Together?

Romans 13.8-14

Theme: Christ calls us to leave Jerusalem and walk together into the countryside of life. The road is paved with joy, grief and conflict, but the good news is that we can travel together.

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

A Brief summary of the passage might read like this:

Love each other in such a way as to keep the commandments because time is running out and we need each other deeply.

That’s where we left off last week and this week, we’ll continue down that thought and see where it leads.

And now an exercise

Write down three things that are important to you

This can be people, things or conditions related to school, work or health; anything or anyone whose important to you.

Pass the paper to the person sitting in front of you.

Person with the paper, cross out item #   and now give it back to the person who wrote the list.

Now look at what’s just been taken away from you, how does it feel? In a moment, with the stroke of a pen, something that means so much is gone forever.

Some of you have gone through this experience recently with the loss of a parent, or miscarriage or marriage. I’m not being cruel to have fun at anyone’s expense.

This is an exercise in reality and it has a purpose. Let me ask, now that we’ve been reminded that life is fragile and things can happen suddenly.

What will you do knowing that loss can strike at any moment?

What will you do with the rest of your life?

With whatever amount of time that is?

           

What would you do if you only had a day left? A week, a month?

Why would that be any different than 10 or 20 or 50 years?

Why or why not?

Will any of this make a difference in how the rest of life is lived?

A couple weeks ago I shared a story about a professor and his decision to make less money by following his calling. One of his students objected because he misunderstood. Making money is all well and good, but where in the list does it belong? At the top? In the top three, five, ten?

The professor I spoke about found where it fit and lived his calling as a disciple of Jesus. When his wife became ill, he was in a situation that allowed him to take time to be with her, see her through and provide financially.

How would it be for any of us if our spouse became ill? Would the concerns of farm or business make it possible to step away and care for him or her easily?

If not, then we’ve missed the point.

The point – every moment counts and people matter far more than anything else. In almost every study ever done: Income level has little to do with happiness. Those who have meaningful relationships are happier than those who do not.

Let’s explore how this appears in our passage

Here, Paul chooses a Biblical illustration that appears over and over:. In the beginning the first act is to separate light from dark. Isaiah speaks of a light dawning in the darkness; John says the light has come and the dark does not understand it.

Paul continues on that line. The old world in darkness of thinking is passing away. Or just as the rising sun eliminates shadows so that the truth is seen clearly, so too the Spirit of God is bringing light and life to his people.

No wonder then that Paul suggests certain activities that people keep hidden or pursue at night are no longer a part of grateful living.

Verse 12, “The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.”

There are three pairs of deeds.

The first has to do with distorted eating and drinking. Food and drink, including alcohol are fine, but overeating or getting drunk or high are of the darkness. They place the stuff of life above the meaning of life. Stuff is then more important than people. These two destroy personal health and healthy relationships.

The second with distorted sexuality. Sex in marriage is a great gift; sex outside of or instead of marriage either physically – watching or touching - or over a phone or internet are also of darkness. Indulging in these things drives a wedge between spouses and betrays trust at the deepest level.

The third pair describes distorted ways of thinking and might be the most damaging. Dissensions and jealousy – allow me to quickly define those two words. Dissensions are arguments, quarrels and conflicts that don’t get solved. They involve mean language and hard hearts. Jealousy here means passion or envy. Put them together and what do we get? Division, brokenness and loneliness.

When people insist on their own way and are unwilling to listen, consider or respect each other anymore there can only be separation, which is to try undoing the very thing Jesus died for. Jesus died and rose for reconciliation between God and humanity; between individuals and between a person and his or her self. Dissensions and jealousy are dark activities that drive people apart and defy the love of God.

Instead, the Spirit invites God’s people to come into the light. A new day has dawned. It is the day of Jesus. Now and continuing until his return.

So while we live, we in the tension between darkness and light between the present mess and future glory. Between using people to get what we want and loving people for the great gifts they are.

Today the question is: what will any of us do with the time we have left? Knowing that we do have to make a living, get on with school and whatever else. But also realizing that no one knows how much time is left.

What will we do?

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law. “

The second part is good news: He or she who loves his neighbour has accepted God’s gracious gift of salvation and is living rightly.

But what about the first part of that verse?

. “Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another.”

Using the language of business, the Spirit is clear: people owe one another something. And that should strike us as odd. At least at first.

In our world we expect to owe someone, or to have a debt to someone if we’ve signed a contract or have already received something from them already. Some work done or goods received, right.

