Reformation Sunday

John 8:31-36

So this Reformation Sunday, there is an embarrassment of riches for the preacher.

Here at Grace, on Reformation Sunday, we have a tradition of celebrating the affirmation of baptism for our students who have completed three years of formation and instruction in confirmation. Earlier we heard Emily Karen, Nyles and Katya share their memory verses. And in the bulletin, you can read more about why those verses are meaningful to them. Later in the worship service, they will commit themselves to the promises that were made for them at baptism, and as a congregation, we will promise to support them in their lives in Christ and pray for them. I could talk more about these three youth and what we have learned together, but baptism isn’t about what we have done, but what God does for us.

Another sermon would talk about our favorite reformer Martin Luther and the work of the Protestant Reformation that happened a little over five hundred years ago. It’s the story of his being thunderstruck and becoming a monk and a professor. And even then, he had questions about God and faith, so he read and he studied and in reading Paul, discovered that God’s grace is a free gift given to us all, through no works of our own, but through the redemption we have in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:24) When Luther witnessed corruption in the Roman Catholic Church, he became an advocate for change and wrote and shared his 95 Theses calling for reform. He was called a heretic and eventually he was forced into hiding because he took a stand. But this isn’t “Luther Sunday”, and the story of our faith isn’t simply a historical account of what happened centuries ago. It is a story that continues today because God’s activity in our lives continues today.

And, while we are Lutheran, we do not worship Martin Luther, but Jesus Christ.

So I am going to focus on Jesus’ words in our gospel today.

While John’s gospel often uses a phrase translated “the Jews”, it’s helpful to understand that he is referring to a specific group of people – Judeans, and not even to the general population, but most likely to the religious leaders of Judea.[i]

John reveals that Jesus has been speaking to Judeans whose opinions are divided. Some are complaining about him (6:43) and want to arrest him (7:44) but others believe in him. (8:30).

In John’s gospel belief in Jesus isn’t an intellectual exercise; it means being in relationship with Jesus. It isn’t a matter of the head, but of the heart.

And Jesus encourages those who have believed in him, saying, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples.” (8:31)

There is a note for Bible geeks here. In Greek, the word Jesus uses for “continue” comes from meno μένω and another way to translate μένω is “to remain” or “to abide”.

In John 5, after he heals a man on the Sabbath, Jesus speaks to the Judeans about God’s Word abiding in those who believe. (5:38)

And again, when he teaches about the “bread from heaven in John 6, he says, “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them.” (6:56)

When he describes himself as a vine and God as the vinegrower, he commands his followers, “Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” (15:4)

And then he says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. (15:9)

When Jesus says we are to continue, or remain, or abide in “his word”, we are meant to remember the prologue at the very beginning of John when Jesus says,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (1:1)

“The Word”, in Greek the λόγος is God, is Jesus. So when he says “continue in my word” he is saying, “abide in me”, stay in this relationship. Because it is in relationship with Jesus that we experience the truth of God revealed in Him, and in relationship that we experience God’s free gift of abundant grace and love.

And that is the truth that sets us free.

Free to explore the world where we live and become the person God has created us to be.

Free to try and fail. Free to mess up and be forgiven.

Free to stop navel gazing, curved in on ourselves, and serve and love others.

Today as we celebrate with Emily Karen, Nyles and Katya, our confirmands on this Reformation Sunday,

we remember that we are always becoming the disciples that God desires;

we recognize that our history and tradition provide guideposts for how we practice our faith;

and we give thanks for the truth and freedom we know in Christ.

Amen.

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[i] Judith Jones. “Commentary on John 8:31-36”. workingpreacher,org. Luther Seminary.

Lectionary 29A (el vigésimo primer domingo después de Pentecostés)

Mateo 22:15-22 

I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. 

Oremos…

Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestro corazón sean aceptables ante tus ojos, Señor, nuestra fortaleza y nuestro redentor. Amén.

En nuestra lectura del evangelio. Mateo describe una escena que tiene lugar en el templo. Jesús ha estado enseñando y ahora los líderes religiosos que sospechan de Jesús y quieren arrestarlo están tratando de desacreditarlo. Sabiendo que el gobierno romano exige impuestos a los ciudadanos, le preguntan a Jesús: “¿Es lícito pagar impuestos al emperador, o no?”

Es una pregunta capciosa, por supuesto. Si Jesús les dice a los ciudadanos que no paguen el impuesto, las autoridades romanas podrían arrestarlo. Y si dice que el impuesto es legal, entonces va en contra de la opinión popular del pueblo judío y potencialmente en contra de los códigos religiosos.

