Rev. George
Miller
May 9, 2021
Galatians
1:13-24
(Note- like last week, this is a character based sermon; this time presented by "Paul".)
Good morning. I heard ya’ll had a guest speaker last week,
Barnabas, my traveling companion.
I heard how Barnabas told
you all the ways we shined for the Lord and brought people to Jesus Christ.
I also heard how Barnabas made
a few comments at my expense.
First, I heard that hedidn’t
just call me “ugly”, but he called me “ooglee.”
Well, all I can say is that
not all of us can pull of casual Caribbean wear with a straw hat and sandals. Some of us prefer the more refined look of
suits, ties, and polished shoes.
2nd, I heard
Barnabas found great delight in telling you how they thought I was Hermes and
he was Zeus.
What he failed to tell you
is that the Greeks think Zeus is a temperamental, husky old man with a grey beard.
Whereas they think Hermes is
young, fun and an active messenger.
So, he can call me Hermes if
he wants since it is I, not he, who got most of the message out.
Now, I’m not here to be
petty (although it can be fun at times), I’m here to talk about the controversy
taking place in the Jerusalem church.
It would appear that Peter
and James, the brother of Jesus, have all too quickly forgotten what the Good
News of Jesus Christ it about.
It seems like they have lost
their shine; their faith has become a bit dull and mired in their fear over
what people may say.
As you may know, I don’t care
what people say about me…well, maybe a little…well, maybe a lot, but I try my best
to act like I don’t.
The issue Peter and James have
is this- are people expected to be circumcised and keep kosher if they are
coming to us as a non-Jew?
Can only those missing a
small piece of skin be seen as true followers of Jesus?
They say “yes.” I say “no.”
Here’s why- It’s not that I don’t
love the Law. I do.
I am proud of my religious
heritage, and if you ever have time, I will gladly tell you all the things I’ve
done.
I love the Law and Commandments
because in their purest form they guide us in how to show our love to God, to neighbor
and to Creation.
The Law is not meant to be a
burden, but a joy that we do not because we must, but because we are loved.
For example, all you mothers
out there-
What would you rather have
your children do-
Wash their dishes after
supper because they are afraid of you or think it will earn your love…or would
you like them to wash their dishes, clean up their room, and leave the seat
down because it is their way of saying “Hey Mom, I love you, and thank you for
loving me.”
It's the same thing with the
Law.
Circumcision doesn’t make
God love you; circumcision is one way people can show that they are loved, and
belong to the family of God.
But there are so many other ways-
Feed the hungry
Contact those who lost a
loved one
Dig in the dirt; mow the
lawn
Donate peanut butter
Give your spare change to Back
Bay
But Peter, James and this rally
of religious traditionalists are telling the new believers that their faith is
invalid until they are circumcised, eat kosher, and follow the Letter of the
Law.
Peter has become the biggest
hypocrite. In the past he’s had no
problem sitting down with folk having a pulled pork, shrimp boil, crab leg buffet.
Not once did I ever see
Peter turn down a double bacon cheeseburger until now.
Now that the religious traditionalists
have come into town, Peter acts like his lips have never touched pork and to
make it worse, he is publicly shaming all our new members who are dining at Red
Lobster and Sonny’s Barbeque.
Shaming them, as if he himself
did not witness the crucifixion and empty tomb of Jesus Christ.
Not only that, but Barnabas…Barnabas
has succumb to great fear over what people may think and he too has taken to
clinging to the Law as if he was not in Lystra with me eating with hundreds
upon hundreds of uncircumcised believers of Jesus Christ.
Barnabas has become a “Barna-oh-no-u
don’t!”
So, let me simply tell you this-
The Law is beautiful. The Law is life
giving. The Law is a way to express our
gratitude to God.
The Law teaches us to
respect, to rest, to reach our very best.
For me, the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ is the culmination of everything the Law is meant
to be.
Jesus was the most faithful
Jewish person one could ever meet. He
lived the Law; he embodied the Law.
He used the Law to shine!
So, when Jesus willingly
went to the cross to die, it was the most pivotal moment in human history.
He was willing to follow God
even if it meant his own suffering and death, so when God raised Jesus from the
grave, when the women saw the empty tomb, it was proof that God had justified
Jesus as a righteous and faithful Jew.
For me, the events on the
cross, at the tomb, and on the road to Damascus, are proof that we are saved by
grace in a way that being a slave to the Law cannot do.
An if one wishes to follow
the Law as their expression of love and thanks to God, let them.
But to force someone to
follow the Law, to force someone to give up a bit of skin, that’s the opposite of
grace.
That’s conditional love.
And I don’t know about you,
but I believe our God is bigger than any human concept of love, and God is greater
than any parliamentary procedure.
Some may agree, many may
disagree.
But ultimately, I believe
Jesus died, and Jesus was resurrected, so that we can all shine, shine, shine,
shine.
Because the more we shine,
the more we are all free.
Amen and amen.
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