But here it’s like saying pay up before the work is done or goods received and by the way there is no guarantee you’ll get the goods or work done because you owed the money to the other person anyway! Confused? Good! This is God’s economy; it does not work like human business dealings.

In God’s economy I owe everyone I meet something. No exceptions; the verse applies to believers and non-believers alike. I owe love to my fellow human beings. That is, respect because all are made in God’s image and an attitude of forgiveness and humility because that is what Jesus has given me.

The debt to love one another is to be patient, kind, eager to listen and encourage, polite, calm and

“it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Love, that kind of love, true love, never fails.

That kind of love starts with the individual loving him or herself because God loves first and gives that kind of love as a reserve in hearts that begins to pour out into the world. Do you love yourself? Do you believe God loves you? They are connected. Last week I asked someone those questions and in response his whole body changed. Shoulders up, eyes bright, smile forming, yes! And we talked about what that meant. Life and love possible for others!

There are probably some here who don’t love themselves. Why? Have you never felt God’s touch? Some of us refuse to forgive ourselves.  Crazy right? That’s like saying God made a mistake. If God forgives so too should we dare to forgive ourselves. And that will give us love to forgive others.

Last week there was a painful letter written and published in the local paper. What is our response. We have a debt of love to our accuser. To respond with love, rather than hate; to offer forgiveness and refuse to let division remain.

That’s hard. But acknowledging our debt of love is to let the Spirit kill the very normal urge to have one’s own way, to be self-willed with a readiness to quarrel. That’s what Paul means by “Clothe yourself in Jesus.” Only in Jesus, by the power of the Spirit can anyone agree that the debt exists and that love is the better way. The way of love is very different from the way of the world.

And so we come back to the beginning. There is only so much time and there is a debt of love that takes time to ‘pay off.’ Bearing in mind, of course, that we never will.

A man named Origen once said, “The debt of love is permanent, and we are never done with it; for we must pay it daily and yet always owe it.”

As I said, it’s a call to a new way of being.

A calling into a life where no matter what is done – earning a living, school work, chores, hanging out at the mall – is all done in daylight – in love. I think one word sums it up well: protect.

Protect yourself from the lust money, possessions and self-centered experiences.

Protect your marriage from anyone or anything that may come between you and your spouse.

Protect your friends from gossip, harm and loneliness.

Protect your fellow believers from needless dissensions and divisions.

Protect the stranger, the unbeliever anyone God puts in your path by remembering that they like you are made in God’s image; that time is short for all; that the love of God is for all. For God so loved the world – all of it.

Protect the gospel so that people who need to hear it see how it works to make life better rather than seeing how it’s too often used to divide and make people fearful, arrogant or proud.

And where does the strength, the will for all this come from? God himself from whom all things good come. Protect yourself and those you love with mind – choices – and heart choosing to listen to the Spirit.

Protect us oh Lord, from missing the point and come Holy Spirit, enter and renew our hearts so that we embrace the day, today, every day we may have and that in all we do give you Glory.

Consumerism is a Problem?

Romans 12.-9-21

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.  ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;

if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.

In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

When I was 16 I went to the Yukon Territory. My sister lived in Dawson City and I wanted to visit her and see what held her captive to that wild and untamed place. I went with one of my siblings and it was an adventure. We flew to Whitehorse and then rode a bus 8 hours to our destination. The gravel road was rough and there were no rest stops or fast food turn offs. There was a toilet n a cubicle at the back of the bus.

And once we got to Dawson finding my sister was also an adventure. She didn’t meet us at the bus because she was busy with her kids and besides everyone knew her and pointed us in the right direction. We found her, had tea with her friends and then went to her place. A one room cabin about 350 square feet in size with a cook stove in it. That stove was at least 80 years old. It supplied heat, hot water and that’s where the food was baked or cooked. No plumbing of any kind. Water came from a stream. The outhouse was 50 meters away. Oh, and the cabin was 50K from Dawson, there was no electricity or telephone of any kind.

Over the week we found out what life there was like. The closest neighbour was at least an hour walk away. Food and supplies came from the south, in bulk. Once or twice a year my sister would order a drum of flour, sacks or sugar and some canned goods. Fresh vegetables were grown in the yard and stored in a cellar. At the time a tomato cost $5.00 a pound. Forget about buying meat. We ate the bear my brother in law shot. Along with squirrels, rabbits and fish from the river.

Over the week I realized that she lived differently from the rest of her family. And the biggest difference was not the lack of technology or the price of consumer goods. The biggest difference was that she needed her neighbours, her community, to survive.

