SERMON

NOVEMBER 15, 2009, ROMANS 12:1-2,

 “THE STORY OF THE LEAVES”

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN A MEETING WHEN SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT IS GOING ON AT THE MEETING GRABS YOUR ATTENTION?

MONDAY I WAS AT A MEETING OF THE DISTRICT COMMITTEE ON ORDAINED MINISTRY. THE ROOM HAD WINDOWS ALL THE WAY AROUND IT. WHICH CAN DISASTROUS IF WHAT IS ON OUTSIDE IS MORE INTERESTING THAN WHAT IS TAKING PLACE IN THE INDOORS.

THAT IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME.

AS I GLANCED OUT THE WINDOW SOMETHING GRABBED MY ATTENTION. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS SMALL BIRD CLINGING TO A BRANCH OF A LARGE BUSH.

WHY I SAW WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BIRD WAS DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE BUSH HAD ONE BRANCH THAT EXTENDED SKYWARD ALMOST AS IF IT WERE SEPARATE FROM THE REST OF THE BUSH.

I THOUGHT THAT I HAD SEEN A BIRD CLINGING TO THAT STICKING OUT BRANCH. BUT AFTER WATCHING IT FOR A FEW SECONDS I DISCOVERED THAT WHAT AT FIRST WAS WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A BIRD WAS IN FACT THREE LEAVES STILL ATTACHED TO THAT ONE SOLITARY BRANCH. THE BREEZE THAT WAS BLOWING WAS MOVING THOSE LEAVES IN SUCH A WAY THAT AT FIRST GLANCE IT LOOKED LIKE A BIRD FLAPPING ITS WINGS IN AN ATTEMPT TO STAY ATTACHED TO THAT TALLER-THAN-THE-BUSH BRANCH OF THE BUSH.

HERE IT WAS NOVEMBER AND ALL THE LEAVES HAD FALLEN OFF THAT BUSH, SAVE THE ONES ATTACHED TO THAT TALLER-THAN-THE-BUSH BRANCH.

THOSE THREE LEAVES SEEMED LONELY TO ME. ALL ITS COMPANION LEAVES HAD LONG AGO FALLEN OFF. BUT SOMEHOW THOSE THREE LEAVES WERE HANGING ONTO THE BUSH.

NOT ONLY WERE THOSE LEAVES STILL HANGING TO THAT STICKING-OUT BRANCH THEY WERE NOT EVEN SURROUNDED BY THE PROTECTIVE BRANCHES OF THE REST OF THE BUSH.

IT WAS TRULY BEING BUFFETED BY THE WINDS.

AS I LOOKED AT THOSE THREE LEAVES IT BECAME A METAPHOR THAT SPOKE TO ME OF OUR FAITH.

THOSE THREE LEAVES BECAME FOR ME A SYMBOL OF WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN WE TAKE SERIOUSLY PAUL ADMONITION TO “NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MINDS…”

THE TRANSFORMING POWER OF A RENEWED MIND IS A MIND FREED FROM THE OLD WAYS OF LIVING TO A NEW WAY OF LIVING; A NEW WAY OF LIVING THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO RISE ABOVE BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES THAT ARE FORCED UPON US BY THE DEMANDS OF THE WORLD AND TO ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE TRANSFORMED BY THE UNPREDICTABLE POWER AND PRESENCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.

YOU SEE WHEN WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO BE TRANSFORMED BY GOD IT OFTEN, IF NOT ALWAYS, MEANS THAT WE ARE GOING TO SEE OURSELVES RISING ABOVE “THE BUSH” THAT IS THIS WORLD.

WHEN WE RISE UP AND CONNECT WITH THE WILL OF GOD WE ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT THAN EVERYONE ELSE. WE ARE GOING TO BE LIKE THOSE THREE LEAVES ON THAT TALLER-THAN-THE-BUSH BRANCH THAT CAPTURED MY ATTENTION ON MONDAY.

IN THE OLD TESTAMENT THERE IS A THEME THAT RUNS THROUGH MANY OF ITS BOOKS. YOU SEE IT MOST OFTEN IN THE BOOKS OF THE PROPHETS.
IN THOSE BOOKS YOU READ OF THE PROPHETS CARRYING THE PROVERBIAL TWO EDGED SWORD OF THE WORD OF GOD TO A PEOPLE WHO HAD FALLEN AWAY FROM THE WORD OF GOD.

