This sermon was preached at Lawrence Road Presbyterian Church on March 15, 2015. During the season of Lent, Lawrence Road used a sermon series titled, “Letters to the Church.” Each week, the message was based on the Epistle Reading as assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary. Although I preached this sermon on the fourth week of Lent, it is Part 3 of the series. This was because the prior week Lawrence Road was blessed with a guest preacher who focused on the Gospel Reading rather than the Epistle. I was inspired by other Christian authors and commentators. I focused on the wording and phrasing of the passage as well as the use of the original Greek text. There is also a prayer included at the end.
————————————————
Ephesians 2:1-10
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
————————————————
This is my first time preaching from an epistle. And let me tell you, it’s different. Different because it’s unlike the other books in the bible. It’s not poetry like found in the Psalms; it’s not a parable or story as told in the four Gospels; it’s a letter written from Paul’s perspective to a specific crowd: in this case, the Ephesians. And let me tell you, the Ephesians got their money’s worth. This letter is filled with substance. You were dead in your transgressions and sins.” “We were by nature deserving of wrath.” “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith.” These ten verses alone have enough material to fulfill a multiple week bible study. And because of how much material is covered, I had trouble picking a place to start, and so I started reading several commentaries on the text. One of the commentaries written by Kyle Fevor - the Director for Family and Young Adult Ministry at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea, Minnesota, focused on the original language the letter was written in: Greek. I let out a sigh and a moan as I started to read his commentary as I thought this would be a dry, analytical research paper. But I was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it was a dry and yes, it was analytical, but Mr. Fevor made some good points, and I was instantly inspired. I thought I would try it for myself, and so, back to the original Greek text I went.
What’s funny about this, just three weeks ago or so, Nina and I were having one of a supervisory meetings. Now, to be ordained as a teaching elder in the PCUSA church as required by our Book of Order, seminarians are required to take two language courses: Hebrew and Greek. I am currently three quarters of my way through the latter. Back to the meeting, Nina and I were discussing the necessity of this when I told her I would never be the minister who dove deeply into the language while preaching and tried to explain the use of a word to the congregation. Well, here I am today, proving myself wrong, as that is exactly my starting point. As a side note, I now learned to never say never in ministry. More than likely whatever I say I will never do I will end up doing the following week.
Anyway, I went back to the original language of greek, and right away a word stood out to me. περιπατέω (Peripateo). Forms of this verb are found twice in this passage. Once in verse two and again in verse ten. It translated first as “a way in which we once lived” and the the second time it is translated as “a way we will be living.” However, the actual translation of περιπατέω (peripateo) means to walk. As in, “a way in which we once walked and a way we will be walking.” But this isn’t walking in the literal, physical sense - this is walking in the metaphorical sense. The closest comparison I can make to explain this metaphorical sense of walking is the song, “Walking on Sunshine.” You know the one I’m talking about? I’m not going to sing it because I don’t consider myself a singer and you would all be mortified, but the lyrics are “I’m walking on Sunshine. Woah oh. And don’t it feel good!” We all know the singer isn’t physically walking on sunshine. I don’t even have to explain what would happen to them if they were, but instead, the singer is feeling pure joy - joy that is so great that it makes the singer feel as if they are metaphorically walking on a big ball of sunshine.
This is similar to Paul’s message regarding death and new life in Ephesians. When Paul starts the second chapter of his letter to Ephesus, he starts boldly and strongly. He declares the citizens of Ephesus as dead. Because of their sins and their transgressions, because they are children of wrath - they were dead. The ways of this world didn’t give them life; instead, it sentenced them to death. There was nothing they could do to save themselves; there was nothing they could do to bring them to life. They were metaphorical walking corpses. They were living a life of rotting and decaying, because even if they were physically walking, they were walking the way of death. And without a savior - they would continue to be walking this dismal journey until the finality of physical death overtook them. They were, and will be forevermore, dead.
This same message applies to us. Because without a Savior, we too are dead. We too have walked the journey of death. Not now but long before we were born, before we took our first breath of life, before we were even conceived in our mother’s womb, we were dead. Let me say that one more time. We were dead.
It’s a difficult concept to grasp. I mean, here we are, living and breathing as we join together in Sunday worship. Alive in this moment but once dead before Christ and before one another. How is this possible? When we were ever dead?