Entonces, cuando Jesús responde, denuncia su hipocresía y su malicia hacia él. Pero luego les hace su propia pregunta.

Primero, Jesús les dice a los líderes que le muestren una de las monedas utilizadas para el impuesto del emperador. Y alguien le trae la moneda que habría sido una moneda de plata romana llamada denario. En un lado habría un grabado con la imagen del emperador romano Tiberio, hijo de Augusto César. Y por otro habría llamado a Tiberio Sumo Sacerdote.

Había cambiadores de dinero en el templo que cambiaban monedas romanas por las monedas utilizadas para comprar sacrificios en el templo, pero estas monedas romanas todavía estaban en los bolsillos de los líderes religiosos. Cuando le llevaron una de las monedas romanas a Jesús, le revelaron que participan en la economía del imperio.

Y eso los preparó para la pregunta de Jesús, que era: "¿De quién es esta cabeza y de quién es el título?"

Por supuesto, era del emperador. Entonces Jesús les dice: “Dad, pues, al emperador lo que es del emperador y a Dios lo que es de Dios”.

Lo que no se dice, pero lo que Jesús sabía, y los líderes religiosos deberían haber recordado, es que todas las cosas pertenecen a Dios primero.

Cuando lo olvidamos, permitimos que otros ídolos, íconos e imágenes reclamen nuestras vidas, nuestra lealtad y nuestro tiempo. Nos alejamos de Dios y de las cosas de Dios y actuamos como si pudiéramos elegir lo que le pertenece a Dios.

Esta tendencia a rechazar la soberanía de Dios y tratar de controlar lo que sucede es parte del ser humano. En el Salmo 96, el salmista nos recuerda que: “Porque todos los dioses de los pueblos son ídolos, pero Jehová hizo los cielos”. (96:5 NVI) y en la carta de Pablo a los Tesalonicenses, escribe que la gente allí se había “convertido de los ídolos a Dios”. (1:9)

Nuestra lectura de Isaías tiene lugar mientras Dios se prepara para sacar a los israelitas del exilio. El rey persa Ciro ha sido ungido por Dios para permitir que los judíos regresen a su hogar en Jerusalén, y comenzando en el versículo 5,

Dios está relatando las formas en que Dios ha actuado a lo largo de la historia, incluso en la creación de la luz y las tinieblas, y de “bienes y ayes” o bienestar y destrucción. El poder para hacer todo esto está en manos de Dios, no de los humanos.

La soberanía de Dios no es una cuestión de elección ni de opinión. Es una declaración de hecho. Y podemos ignorarlo bajo nuestro propio riesgo, o podemos bendecir el nombre del Señor y adorarlo, confiando en que Dios es un rey y juez misericordioso.

En nuestras vidas, es fácil caer cautivo de la tentación de tomar el control, de esforzarnos por crear nuestra propia seguridad, de trabajar por la aprobación de los demás.

Una de las prácticas que tengo cuando sé que mi ansiedad aumenta en torno al control, la seguridad, la aprobación o la estima es una oración que enseña el difunto padre Thomas Keating, un monje y sacerdote católico. Llamada Oración de Bienvenida, es una forma de abrirme a la presencia y actividad de Dios en mi vida y mis actividades diarias. Es solo una frase:

“Dejo ir mi deseo de seguridad, afecto, control y acepto este momento tal como es”.

La soberanía de Dios nos ofrece libertad de esos deseos y nos invita a confiar en que Dios actuará con justicia (Salmo 96), que Dios irá delante de nosotros y nivelará las montañas y los obstáculos que tenemos por delante (Isaías 45:3), y que Dios nos elige y nos llama. amados. (1 Tes. 1:4)

Oremos…

Dios bueno y misericordioso, te damos gracias por tu Hijo Jesús, que nos muestra la plenitud de tu amor por nosotros.

Danos confianza en tu soberanía, poder, fortaleza, amor y misericordia.

Ayúdanos a ser imitadores de Jesús y generosos con nuestro amor y servicio.

Oramos en el nombre de Jesús.

Amén.

Matthew 22:15-22

In our gospel reading. Matthew describes a scene that takes place in the temple. Jesus has been teaching, and now the religious leaders who are suspicious of Jesus and want to arrest him are trying to discredit him. Knowing that the Roman government requires taxes from the citizens, they ask Jesus, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor, or not?”

