Reading
for Proper 12A:Romans 8:26-39
July 28, 2002
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
"And to those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified." (Rom. 8)
From the beginning of creation, it was God's plan to create a Christ-shaped humanity. The very first chapter of the Bible tells us: "God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female." But humankind chose not to live up to that image. Some theologians call this failure to live up to the image of God as "The Fall." The Bible records the story of this cyclical dynamic between God and God's people: God creates humankind in God's image. People choose to pull away from God. Turmoil and alienation result. God calls humankind back (e.g. through the prophets, conscience, natural law). People renew their commitment to God, at least for awhile. Then the cycle begins again. People choose to pull away from God. Turmoil and alienation result. Because of this dynamic, the world as we know it, has become a place of great pain and suffering. Paul calls this dynamic of pulling away from God as "living in the flesh."
In today's reading from his letter to the Romans, Paul speaks to the other aspect of this dynamic: that of being called back by God. What exactly is God calling us to be? Whom is God calling? And how are we to respond to this calling? This is the topic of today's sermon. To summarize my sermon in theological language, I am going to speak about election and predestination.
First of all, I want to say that one of the most tragic heresies to infect the Christian tradition is the heresy of docetism. Docetism is the belief that Jesus was not a full human being with flesh and blood and who died a human death. This tendency to undermine the full humanity of Jesus continues today. By portraying Jesus as some kind of superhero who can do all sorts of tricks that other human beings can not do or by portraying Jesus as a Greek god who came down from the heavens and whose nature is different from ours, undermines the full human nature of Jesus. The doctrine of the virginal conception (when taken out of its appropriate context) supports this docetic tendency to undermine Jesus' human nature. No wonder people end up saying: "I just don't get this Jesus thing."
The real problem with the heresy of docetism is that we put Jesus up on a pedestal and admire him, forgetting that we are called to conform to that image. It was God's intention that we become as open to God and as God filled as Jesus was; as full of eternal life as he was; that we become as potent in the transformation of human life as Jesus was; and above all, to think and love as he thought and love. Our vocation (as people of God who claim to follow Christ as Lord and Savior) is to become icons of Christ in our daily lives. This is our calling. This is what we have been elected to do. This is what our nature has been predestined to become.
The next question is: Who is being called to this life of love, justice, mercy, inclusivity, generosity, and peace? Who is being called to become an icon of Christ? This was a major question during the first century and it was a question that Paul addressed in most of his letters. During Paul's time as a missionary, the churches in Rome consisted of both Jews and Gentiles who decided to follow Jesus as the messiah. [Gentiles are non-Jews.] The Old Testament consistently asserts that God chose Israel to be his people. So where does that leave the Gentiles? Are they not elected to be God's people?
Many of the Jews who decided to follow Jesus, believed that it was necessary for all Gentiles to first become Jewish in order to part of God's elected people. This meant that they would have to follow the Jewish Purity codes and other laws and that all men would have to be circumcised. Well as you can imagine, the Gentiles didn't want any part of that (especially the men). This caused a division between the different groups within this newly forming "Christian Church." Paul concludes that it is not circumcision, nor purity codes, nor works of merit that save a person, but rather it is faith in God that save a person. Paul believed that God did indeed choose Israel to fulfill a special role as God's servant within God's plan of salvation. But now, God is calling all people to the task of witnessing, to the world, the good news that was revealed in Christ. This issue of extending election to all people was perhaps the most controversial issue that ever existed in the life of the Church. It was Paul's theology that opened up the doors.
Whenever we speak of being called or being elected by God, we must never fall into the error of thinking that people from other faith traditions are not also being called to become the people God wills for them to be. There are some Christian who claim that people who do not conform to a particular religious creed are damned. This judging of whether a person is "in" or "out" is dualistic, exclusionary thinking. It was Paul's intention (as well as Jesus') that the doors be open as wide as possible and that God's grace and love empower all who desired it.
There has been another tendency within the Christian tradition to misinterpret Paul' theology by claiming that God foreknows and ordains from all eternity, who will be saved and who will be damned. This is known as the doctrine of "Predestination." It is a destructive doctrine that denies free will and it is not embraced by the Episcopal Church. We Episcopalians tend to fall into the opposite error, believing that all people will be saved. This position also denies free will. The truth is, that we can choose to conform our lives to Christ and experience the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control) or we can choose to pull away from God. Pulling away from God results in pain and suffering and brings alienation to the world. God in his free will and sovereign grace, chooses and calls all people. But God does not coerce them. Thus people can damn themselves and damn the world. There can be no greater human dignity than this: To be made in the image of God and to walk in this world reflecting this image.
Today I conclude my sermon series on the theology of Paul. There is so much more to say in order to do justice to his theology. I wish I had more time. But then I am reminded that knowledge will not save us. We all have enough knowledge to continue in our journey towards wholeness. Perhaps what we need more than anything else, is to have more faith. At the heart of Paul's theology is the unshakable and sovereign love of God- a love that will win out in the end. Faith is the human response to this love. Faith is the opening up of the heart and mind, the reaching out of the hand, to grasp the love and power of God's Spirit.
The longest journey a person will ever make is the journey from the head to the heart. So I encourage you to make that journey. This world needs you to make that journey of faith. Listen to the world groaning in pain. Open your eyes to the injustices, the violence, the hurt, and despair. God has chosen you to become an icon of Christ; to reflect the light into the darkness of this world. And whenever you come face to face with this darkness, do not become discouraged and turn away. Instead allow Paul's words to give you hope: "For neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:39)
| Updated 8/1/02 |
|