Dawson has longer winters than here and colder. A medical emergency – say a broken bone could result in death if the weather was bad. Even in the summer an animal attack was a real possibility. And help was not 911 away. In that place at that time people needed each other and they accepted each other regardless of personal habits, appearance, work they did or anything else.

To hold a grudge up there was to be isolated and in risk of disaster. No one could make it on their own. No one.

Now, to be very honest, I realize that since my time in the Yukon I have seldom if ever felt as dependent on people for daily survival as they did.  At least in the physical sense. You and I live and I suspect most of us have lived all our lives in abundance. Physical material needs have been provided for us or by our own effort since birth.

We are, to use the term, consumers with an unlimited supply of cheap, available goods. The grocery stores are full; the clothing stores are full and the farm equipment yards are full. Our cupboards for the most part are full. And so too the banks eager to lend money to keep it all going round.

Be clear consumption is normal and good; everyone has to consume to stay alive, but at what cost the level of consumption we see today? Let’s talk about that.

The text we read addresses consumption positively. First, it’s inviting us to make good decisions.  It’s just as right to say hate what is an evil habit, say pornography as it is to say hate cheap goods that fall apart so fast. Why is it that buying a new stove is cheaper than fixing an old one? That’s waste and unnecessary waste is sinful. So the text says cling to what is good. That 80 year old wood stove is now over 100 and still churning out biscuits and hot water.

Next the text points us to the reality of generosity or at least sharing what we have with others. “Share with God’s people who are in need, practice hospitality.” Not repeating the same idea, it’s saying: share with God’s people in the church and everyone else who isn’t in the church yet.

So, last, when it comes to big ideas in this passage we start with “Love must be sincere” and end with “overcome evil with good.” The middle shows the way how: by living in harmony with one another, by not being proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. (v. 16) Which is just what I saw going on in the Yukon.

Those words are simple, aren’t they? And we know too, I think, it’s hard to live that way, in harmony, without judgment. Isn’t it?

Relying on this text, I want to explore what could be a reason people struggle with texts like this.

First thought: I believe that consumerism is the greatest threat to community we face today. Our culture of media and advertising tells us to be dissatisfied with every possible product possible. Everything from the food we eat is suspect to the cars we drive or clothes we wear. Confused? Well, isn’t it true that companies that make breakfast cereal tell us that theirs is best, which must mean that the other guy’s is poison? And so it goes. Driven by fear and uncertainty many  people try one product after the next to see if finally they can get the tractor that works best or the jeans that don’t show a muffin top, yet still look stylish. The messages are endless along with the search.

Let’s be honest, it’s not buying stuff that is so time consuming; it’s the shopping. Wandering around malls, stores and online, consumers wade through options until exhausted make a decision. Did you know that my car can be had in with about 16000 variations from body color to engine size to a light up ring around the centre speaker? Shopping all those options takes time and in the end every Kia Soul driver is driving the same thing: a car. Henry Ford once said you can have your model T in any colour you like – so long as it’s black. Buying was a quick decision. Lots of time for other things.

Other things that matter more.

Second thought and it might be surprising. It seems that because we have so much choice and because being different is so important to so many, can it be that the result is a deep conflict? The need to de different but also to fit in?  So, people buy cheap imitations of expensive brands hoping no one will notice. They’ll buy the right brand or car or tractor hoping it’s enough. They’ll try to wear the right clothes, own the right size TV. On and on. all the while feeling trapped. Others see all that and reject it – they’re the misfit of society. Ironically the people who are free.

Fitting in, some say is about looking around and becoming who you need to be to be accepted.  The trouble is that fitting in is all about us and them, the good and the better, the in and the out people. It’s like a clique or like speaking a different language in public places; the habit causes people without that language to feel left out, unwelcome, unwanted. They feel excluded and often harmed. Can that be sincere love?

Third thought and we’ll tie it all together. Love, so what does it mean to love?  Again, some will say that people will love or attach to something in life. That is to hold it first in their life. Jesus taught about it when he spoke and said no one can serve, that is love, both God and stuff. We attach he says to something, so we’d better make a good choice. Now here’s the thing, given all we’ve said so far.

Giving in to the urge of consumerism makes getting stuff more important than contentment. It changes the goal from having needed things to simply getting more things. This is not about whether things are good or bad; this is about what are things for? Consumerism is dangerous because in the end it disconnects people from using things to help themselves and others.

Stuff, like an iPad, after all is just stuff: a tool, a device to do work. And I use it that way at least most of the time. But, ask Norma, sometimes I forget that and it becomes a screen, a wall between us at coffee times. Keep that up and one day there may not be a partner to have coffee with.