It's a trick question of course. If Jesus tells the citizens not to pay the tax, he could be arrested by the Roman authorities. And if he says the tax is lawful, then he goes against the popular opinion of the Jewish people and potentially against the religious codes.

So, when Jesus answers, he calls out their hypocrisy and their malice towards him. But then he asks them a question of his own.

First, Jesus tells the leaders to show him one of the coins used for the emperor’s tax. And someone brings him the coin which would have been a Roman silver coin called a denarius. On one side, there would have been an engraving of the likeness of the Roman emperor Tiberius, son of Augustus Caesar. And on the other it would have called Tiberius the High Priest.

There were money exchangers at the temple who exchanged Roman currency for the coins used to purchase sacrifices at the temple, but these Roman coins were still in the pockets of the religious leaders. When they brought one of the Roman coins to Jesus, they revealed that they participate in the economy of the empire.

And that set them up for Jesus’ question, which was, “Whose head is this, and whose title?”

It was of course, the emperor’s. Jesus then tells them, “Give therefore the things to the emperor that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s. 

What goes unsaid, but what Jesus knew, and the religious leaders should have remembered, is that all things belong to God first.

When we forget that, we allow other idols, icons and images to stake a claim on our lives, our loyalty and our time. We turn away from God and the things of God and act as if we can choose what belongs to God.

This tendency to reject God’s sovereignty and try to control what happens is part of being human. In Psalm 96, the Psalmist reminds us that, “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.” (96:5 NRS) and in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, he writes that the people there had “turned to God from idols.” (1:9

Our reading from Isaiah takes place as God is preparing to bring the Israelites out of exile. The Persian king Cyrus has been anointed by God to allow the Jews to go home to Jerusalem, and beginning in verse 5, God is recounting the ways God has acted throughout history, including in creation of light and darkness, and of “weal and woe” or well-being and destruction. The power to do all of this is in God’s hands, not human ones.

God’s sovereignty isn’t a matter of choice or an opinion. It’s a statement of fact. And we can ignore it to our peril, or we can bless the Lord’s name and worship the Lord, confident God is a merciful king and judge.

In our lives, it’s easy to fall captive to the temptation to take control, to strive to create our own security, to work for the approval of others.

One of the practices I have when I know my anxiety is rising around control, security or approval or esteem, is a prayer that’s taught by the late Father Thomas Keating, a Catholic monk and priest. Called the Welcoming Prayer, it’s a way of opening myself to God’s presence and activity in my life and daily activities. It’s just one sentence:

“I let go of my desire for security, affection, control and embrace this moment as it is.”

God’s sovereignty offers us freedom from those desires and invites us to trust God will act justly (Psalm 96), that God will go before us and level the mountains and obstacles ahead (Isaiah 45:3), and that God chooses us and calls us beloved. (1 Thess. 1:4)

Let us pray…

Good and gracious God, we give you thanks for your Son Jesus who shows us the fullness of your love for us.

Give us confidence in your sovereignty and power and might, love and mercy.

Help us be imitators of Jesus and generous with our love and service.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

Lectionary 28A

Matthew 22:1-14

In Matthew’s gospel, we are in Holy Week. A day or so after Jesus entered Jerusalem heralded as the Messiah, he is talking to the crowd, including religious leaders, in parables.

Remember parables are like short stories that tell us about God and God’s kingdom. Jesus uses familiar images like kings and rulers, weddings, families, crops and vineyards to teach his audience.

In this week’s parable, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a king who has thrown a wedding banquet for his son. Imagine the elaborate preparations that a royal wedding would involve. And then consider that, in ancient Israel, weddings were joyful celebrations that took place over days of festivities. Remember the story of the wedding at Cana in John’s gospel? There were vats of wine. And here the king says he has slaughtered his oxen and fatted calves. 

This would be the party to end all parties. And, everyone loves a party, right?

But when the king sends his slaves out to invite the guests, the guests don’t respond with enthusiasm, gratitude, or joy.

Instead, some of them are dismissive and others are murderous, killing the messengers who had brought their invitations. And in the spirit of “taking an eye for an eye” (Leviticus 4:19-21), the king responds to their violence with his own vengeance, ordering his army to kill the murderers and burn their city to the ground.

Now, Matthew was writing to a Jewish audience sometime after 80 CE, after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE. Living under Roman occupation, his listeners would have known about rulers who destroy cities and oppress people.

They also would have known the Isaiah text we heard earlier. We divide the writings of the prophet Isaiah into three parts, and that text is in what we call First Isaiah. It is set in the time before the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem, and before the exile under the Babylonian empire.