THE PROPHETS BROUGHT THE WORD OF JUDGMENT THAT THEY BETTER CHANGE THEIR WAYS OR ELSE.

BUT ALMOST TO A PERSON THESE PROPHETS OF OLD ALSO BROUGHT A WORD OF HOPE TO THOSE WHO HAD BEEN DRIVEN INTO EXILE, WHO HAD BEEN FORCED TO LEAVE THEIR HOMELAND AND TO LIVE IN A STRANGE LAND, WITH STRANGE CUSTOMS AND EVEN STRANGER GODS.

THE HEBREW PEOPLE, HAD BECOME A REMNANT OF WHAT THEY HAD BEEN BEFORE THE CONQUERING ARMIES FORCED THEM FROM THEIR HOMELAND, THE WORD OF GOD DELIVERED BY THE PROPHETS WAS THAT THEY WERE SPECIAL PEOPLE SET ASIDE BY GOD TO CARRY WITH THEM THE WORD AND HOPE OF GOD.

AS CHRISTIANS WE ALSO IN SOME WAYS LIVE IN A STRANGE LAND WHERE WE ARE ALIENS. WE ARE ALWAYS, TO SOME DEGREE OR OTHER, A REMNANT BAND OF PEOPLE.

AS LONG AS WE CARRY THE IMPRINT OF CHRIST UPON OUR BODY WE ARE ALWAYS CALLED TO BE DIFFERENT THAN THE REST OF THE WORLD.

FOR A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE IS ALWAYS ONE THAT PUTS IT AT ODDS WITH THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

PAUL ADMONISHES THE CHURCH IN ROME, A CHURCH THAT AT THE TIME OF WRITING THIS LETTER HE HAD NEVER BEEN TO, TO NOT BE CONFORMED BY ALL THAT THEY SEE AROUND THEM.

REMEMBER THAT AT THAT TIME ROME WAS THE CENTER OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD. ROME WAS THE CENTER OF EARTHLY POWER. THE SAYING THAT WE HEAR SO OFTEN, “THAT ALL THE ROADS LEAD TO ROME,” WAS LITERALLY QUITE TRUE.

THE ROMAN EMPIRE HAD BUILT ROADS TO THE VERY END OF THEIR FAR-FLUNG EMPIRE; ROADS THAT ALL ENDED BACK IN ROME. THESE ROADS NOT ONLY WERE USED TO ENABLE A SWIFT MOVEMENT OF TROOPS IN CASE OF AN UPRISING, BUT THEY ALSO CARRIED PEOPLE, GOODS AND EVEN PROVIDED FOR THE SWIFT EXPANSION OF THAT NEW RELIGION CALLED CHRISTIANITY.

THE RESULT WAS THAT ROME HAD BECOME A VERY COSMOPOLITAN CITY WHERE THE CULTURES THAT MADE UP THE ROMAN EMPIRE ALL CAME TOGETHER. IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN AN EXCITING PLACE AND TIME TO LIVE.

ALONG WITH THOSE CULTURES CAME THE PAGAN GODS OF THE PEOPLES THAT MADE UP THE ROMAN EMPIRE. THE GREATEST OF THESE BEING CAESAR HIMSELF, WHO BY THIS TIME HAD BEGUN TO BE NOT ONLY A POLITICAL FIGURE, BUT ALSO WAS SEEN AS A GOD IN FLESH AND BONES.

ANOTHER GROUP HAD ALSO COME TO ROME WITH THEIR NEW FAITH. IT WAS THE GROUP THAT CALLED THEMSELVES, THE WAY.

IT IS TO THIS GROUP THAT PAUL IS ADDRESSING HIS LETTER.

WHEN PAUL TELLS THE ROMAN CHURCH TO WATCH OUT AND NOT GET SUCKED IN BY THE CULTURE AROUND THEM, BUT TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS DIFFERENT HE IS LITERALLY TELLING THEM THAT THEY ARE GOING TO STICK OUT IN THE CROWD; THAT IF THEY ARE FAITHFUL TO THE WORD AND WILL OF GOD THAT THEY ARE GOING TO RISE ABOVE THE CROWD AND YES BE BUFFETED BY THE “WINDS” OF THE SOCIETY AROUND THEM.

WE ARE THE CHURCH OF THE CROSS. AS JESUS DEMONSTRATED, THE WORLD, IS HOSTILE TO THE TRUTH. THE CROSS IS THE SYMBOL OF THE HOSTILITY. FOR THE CROSS IS A SIGN THAT CHRIST HAS DEFEATED THE POWERS OF THIS WORLD.

THE CROSS IS A SIGN OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ONE TAKES GOD’S ACCOUNT OF REALITY MORE SERIOUSLY THAN CAESAR’S

THE CROSS IS BOTH GOD’S AND OUR SIGN THAT THE POWERS OF DEATH HAVE BEEN DEFEATED AND IT ALSO IS GOD’S ETERNAL YES TO HUMANITY.

PAUL KNEW THAT FOR A PERSON TO TRULY BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST THAT THEY HAD TO GET THEIR HEAD SCREWED ON STRAIGHT. THAT IS THEY HAD TO HAVE THEIR MINDS TRANSFORMED, CHANGED SO THAT ALL THEY THOUGHT AND DID WAS DRIVEN BY THE SPIRIT AND PRESENCE OF GOD.

THERE IS ALWAYS THAT EVER-PRESENT TEMPTATION TO TRY TO “FIT IN” WITH THOSE SURROUNDING US AT WORK AND AT HOME (TO “SQUEEZE YOU INTO A MOLD”).

WHAT PAUL CALLS CHRISTIANS TO DO INSTEAD IS “BE TRANSFORMED”. WHEN THAT TERM IS USED ELSEWHERE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT IT INVOLVES A COMPLETE, RADICAL, RE-CENTERING OF THE SELF.

A BELIEVER’S ABILITY TO BE “TRANSFORMED” INTO GOD’S LIKENESS BEHOLDING GOD’S GLORY (2 Cor. 3:18)

AS I ABSENTMINDEDLY LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW DURING MY MEETING WHAT I SAW WAS NOT ONLY LEAVES TENACIOUSLY HANGING ON BUT A METAPHOR FOR OUR FAITH.

FOR WHEN WE ARE TRANSFORMED BY GOD THAT TRANSFORMATION CAUSES US TO RISE UP ABOVE THE MADDENING CROWDS OF OUR WORLD; THAT TRANSFORMATION PUTS US AT ODDS WITH THE WORLD AROUND US.

YES, WE ARE GOING TO BE BUFFETED BY WINDS OF THE CULTURE AS THEY TRY TO SHAKE US LOOSE AND FALL TO THE GROUND WHERE WE JOIN ALL THE OTHER LEAVES OF THE WORLD.

BUT BY THE STRENGTH OF GOD WE WILL HAVE THE POWER TO CONTINUE TO SHOW A BETTER WAY, THE WAY, THE WAY OF THE CROSS TO THE WORLD.

THE STORY OF THOSE LEAVES IS THE STORY OF OUR FAITH.

EARLIER YOU SAW SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT HAVE COME OUT OF THE CHURCH-WIDE STUDY WE HAVE JUST CONCLUDED.

IF WE TAKE SERIOUSLY WHAT IS THERE WE ARE GOING TO BE A TRANSFORMED CHURCH THAT WILL BE OFFERING THE WORLD SOMETHING DIFFERENT, SOMETHING THAT WILL CHALLENGE FOLKS TO EXAMINE THEIR LIVES AND HOPEFULLY BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWAL OF THEIR MINDS.

BUT BEFORE THAT CAN HAPPEN WE MUST FIRST HAVE OUR MINDS RENEWED AND THEN BE WILLING TO SEPARATE OURSELVES FROM THE PREVAILING CULTURE AND YET STILL LIKE THOSE THREE LEAVES STICKING OUT FROM THAT BUSH, STILL REMAINED CONNECTED TO THE CULTURE SO THAT WE CAN RELATE TO IT A “BETTER WAY” OF LIVING.