We have some questions to answer today; what is the meaning of life? Why are we here? Whether our work is a vocational career or as a person whose vocation is that of volunteering, why do we all work as hard as we do? To answer these questions, we turn to Paul’s letter to the Romans. We have been reading through Paul’s masterpiece for several weeks now, he has such fantastic insight that is still so incredibly relevant to each of us today.
At the beginning of chapter 12, Paul tells us the purpose of Christian life is to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, which is our spiritual worship.” Paul then insists that we not conform to this world, but be “transformed by the renewal of our minds, that by testing we may discern what is the will of God,” Paul describes the will of God as good, acceptable, and perfect. What Paul says here reminds me of a conversation Fr. Wilson and I recently had. He shared a quote from the book What’s so great about Christianity by Dinesh D’Souza. Paraphrased it went something like this; some in the church now think it is the world’s job to evangelize Christianity and have forgotten that it is, in fact, the church’s duty to evangelize the world.
One of the things I love about celebrating a Rite One mass is that the concept Paul is outlining in Romans, and that D’Souza hits on in the quote, and I am preaching about today, is overtly and concretely stated in the Rite One Eucharistic prayer. When read carefully, it becomes evident that the Rite One Eucharistic prayer reveals to us the meaning of life. The third to last paragraph on page 336 says this “And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, ourselves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee that we, and all others who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with him, that he may dwell in us, and we in him.” Remember Paul’s words to start chapter 12, “I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we offer all we are to God as a living sacrifice. In return, God provides us with the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. In receiving the sacrament, we acknowledge the church is one body with many members. Paul continues to urge us in Romans to understand that as one body, we should not think too highly of ourselves. The blessings God has bestowed on each one of us should never be a source of pride or a way to think of ourselves as more excellent than the other. Each of us plays a crucial function in the work of the church.
There is a new spiritual attack in the Church that Paul does not confront in Romans. If he were writing to any church presently, I believe he would add a footnote to what we read today. This new attack causes some people to ignore the gifts God has given, and instead, focus on other people’s gifts. This attack makes us feel less valuable, it can even make us think God loves us less that those who have the gifts we wish we had. The devil is like Peyton Manning on the line of scrimmage. As soon as he notices that we have begun to call the proper defense, he audibles, resets his offense, and cuts us down at our knees. Each of us has a choice to make; we can lament, the fact that someone else is better at something, or we can thank God, for the gifts he has given each of us, and allow the Holy Spirit to use us as a member of the body. We get in trouble when we think we are so amazing that without us, the church cannot function. And we suppress the power of God when we decide we are not good enough and should let someone who is “better” do the job of ministry.
Today we are called to do exactly what Paul tells us to do, and what the Eucharist prayer reminds us of every time we hear it. To present our lives to God, in all we do, always and everywhere, as a living sacrifice. We do this by thanking God for the gifts he has bestowed on each of us by his grace, and fully living into those gifts. By not thinking too highly of self and by not being paralyzed by the fear that we are not good enough. Where are you called by God, to teach, to prophesy, to serve others, to contribute generously, to lead with zeal, to perform acts of mercy? No matter where we are called, we must do so with cheerfulness and honor the gifts God has given while honoring the gifts God has given others. We are one body, with many members all working toward the same goal, to make Jesus known to the ends of the earth. Let’s continue to use our resources at Redeemer for that goal. Let’s do so while offering our souls and bodies to God as a living sacrifice. Which, by the way, is the meaning of life. So, why do we labor? Why are we here? What is our purpose? To be a living offering to God so that he can empower us to use the gifts he has granted us to multiply his kingdom.
Sermon preached by the Rev. Christian M. Wood
Church of the Redeemer
Sarasota Florida
12th Sunday after Pentecost
23 August 2020