In the text, the prophet describes a city that has been destroyed, a place where ruthless nations had ruled. And then he acknowledges how God has responded to God’s people, providing refuge to the poor and to the needy. And he makes a promise that eventually there will be a great banquet or feast for all people. And that the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, will save his people.

So, returning to our gospel, we have heard how the city was destroyed and we have heard how the ruthless murderers have been killed. So we are ready to hear about the great banquet or feast for all people.

And in the parable, that is what comes next. The king sends out more slaves, and this time they are told to invite everyone they find to the wedding banquet. The invitation is no longer limited; it is wide open and all are invited. And the slaves do what they’re told, and the wedding hall is filled with people.

But then we get a twist. And this appears to be Matthew’s addition because the same parable appears in Luke, but Luke ends it after the slaves go out a second time, with the king saying, “For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.” (Luke 4:24)

Matthew concludes the parable with an encounter between the king and a wedding guest. Apparently, the guest, whom the king calls “friend”, isn’t clothed appropriately. We may be curious about the word “friend”, because it’s the same word used by the vineyard owner when he speaks to the laborers who complained about their wages (Matthew 20) and it’s the same word that Jesus uses when he addresses Judas Iscariot in Gesthemane when Judas arrives to betray him. (Matthew 26)

Although the king had told the slaves to invite everyone, he has a problem with this guest. After questioning the wedding guest about how he got into the banquet, the king orders him bound and thrown into the outer darkness where there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (v. 14).

This is a phrase Matthew uses six times and Luke only uses once, and it doesn’t appear anywhere else in Scripture. It reflects the theme of judgment that we hear in Matthew’s gospel alongside the call to discipleship and bearing fruit. However, the judgment isn’t about who gets to come to the banquet. Everyone is invited.

Instead, Matthew “repeatedly calls his community to responsible obedience.”[i] When we become disciples and follow Jesus, we have a responsibility to our neighbors and the world, and we are accountable for how we bear witness to who God is.

As we remember in our thanksgiving for baptism, when we are joined to Christ in the waters of baptism, we are clothed with God's mercy and forgiveness. As Paul writes in Ephesians, Galatians and Colossians, we are transformed when we put on Christ, a new self. I understand that the wedding guest who is cast out of the banquet in Matthew’s parable illustrates that discipleship is not only showing up, but living out our faith in our actions and words throughout our lives.

Echoing his message about the narrow gate (Matthew 7:13; Luke 13:23) and the difficulty of a rich person entering the kingdom of God (Matthew 19:24), Matthew ends his parable saying, “For many are called, but few are chosen.”

So where is the good news? And what is Jesus telling us about God and the kingdom of heaven?

The text has several problems, and it challenges us and in places, it makes us uncomfortable. It’s ok for us to admit that.

First, if we have been thinking that the king represents God, we have a vengeful and violent God. And that isn’t good news.

A second problem comes from our tendency to see ourselves in the role of the hero in the parables that Jesus tells. Honestly, we usually aren’t. Instead, we are much more likely to be the ones who respond with stubborn and hardened hearts and the ones who ignore the generosity we witness. So in this parable, that would make us the ones whom the king destroys. Still no good news.

And third, it’s important to say aloud that anti-Semitic interpretations of this parable that see the two groups of guests as plan A and plan B, the Jews and the Gentiles, is also problematic. Christians do not replace the Jewish people; we are included in the invitation.

I think Martin Luther is helpful for our understanding of this parable. Referring to Christ’s return, Luther is quoted as saying, “There are two days in my calendar: This day and that Day.”

“This day” is today.

And “that Day” is the day or the messianic banquet or the great feast for all people when God will wipe away the tears from all faces. (Isaiah 25:8) It is the wedding banquet where everyone is invited.

Luther recognized that what is important is today ̶ not dwelling in the past or worrying about the unknown future. Today, we can follow Christ and today we can love our neighbor.

And meanwhile, with those listening to Jesus tell this parable, we trust that Isaiah’s words will be fulfilled and there will be a great feast for all people when the Lord God will swallow up death forever and wipe away the tears from all faces. (Isaiah 25:8-9) And our expectation of that Day shapes how we live This day. “We live today, as those who are waiting for Jesus’ return.”[ii]

Let us pray.

Good and gracious God,

Thank you for your grace and mercy and the invitation to live in your kingdom.

Thank you for clothing us in righteousness at our baptism and teaching us how to live our lives in Christ, as disciples transformed by your generous love.