Or take planting a field and harvesting canola. Lots of stuff involved, right? Machinery, spray, seed, fertilizer. But what’s it all for? For the farmer to make money, sure, and the broker and the processor and the store that sells the oil? Absolutely! But it’s also for me so that I can fry fish fillets and enjoy my dinner. So grow the stuff with the end in mind. No customers, no cash for canola.

Let’s embrace the big picture!

So let’s tie it together. If you don’t like economics or had a nap, it’s time to listen in again.

The text is teaching for love to be sincere it must mean, at least to see that we need each other just like the folks in the Yukon do. 

The people of God need each other but in more ways than just being nice, fitting in or buying each other’s products. The deeper need is love and belonging.

Love, true love, is a sacrifice. Not only does love ask us to put the needs of others first. Love asks us to be authentic. It’s something to work at to receive the benefits. This is from a book I’m reading:

We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness, and affection. Love is not something we give or get; it is something that we nurture and grow. We can only love others as much as we love ourselves. Shame, blame, disrespect, betrayal, and the withholding of affection damage the roots from which love grows.

The Gifts of Imperfection: Brene Brown Ph.D.

The author here, the author of life says: to love is to let people know who you really are. But this can only be safe in an authentic community. A place of belonging. In that kind of place, belonging doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are. And that takes courage, but it is possible. The truth is belonging is only possible to the extent a person accepts themselves.

More of Jesus words: Love your neighbour as yourself. Turn it around can anyone actually love their neighbour unless they love themselves? I don’t think so and besides it’s all born out of receiving God’s love first anyway.

So maybe that’s the place to stop for this morning. Maybe some of us shop and consume because they don’t love ourselves. Not thin enough, pretty enough; don’t drive the right machinery or have enough land. Maybe some of us are just trying to fit in and avoid being real. Share the problems we have because we’d be rejected. Or maybe just afraid to let our real selves show.  I have been in that place of trying to be what people wanted me to be – from childhood onward. Maybe some of you know that feeling of being unlovable and unnecessary. Be aware that safety produces anxiety, depression, eating disorders, addiction, rage, blame, resentment and inexplicable grief.

Christ is calling us to get real and be real. To get off the path of consuming to find happiness and on to the path marked by a living faith.  Too many of us are suffering from hidden hurts and painful situations. Christ is calling us to love one another by being and becoming a community that sees stuff for what it is and people for the great gift we are to each other.

Paradise?

Psalm 22 tells the story of one man’s struggle with the world.

It’s all about how it feels when a person believes in an all-powerful God and yet feels abandoned by that same God. It moves from faith through despair to gratitude.

But the story doesn’t end there.

23 times this psalm comes up in the New Testament. Famously, in the story of Good Friday and Easter.

Easter tells the story of our God’s struggle with the world. Jesus the man takes the sin and absorbs it, accepts it and while at one point he cries out in pain and separation. The end of the story is well known.

He has done it! Just as he promised.

But the story doesn’t end there either

Our text for today is

Text John 16.33 ³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What does that mean for you, for us?

            We have a piece of video to give us time to think about it.

VIDEO

Jesus said and still says, this is and could be para-para-paradise.

Can you relate?

Has life failed to measure up to expectations?

Have you experienced the turning point when as in the video she sees clearly that so much more is real than first believed?

The song speaks of a two realities, there has to be suffering and disappointment, just as there is joy and peace.

“And so lying underneath those stormy skies
She'd say, "oh, ohohohoh I know the sun must set to rise"

The truth is for many people that’s enough to make it through; to get by; to accept the world as it is and survive. So for what it’s worth Coldplay brings a measure of hope, but isn’t there more available than cold comfort? Make the best of it. Enjoying life is just how you choose to look at things.

It’s rather like the debate over an age old question. Is the glass half empty or half full?

Here are some answers from various blogs I visited:

·         If the cup has just been filled up then it's half full. But if I have just drunk the contents then the cup is half empty.

·         The answer is actually pretty obvious. If half of the volume of the cup is occupied, then the cup is half full, but if it is only half full, then that means that the other half isn't full, and if it isn't full, it must be empty. The error is in assuming that half empty and half full are mutually exclusive states, when in reality, they cannot exist without one another and essentially mean the same thing. So, yes, the glass is half empty, and it is also half full.

·         It's not whether or not the glass if half full or empty. The true question is how much can we get if we sell the glass.

·         I have an idea, take a cup fill it half way with water then put it over your head and dump out on your head then you decide was the cup half full or half empty?

·         The answer depends on how greedy you are. If you're thirsty, It's full enough.

·         I really don't know most days. Sometimes I'm the one who is pouring. Sometimes I'm the one who is drinking Sometimes I'm the one who lets it spill all over myself. One thing is for sure. I am grateful for every little drop of good that does come my way

Maybe the last gets it right. Because it isn’t whether the cup is half full or half empty; it’s that there is water in the glass at all and that water gives life.

Too often, it seems that debates over being optimistic or pessimistic or realistic about life miss the point entirely. Isn’t the point that he is risen and the world hasn’t been the same since? Isn’t the point that the events of Good Friday and Easter have changed the meaning of life completely? Isn’t the point that settling for grinding it out, hoping to get by is a far cry from what Jesus has done? If it isn’t then what are we doing here?

There are exactly two huge results of what Jesus, God has done.

First and foremost, Jesus the man rose from the dead. That’s had never happened before and it bears great meaning. John saw it, Peter saw it, all the disciples saw the reality of Jesus resurrection and they, by the Spirit, got the meaning of it too.

John says it this way:

^{John 12.23} Jesus said, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. ²⁴ I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Or, when I die, I will rise and starting something never seen before.

And Paul says it this way:

^{1 Cor 15.54} When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”^{(Is 25.8)}

⁵⁵   “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”^{(Hos 13.14)}

Or, when our human bodies perish – die – we will be clothed with a body that will never die again. Put it all together and what do we get?

Because Jesus went to the cross and rose again, so too every single human being who came before or comes after him. There will be a day when we get new bodies – everybody, regardless of race, gender or ability.

All will rise, make no mistake. All will rise – some to continue being with Jesus for the rest of eternity. Some will rise to continue being separated from Jesus for the rest of eternity. Some know life now and forever; others know death now and forever.

The second result of what Jesus, God has done is that now as the disciples of God believers can live paradise now. We can live in the divine glory now. Some call it having our feet in two worlds. And this is what it means. In our text, Jesus speaks realistically about being in the world and facing the hatred of all forces that reject Jesus and the Father.

^{Jn 15.18} “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.

So, disappointments, mistakes, failed hopes, dreams and goals, broken friendships and marriages are to be expected. Believers are in a battle and there are going to be casualties in the short term. BUT, in the long term Jesus has already won the war. So it’s not optimism but reality: nothing believers face will be powerful enough, disappointing enough, can or will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The evil that the world throws at believers cannot do permanent harm.

Why, because we share in Jesus victory. Such that while the all that battle is going on believers are  experiencing forgiveness, reconciliation, making a living, cherishing family, receiving grace, mercy and love, giving the same, knowing generosity in both giving and receiving.  All glimpses of paradise that sustain believers for the journey. Knowing meaningful times with God and others – knowing peace when everything is okay, better than okay, even just for a moment. These moments are daily bread, glimpses of glory to cherish.

But let’s not miss the point. It’s just like the cup of water, it’s not about dwelling on the troubles and it’s not about dwelling on those moments of glory either. It’s about accepting all of it together and holding onto Jesus the giver and completer of our faith. Holding onto the one who is holding onto you.

God continuously offers His Peace as the place to live where life is the best it can be. The place, the state of being, where the way things really are is seen clearly.  Are you letting Jesus hold onto you? Do you know those glimpses? Are they carrying you through the troubles? Have you accepted the invitation into the peace of Christ?

More, do you cherish those glimpses and what others to experience them too? Standing with a foot in both worlds we have the glory of helping others see the reality of a God who gave everything so that the people we’d least expect as well as those close to us would see paradise. Have you told the story of Jesus to anyone lately? How will they believe unless someone tells them?

³⁰   Future generations will serve him;

they will be told about the Lord.

³¹   They will proclaim his righteousness

to a people yet unborn—

for he has done it.

Technology?

Today’s text is Romans 12.1-2 and we’ll read those two verses in a moment. First, let me explain the theme of today’s message and the point of the visual you just saw. It’s all about technology. By it I mean more than the new iPad or herd management program.  Technology is a fancy name for the latest and greatest tool, device and labour saving device. Humanity has been celebrating technological advances since fire and the wheel.

In itself, technology is neither good nor bad. How technology gets used makes all the difference. And, as we’re now into the application part of Paul’s letter to the Romans - to believers everywhere – the questions we should be asking are important. Questions like how do we learn to use medical, engineering or scientific discoveries well?