What we have to understand is the world keeps moving. Yes, God is eternal and infinite and never changes, but the world does. And part of this changing causes the corruption of churches and the messages they preach. These Churches do not proclaim the gospel or new life, but instead, these are the churches that bring metaphorical death to their members. Right now there are churches who forbid people who identify with the LGBTQ community to worship with their congregation. Right now there are churches who close their doors to people who suffer from mental diseases or addictions. Right now there are churches who ask members to leave if they have an abortion, a child out of wedlock, or a divorce. There are still churches who don’t allow their black and brown brothers and sisters to worship with them because they are viewed as lesser beings. And even now, we still have churches where women are taught that wives should serve their husbands and where men are taught that husbands should own their wives. It saddens me. Would any of you be allowed to worship at those churches? Or would you have been excluded? Would you have been made dead by the ways of these churches? Who does that church have left in their congregation? They have sent everyone away. I don’t know about you but this is not the course I want to be walking.
But here’s the thing about walking. We are not standing still; we are not stuck. The place in which we were will not be the place in which we will be. We are slowly but surely moving somewhere. Paul writes that we were once dead. But no longer! We have been made alive through Christ Jesus. We have been saved by grace! Death was defeated, and we were given new life. And this is the message that this church preaches. Whether this is your thousandth time in that pew or your first time, God has brought you to this place for a reason. God has brought us together in this place. It didn’t matter what you have done. It doesn’t matter what you will do because you haven’t saved yourself; that responsibility and power wasn’t put on you. A greater being - a being rich in mercy and love - took that on for you. And that is a blessing and a gift. And although you could have done nothing to save yourself, God stills call upon you to do something. You have been saved by grace through faith IN ORDER that you may do good works through Christ Jesus. Our works have not saved us, but they are part of the goal God had in mind in saving us. And that makes me think of the way - the journey - that I want to be walking.
When I think of where I want to be, I think of this place. A place where all are welcome. A place where people come to be made alive again through Christ. Author Justin Lee recalls a monumental worship service in his younger years, “The conference opened with a praise and worship session. Here, in the midst of so many Christians singing their songs of praise to God together, I felt much more at ease. This—-this—-was what it was to be a Christian: broken, hurting, imperfect people, united in love and gratitude to God. I could have worshiped forever in that room. I felt at peace.”
See, that was the path God has created for you to walk. A place where you can bring your brokenness, your pain, and your imperfections, unite them in love and gratitude, and lay them down at God’s holy feet. That place is here. Right here. See this table. That is your place. A place to lay the things that have made you feel dead - a place that serves as a living reminder of the grace that saved you. That is what happens when we partake of the bread and juice. You are taken before Christ, and you are reminded you are cared for by a God rich in mercy and grace. So when you take communion later, bring your sins and transgressions. Let go of your wrath. Bring everything that has made you dead. And lay it down. When you eat the bread, know you have been forgiven. When you drink from the cup, know you have been given eternal life. Feel at peace.
We are the people of God. It was Christ who has saved us. But it is also Christ who calls us to act like Christians. God’s grace is a gift that is freely given to us. We don’t earn a thing when it comes to God’s love, and we only try to live in response to the gift.
No one is climbing the spiritual ladder. We don’t continually improve until we are so spiritual we no longer need God. Rather, this is a gift you have been given that you may do good works. The “others” that the corrupted churches have made dead; they are no longer the “others.” They are our brothers and sisters in Christ. That is exactly how we need to treat them. We re not saved by good works, but but we saved so that the good works could reconcile and serve as evidence of reconciliation.. It’s not just for us; it’s for the reconciliation of the world. Do not exclude others to metaphorical death; remind them of the new and eternal life freely given to them through Christ Jesus. Allow them to remind you of your own new and eternal life. Be a blessing to one another.
When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he wrote that they once walked the way of death. We too have walked the way of death. But through the love of God, we were made alive in Christ. We were created new through Christ. God has looked down upon you, saw your deadness - your imperfections and sins, proclaimed his mercy and love, and saved you by grace through faith. “And this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” This is the path God has created for you to walk.
Amen.
—————————————
Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer God: We know that you have created a way for us to walk. Allow us to do so with grace and forgiveness as we walk hand in hand with our sisters and brothers. For once we once dead, but you have made us alive in through the life, death, and resurrection of your one and only beloved Son: Jesus Christ. Nourish us and sustain us as we walk this path of righteousness for your sake. For we know we are saved by grace through faith; it is not our doing, but a precious and holy gift from you.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment