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"Christian Transformation Sunday" The old Apostle Paul writes “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” When you think of offerings, what do you think of? When you think of the word, offerings, what images come to your mind? This past week I have been thinking about the word, offering, and many images come into my imagination. The first image I have of is the first appointment I had as a student pastor. I had been known from time to time, in my nervousness and newness, to forget to take up the offering. The small congregation would remain quiet when they realized I had skipped this crucial step in the order of service, and launch into my sermon. They would listen politely, and as I wrapped it up and announced the final hymn, there would be a few who would wave their check or a bill in the air as a way of getting my attention. Red faced, I would ask the usher to come forward and receive the offering during the final hymn. When I think of offerings, I think of our acolytes. During training for our acolytes, we try to teach them not only the duties of lighting candles and placing the offering plates on the altar, but that by doing these things, they are serving Christ. They are an offering themselves. But children will be children, and sometimes their offering involves making faces at the other acolyte across the chancel, or even holding up signs in order to make a commentary on the service, which is mortifying to their parents when they discover it. But their offering is like the offerings of all of humanity, imperfect and sometimes coerced. When I think of the offerings, I think of our ushers. Ushers know that their place on an usher team can last a long time. A number of our ushers have been at it for decades, faithful, careful, and helpful. So much so that I am sure many of us take them for granted. When I think of offerings, I think of my own monthly gift to the church, and the habit of regular, constant giving, and what all God gives me and my family through the practice of tithing. It has become simply a matter of expectation in our family. Taylor, my younger just landed a job…and we were counting chickens…you know, taking her hours and multiplying it by her wage to determine how much she will be making each week. And we reminded her that her first obligation, before she spent any or put any in savings, was to tithe. I told her the church would be grateful for her tithe. The history of the human race has always given offerings to God. It is the very nature of human beings to bring offerings to God. It is the very heart of the human condition throughout the whole wide world in every culture, throughout the history of the human race. So, what kind of offerings does God want? What kinds of offerings does God desire? What kind of offerings does the true God, who created the heavens and the earth, the true God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the true God who raised Jesus from the dead, what kind of offerings does this true God want from you and me? That is what today’s Scripture is all about. The Apostle Paul writes, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Let’s look more closely at this opening sentence of the 12th chapter of romans. Notice the very first word. Therefore. Therefore is the first word, the transitional word from the previous eleven chapters. Based on all the ideas and teachings that Paul has laid out in the first 11 chapters of this weighty theological document we call “Romans,” Paul uses the word “therefore.” A sign post that what follows flows from the ideas that have come before. It’s Paul’s way of saying, “because of all of this, I am now going to say this…” Therefore. I urge you” Some translations say “I appeal to you.” In other words, I plead with you, I beg you, I want to persuade you.” “please listen!” The mood is urgent. “I implore you.” The next phrase, “in view of God’s mercy.” The reason Paul is begging is because God has been good. In the previous 11 chapters, Paul has over and over told of God’s patient love, God’s desire to redeem, God’s gift of God’s own son, the sacrifice of that gift that we might have life. Paul is begging on the basis of all of this that God has done, and all that God will do. Paul asks his readers to look at the way that God has blessed us. In the things of this life, food, clothing, shelter and friends. The ability to work and the opportunities that have come our way. But also remember the blessings that reach far beyond this life. Eternal life in the home of God. Paul says, “I beg you. I plead with you. Please. Knowing that God has been so generous to you, I beg you…” Beg of us what? “To offer.” To present. To give, but in a special manner. A presentation. An offering. Like the wise travelers who opened their gifts before the Christ Child. The way a man opens a small velveteen box to reveal a diamond to his beloved. “I beg you, please, in light of God’s mercy, to offer..” The next phrase is, “your bodies.” What does Paul mean when he refers to offering our bodies? By body, Paul means everything about you. The totality of your person. Give your mind to God, and everything you think. Your eyes and all that you see. Your ears and all that you hear. Your mouth and all that you say. Your face and all the love you express through the expressions on your face. Your heart and all that you feel. Your hands and all that you touch. Your feet and every place you go. Give your total self to God. I urge you, I beg you, please. Knowing that God has been so generous with you, offer…your whole life to God…”as living sacrifices.” “As living sacrifices.” Normally when I think of a sacrifice, I think of something that is dead. When I think of a sacrifice, I think of the Old Testament. I think of goats, lambs, or bulls, killed and offered as a sacrifice. The very nature of a sacrifice in the Old Testament is to offer God something which is dead. But here, the Apostle Paul pleads that a living, breathing, walking, moving, functioning human being, holy and pleasing, is what we should offer, and what is ultimately desired by God. All the great Christians that I have met in my life, and I have met many, have this characteristic in common: they give their lives as a thank offering to God. This is true of all the great Christians that I know: they give themselves away to their God, their spouse, their children, their neighbor, even complete strangers. It is the answer to the call of the Christian to follow the Christ. “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” To do so, to give one’s life…”is spiritual worship.” Do you hear it? Spiritual worship is not attending church each week. Spiritual worship is not reading your Bible daily. Spiritual worship is not putting money in the offering plate. What God wants, what is holy and pleasing to God in worship, is you. Offer yourself as a living sacrifice to God. So the Apostle Paul said, “I urge you. I plead with you. Please. For all that God has done for you, offer your life, as a living offering to God. This is spiritual worship. But, how will be able to do what Paul suggests? Will we do it because Paul has begged us? Probably not. You mean when we understand what Paul is asking of us, we won’t be moved to lay our lives before God and give ourselves as a holy and living sacrifice? Unfortunately, no. But here’s the thing. Paul knew that. Paul knew that what he was pleading for, what he was asking us to consider was beyond our ability to respond. Beyond our capacity to offer ourselves …unless something changes. Unless something happens to change us. Inside out. Completely. Listen to what Paul says next. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Hear it? So long as we allow this world to press us into the mold and pop us out, indistinguishable from anyone else, whether they are or are not a follower of Christ, then we will not be able to participate in true, spiritual worship—that is the offering of ourselves to the life and work of Christ. So long as we conform to the world, we belong to the world. And that which belongs to the world cannot belong to Christ. “But be transformed…” Be changed. Be made new. Inside out. Completely. How? By the renewing of our minds. Ah….seems to me this is the work of Christian education. It’s not just education as in filling your mind with interesting information. Christian education is about transformation, through the renewal of our minds. It is formation. It is the shaping and molding that makes us stand out from the rest of the world. That makes us distinguishable from the rest of the world. That shapes us so that we are ready to take our place as a part of the body. That molds us that we are functioning and contributing to the body of Christ. That transforms us into living vessels of worship. Do not be conformed to this world. Paul says. Be transformed by the renewal of your minds. Are you working on this? Are you participating in a Sunday School class? A regular Bible Study? A small group dedicated to Spiritual formation? Are you paying attention to the renewal of your mind? Is your spiritual journey one of growth? Do you have new understandings today that you did not have yesterday? Are you committed to growing into new understandings tomorrow that you do not have today? Do not be conformed to this world. Lord, we know this world is broken, bent, sinful, death ridden. Why would we ever want to be conformed to that? Be transformed, by the renewing of your minds. That is how you will be able to offer yourself, holy and pleasing, as a living sacrifice to God. This is spiritual worship.
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