesus don’t
have to be in control – we’ve got God for that. And when we don’t force our way
into everything, a godly gentle spirit will come through in how we relate to
the world, and how the world relates to us.
*youth's part
The last thing Paul speaks
about is SELF-CONTROL.
Just what it sounds like, Paul
is inviting us to show the world that because we are followers of Jesus, we are
able to direct our energy wisely and appropriately. For all things, and at all
times, self-control takes practice.
*youth's part
So
there you have it – a step-by-step on how to follow Jesus. It’s helpful that
Paul lists these all out for us; it’s up to us now to make them happen.
Here’s
where the good news continues - we have access to all of these gifts! They’re
given to all of us from God, and we can choose to use them as often as we want
to, as much as we want to. And the more we use them, the easier it will get.
And even better – these gifts are the fruits of the Spirit – so every time we
use them, we’re doing that with God’s help.
The
invitation is there for us all – to see the gifts that we have been given, and
to use them – as we all do our best to follow Jesus every day of our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment