The Christian Church is quite an odd gather of people. Have you ever stopped to think about what it is that we proclaim? 2000 years ago, in an obscure town in a tiny, out of the way province of the
But I left something out. Did you catch it? I left out the resurrection. Isaiah proclaims that God is doing something new. Streams of water are springing up in the wilderness. The people God has chosen will proclaim His name. The Pharisee who seeks to destroy the
Paul had his life figured out. He was the perfect Jew. His family had followed the Torah and had him circumcised when he was 8 days old. He was born of the tribe of Benjamin, an educated man who had become a Pharisee, a teacher of the Jewish law. And when this strange group of people called Christians started proclaiming that Jesus was God, Paul was sure they were committing blasphemy. He traveled around, enforcing the law and persecuting the church. A zealous Paul was stoning Christian leaders in obedience to the law.
Then Paul met Christ. This zealous Jew was caught up by the Holy Spirit and the grace of God into the life of Christ, and he cast aside everything which used to be important. Can you heart the theme reverberating through his letter? He “puts no confidence in the flesh,” whatever were gains, he now considers losses,” and he considers all his former glories as garbage. Paul is now a man whose life seems backwards. What has happened?
Christ took hold of Paul just like he had taken hold of those other crazy Christians. We live in a world tormented by the effects of the Fall. We are captive to sin and death, and our bodies are weak, frail, and decaying. We are in bondage to sin, death, and the devil. From the moment we are born, we are dying. Our time here is short, and we face diseases and wars. There is no guarantee that we will even wake up tomorrow. And lest we think that we are not in bondage to evil, look at the morning paper. Catholics kill Protestants in
Paul’s former life was a part of this captivity. He followed the law to try to curb the sinful nature, but the law could not deliver him from bondage. He was from
We seek freedom as well. We want liberation from the decay and death of our bodies. We want victory over the power of sin. We know this desire every time a new request comes across the prayer chain, and every time we celebrate the life and passing of a brother or sister. We groan in anticipation of the perfecting of our bodies, and we celebrate when our brothers and sisters pass on because they have won the prize which they were seeking: the resurrection of their bodies. That liberation and victory came at a price for Paul. He participated in the sufferings of Christ and joined in his crucifixion. He received liberation, but he had to die first. After all, without death, there is no resurrection.
Today is the fifth Sunday of Lent. Next Sunday we will celebrate the entry into
What might we need to die to in order to be set free? Paul set aside his status. He had authority as a teacher, even if it was only authority over a small number of Jews. Maybe for us it is the authority of being a boss at work or of being the head of our extended families. | Paul counted as loss the boundary markers of his society. Here, maybe it is being Black or being White, having an education or having none, being a confederate or being a Yankee, having money or being poor. Paul gave up his special status in the people of God. Being a Hebrew was nothing compared to being brought into the life of Christ. For us, does being Methodist compare with Christ? Does being a member of a Christian family take the place of life in Christ?
As we go to God in silent prayer now, remember that Paul gave up persecuting the church and was transformed into a powerful missionary. What you may have to give up to attain the resurrection of the dead? What new thing might God do with you as you are taken hold of by Christ?
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