Help us put on Christ daily, bearing fruit and preparing for the great feast that is to come.

We pray in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

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[i] James Boyce. “Theological Themes in Matthew.” Enter the Bible. Luther Seminary.. https://enterthebible.org/courses/matthew/lessons/theological-themes-in-matthew, accessed 10/12/23.

[ii] Lewis Guest IV. “This Day and That Day: The Pressures of Today and the Returning King. “ DesiringGod.org. https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/this-day-and-that-day, accessed 10/12/23.

Lectionary 27A (el decimonoveno domingo después de Pentecostés)

Filipenses 3:4b-14

I preached this sermon in the Spanish service; the English translation is below. 

Oremos…

Que las palabras de mi boca y las meditaciones de nuestros corazónes sean aceptables ante tus ojos, Señor, nuestra fortaleza y nuestro redentor. Amén.

Al final de nuestra lectura de la carta de Pablo a la iglesia en Filipos, el dice: 

Olvidándome de lo que queda atrás y esforzándome por alcanzar lo que está por delante, prosigo hacia la meta, para alcanzar el premio del llamado celestial de Dios en Cristo Jesús. (v. 13-14)

Y tal vez sea porque la gimnasta Simone Biles acaba de ganar su vigésimo título mundial, pero la palabra “premio” me llamó la atención.

A menudo, cuando la gente habla de vivir una vida fiel, parece que estamos tratando de ganar un premio. El premio es el cielo, ¿verdad? Es "el lugar bueno": una ciudad celestial con calles doradas y puertas de perlas. Y sólo necesitamos ser lo suficientemente buenos o trabajar lo suficientemente duro para llegar allí.

Pero el premio que Pablo nombra no es el cielo, o al menos no es como se ve el cielo en las películas o en la televisión. 

A diferencia de su carta a los Gálatas, donde Pablo aborda un conflicto en su iglesia y comunidad, o su carta a los romanos, donde presenta muchas de las principales enseñanzas del cristianismo a su audiencia, la carta de Pablo a los Filipenses anima a sus oyentes a regocijarse en su conocimiento de Cristo.

Seguir a Jesús o vivir como discípulo se trata de vivir con alegría, unidos en Cristo.

Filipos era una colonia romana y muchos de sus residentes eran veteranos del ejército romano. Estos mismos soldados podrían haber perseguido a la Iglesia primitiva en los lugares bajo ocupación romana. Y Pablo les recuerda que él también era un líder judío, un fariseo celoso que perseguía a la Iglesia, pero todo eso desapareció cuando se encontró con Cristo Jesús.

Todo el comportamiento y pensamiento deshonroso y pecaminoso que marcó nuestras vidas antes de Cristo eseliminado, en la fe. Como hace referencia Pablo en el v. 9, para cada uno de nosotros, Jesús hace lo que se puede llamar “un intercambio feliz”, quitando todo nuestro pecado y dándonos su justificacion.

El “premio” al que hace referencia Pablo no es una medalla bañada en oro ni un premio mayor de lotería; es vida en relación con Dios.

Vivimos como discípulos imitando a Cristo y volviéndonos más semejantes a Cristo. No es algo que podamos lograr con nuestros propios esfuerzos, sino una meta por la que trabajar mientras vivimos nuestras promesas bautismales. Perseguir este objetivo de una vida fiel implica escuchar a Dios y seguir su llamado en nuestras vidas a amarnos y servirnos unos a otros.

Como escribe Pablo, dice que Cristo Jesús lo agarró o lo hizo suyo. (v 12) Y me pregunto, ¿cuándo en tu vida, has sido agarrado por Cristo Jesús?

A menudo cuento la historia de cómo regresé a la iglesia. Estaba en la universidad y un amigo me invitó a una reunión ministerial universitaria. Algún tiempo después, el grupo estaba planeando un viaje a la playa para las vacaciones de primavera y yo me inscribí. Fue un retiro, con conferencistas, música y adoración. La gente allí describió a Dios y el amor de Dios por mí de una manera que no recordaba haber escuchado antes. Y regresé a la iglesia y comencé a aprender más sobre cómo vivir una vida fiel, fundada en Jesús.

Otro momento en el que pensamos en que Jesús nos atrape o llame nuestra atención podría ser en el bautismo. Allí hablamos de cómo Dios nos renombra hijos de Dios. El Dios que nos conoce desde antes de que naciéramos nos reconoce y nos reclama.

