Sunday, June 6, 2021

May 30 Message- Galatians 5:16-26; The True Gifts of Grace

 

Rev. George Miller

May 30, 2021

Galatians 5:16-26

 

Here we are. 

 

Today is our last reading from Paul’s painful letter to the Galatian Church.

 

For 5 weeks we have been in the world of James, the brother of Jesus, Peter, religious traditionalists, circumcisers, and all-you-can-eat crab buffets.

 

Within 5 weeks we’ve gone from mask on to mask off.  We’ve heard from Barnabas; we’ve heard from Paul. 

 

We celebrated Haitian Flag Day, and now here we are, Memorial Day Weekend.

 

Today, we visit Galatians 5, one of the hardest texts to speak on, and one I have never preached.

 

Why?  Because this is one of those scriptures that has been used to hurt and condemn whole swaths of individuals and segments of society.

 

This is a scripture that just feels like it’s some overzealous aunt wagging her finger and talking about “those people.”

 

This is one of those scriptures that is used by so-called Christians to pass unjust bills, and for so-called “prayer warriors” to show up at city council when someone dares to dream about serving alcohol in downtown.

 

To be honest, this is a scripture that makes us progressive pastors not feel so pleasant, so it’s a lot easier to ignore.

 

But no one grows by ignoring what makes them squirm. 

 

So today, we address the portion of Paul’s letter in which you can feel the moral police band together.

 

Paul has spent his entire letter trying to advocate for the freedom that comes from grace. 

 

Paul is so sure that Jesus’ death on the cross and God’s actions on Easter morn are such a turning point in history that they have bestowed upon all individuals the gift of grace.

 

ALL individuals- Slave and free. Male and female.  Buckeyes and Florida State.  Masked and unmasked.

 

So he’s so upset that other people are coming in and ruining this radical new freedom. 

 

Not only that, people are suggesting that what Paul is really saying is “Have a field day.  Go wild.  Get drunk.  Steel all the oranges you want and kick all the dogs you see!”

 

To which Paul says “NO!  That’s not what I mean.” 

 

“Grace is the freedom to do what is just, what is kind, what is humble not because you must, but because you want to.”

 

Paul is defending his message that thanks to Christ, we are all adopted into God’s family. 

 

As heirs to God’s inheritance, we are free to act as the Citizens of Heaven that we rightfully are.

 

According to Paul, thanks to Jesus, we can all now call Sarah and Abraham Mema and Pop-pop without having to cut off a piece of our skin or refrain from eating pork tacos.

 

So today’s portion of the letter is Paul’s attempt to show what a Citizen of Heaven looks like.

 

As a preacher, Paul is so slick.  He does something that is so sly.

 

He starts his list not with pleasant sounding words that stroke people’s egos, or with abstract terms that can make folk squirm.

 

Paul starts his list with very concrete actions that one can point to and judge.

 

“Fornication!” he says.  In which you can image everyone nodding their head and saying “Hmm-mm.”

 

“Impurity.  Sorcery.”

 

But if you notice, what he’s doing is referring to the people who are out “there.”  The folks partying Friday night who are too tired to make it to church in the morning.

 

By referring to folk “out there” he’s making it easy to judge, to think “that’s not me”; thus easy to listen.

 

But did you notice how Paul smoothly moves into the more abstract ethical actions?

 

Enmity.

 

What the heck does that even mean?

 

Dissention.

 

What’s that?

 

Jealousy.  Anger.  Envy.

 

Hold up now, is he talking about me?

 

Paul was fine when he was judging people getting the Tarot Cards read by Miss Cleo, but now…

 

…but now, he dares to suggest that my being upset with someone on Council or my gossiping about what so-and-so posted on Facebook is the same thing?

 

Paul is so slick.

 

He gets the people invested by beginning with an easy-to-judge list of behaviors and then eases into the real unjust, unkind, unhumble issues.

 

The things we all do; the things we’ve all done- 

 

-the roots of many of the tragic mistakes we have all made again and again and again and again that God somehow, some ways forgives.

 

Who alive has not confused material things for God? 

 

Who has not disagreed with someone to the point that they have raised their voice?

 

Who has not been part of a small group of folk that was real upset with what the larger group was doing?

 

Who has not been jealous over someone’s car, someone’s man, someone’s shoes?

 

Who has not hurt someone they loved?

 

Paul says “All these things distract us from the gifts God has placed before us; all these things can dim our shine.”

 

…but then, just when you think all hope is lost, Paul pastorally comes to the true purpose of his message. 

 

What grace is about, what grace is really about, is all the things we CAN do, and WANT to do as God’s beautiful children.

 

Patience- with one another, patience with ourselves.

 

Gentleness.  Often times the strongest people use the softest touch and calmest of voice.

 

Kindness.  Willing to take someone in.  Offering sandwich and soup.  Wearing the colors of someone’s country as a way to say “We support you.”

 

Joy. 

 

Isn’t that cool?  To think of joy as an action, not just an emotion or a feeling, but joy as something you do. 

 

Love.  Agape.  The willingness to show you care about someone by freely choosing to reach out, to help, to share.

 

I think what Paul does here is faithfully trick us into thinking he’s going one way so that we can go another.

 

He makes us think he’s talking about folk “out there” but he’s really talking to us “here” and to what’s “in here.”

 

This is a scripture best used not to judge and wag fingers, but a scripture  meant to say to say “come here” and “join us.”

 

Paul is so grateful for what Jesus has done on the cross.  He’s so ecstatic about what God did on Easter day.

 

He just wants everyone to know who they are and to embrace the gifts God has given.

 

Paul is not perfect.  His theology is not always clear. 

 

Paul’s words have often been twisted and turned into what he did not mean.

 

But this is clear- Paul believes that in Christ we are free.

 

He believes that in Christ we are recipients of grace.

 

Paul truly believes that in Christ we are sisters and brothers; we should live in such a way that others see us in action and say “I want to experience too.”

 

Emmanuel United Church of Christ, in Christ we are One.

 

We are more than our past.  We are more than our future.

 

We are indeed beautiful pearls on this shimmering island called earth.

 

Christ has set us free.

 

Let us live as if we believe that to be so.

 

Amen and amen.

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