Y  otro momento puede ser cuando estemos en crisis, cuando describamos cómo Dios nos sostiene y nos consuela. En Isaías 40, tenemos la imagen de Dios como un pastor, cargando a sus corderos en sus brazos y en Mateo 23 y Lucas 13 tenemos la imagen de Dios como una gallina maternal, juntando sus polluelos bajo sus alas. Hay seguridad en la presencia de Dios.

Cualesquiera que sean las circunstancias, algo sucede y tenemos lo que Pablo describe como una revelación, una nueva comprensión de lo que Dios está haciendo en nuestras vidas.

Y Pablo es honesto aquí, incluso después de su experiencia de encontrar a Cristo, incluso con todo su conocimiento de las Escrituras y de nuestro Salvador, todavía no ha logrado su objetivo.

Él sabe que somos santos y pecadores, justificados y santificados por Cristo, y aún así, debido a nuestra condición humana, pecadores. Lutero llamó al pecado volverse hacia nosotros mismos, y cuando estamos encerrados en nosotros mismos, es muy difícil ver a alguien más, amar a alguien o servir a alguien más.

Pero Dios también lo sabe y Dios continúa esperándonos, continúa morando con nosotros y continúa amándonos, y por esa misericordia, ¡nos regocijamos!

Gracias a Dios.

Philippians 3:4b-14

At the end of our reading from Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi, he says,

forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (v. 13-14)

And maybe it’s because the gymnast Simone Biles just won her twentieth world championship title, but the word “prize” grabbed my attention.

Often, when people talk about living a faithful life, it sounds like we are trying to win a prize. The prize is heaven, right? It’s “the good place” - a celestial city with golden streets and pearly gates.  And we only need to be good enough or work hard enough to get there.

But the prize that Paul names isn’t heaven, or at least it’s not what heaven looks like in movies or on television.

Unlike his letter to the Galatians where Paul addresses a conflict in their church and community, or his letter to the Romans where he presents many of the main teachings of Christianity to his audience, Paul’s letter to the Philippians encourages his hearers to rejoice in their knowledge of Christ.

Following Jesus or living as a disciple is about living joyfully, united in Christ.

Philippi was a Roman colony, and many of its residents were veterans of the Roman army. These same soldiers might have persecuted the early Church in the places under Roman occupation. And Paul reminds them that he too, was a Jewish leader, a zealous Pharisee who persecuted the Church, but all of that fell away when he encountered Christ Jesus.

All of the dishonorable and sinful behavior and thinking that marked our lives before Christ is discarded, in faith. As Paul references in v. 9, for every one of us, Jesus makes what can be called “a happy exchange”, taking all of our sin away and giving us his righteousness.

The “prize” that Paul references isn’t a gold-plated medal or a lottery jackpot; it is life in relationship with God.

We live as disciples by imitating Christ and becoming more Christ-like. It’s not something we can achieve by our own efforts, but a goal to work toward as we live into our baptismal promises. Pursuing this goal of a faithful life is about listening to God and following God’s call on our lives to love and serve one another.

As Paul writes, he says Christ Jesus has grabbed him or made him his own. (v 12) And I wonder, when in your life, have you been grabbed by Christ Jesus?

I often tell the story of how I returned to the church. I was in college and a friend invited me to a campus ministry meeting. Sometime later the group was planning a beach trip for spring break, and I signed up. It was a retreat, with speakers and music and worship. The people there described God and God’s love for me in ways that I didn’t remember hearing before. And I came back to church and began to learn more about living a faithful life, grounded in Jesus.

Another time when we think about Jesus grabbing us or getting our attention might be at baptism. There we talk about how God renames us children of God. The God who has known us since before we were born recognizes us and claims us.

And still another time may be when we are in crisis, when we describe how God holds us and comforts us. In Isaiah 40, we have the image of God as a shepherd, carrying his lambs in his arms and in Matthew 23 and Luke 13 we have the image of God as a mothering hen, gathering her chicks under her wings. There is security in God’s presence.

Whatever the circumstances are, something happens, and we have what Paul describes as a revelation, a new understanding of what God is doing in our lives.

And Paul is honest here, even after his experience of encountering Christ, even with all of his knowledge of Scripture and our Savior, he still hasn’t achieved his goal.

He knows that we are both saint and sinner, justified and sanctified by Christ, and still, because of our human condition, sinful. Luther called sin being turned in on ourselves, and when we are turned in on ourselves, it is very difficult to see anyone else, to love anyone else or to serve anyone else.

But God knows this too and God continues to wait for us, continues to abide with us and continues to love us, and for that mercy, we rejoice!

Thanks be to God.