That’s our goal, so let’s turn to our text and give it a close look.

Romans 12.1, “Therefore, I urge you in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Paul starts with an important word: Therefore. Why? It’s a hinge word connecting all that’s gone on before with everything that comes later. Everything the Spirit will say in chapters 12-16 depend on chapters 1-11.  The Spirit is making it clear that in view of the wonderful salvation God offers, believers respond with wholehearted commitment. That’s the “therefore.”

But what does living sacrifices mean? Sacrifices in the Old Testament didn’t actually live very long. In fact they died every time. And Paul has been writing about that. In earlier chapters he even says it. We died with Christ, so the dying to live idea is present here.

There is new life in Christ because the old way of doing things is dead. Things like living to satisfy pleasure at any cost to self or others. You know greed, adultery, gossip, hatred and the like. We could go on, but why?

For the believer the living is now purposeful without being damaging to self or others; contentment is real without useless striving for more. Living is positive, dynamic and full of energy, satisfied with what is and fully engaged enjoying life.

The sacrifice part is learning to accept all of this. Seems odd, doesn’t it, to have all that positive experience one has to learn to want it. Sometimes we call this discipleship – learning a new way of living that is holy and pleasing to God. Or to put it another way, a new way of life   dedicated and given to God willingly with everything done according to what God desires for his children. Please note: believers give willingly for their own benefit. God doesn’t need our worship or good works for himself. God desires our Spiritual worship for our own good and so that believers may be a blessing to the world.

Verse one is teaching that being the servants of a God who loves without condition means that the whole of life is to be lived willingly and gratefully in service to God. And that sounds great, doesn’t it? I mean who doesn’t want the experience of gratitude, joy, purpose, contentment, peace or mind and heart, appreciation for family, friends, and relationships at school in business, forgiveness and reconciliation when things go wrong and nice beverage at the end of the day?

Sound too good to be true? Tried it and felt cheated? Left wondering why this isn’t you? There is one thing about being a living sacrifice I haven’t mentioned yet. As with any willful lamb or goat, we try to struggle off the alter whenever possible.

Therefore the need to read verse 2.

² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Do not conform – be transformed!

Let’s be honest, there is lots in this world that seems like fun, enjoyable and perfectly fine. Everyone is doing it, after all – even believers. Sex without the protection of marriage, eating too much, drinking too much, smoking too much, working too much, recreational drug use, building the business too much at the expense of others, usually the family.

All that is what the Spirit calls the ‘pattern of this world.’ There is so much we accept as normal, that isn’t at all and yet if everyone else is doing it, why not?

So believers have a choice. They can conform – live according to what everyone else is doing. Actively accepting and shaping life around life limiting goals, activities and ambitions. Things that are futile - a chasing after the wind.

Or believers can be transformed by the Spirit and the Word. Accepting and receiving an inward renewal of mind and heart that is based on the life Christ gives and demonstrated in his own life with us.

The difference is that believers can live willfully and experience the results or they can live willingly to receive gifts of God.

Speaking in a different letter the Spirit says, ^{(Ephesians 4.22)} “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; ²³ to be made new in the attitude of your minds; ²⁴ and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. ³⁰ And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”

That’s powerful stuff. The last verse seals it for me. God grieves when his people reject his leading. Not by rejecting us, but saddened that willful believers suffer so much at their own bad choices.

You see the point of all this is that with a willing heart we can in fact become wise beyond the ways of the world.

In seminary I had a professor who told us of his life choices. He’d studied economics and theology and one day was approached for a job. It was in the world of economics and the money was good. HE prayed and discerned and turned the job down. Instead he joined an economic counsel giving advice to governments and he began to teach. Much less paying jobs for sure.

That what, “Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will,” means.

At the break, after telling this story, I noticed a fellow student come at him and belittle his story saying there was nothing wrong with making money. He’d missed the point. God provides according to our need and calling. What is God calling you to do and be in the world? One thing for sure is that professor answered his calling and God has met his needs with a fruitful ministry and a good living. Or as the text says, with wisdom to do and be what is useful, satisfactory and complete. My translation.

This is a whole of life thing – being a disciple of Christ. After all Jesus did ask people to count the cost before getting involved. Jesus certainly knew where that donkey ride was taking him on the first Palm Sunday.  In our passage, the Spirit is saying not only that believers would find out that God’s will is good, but that having found out, they will put it into practice.

The renewal of the mind enables the believer to figure out what is good, what is pleasing to God, and what is perfect. And having come to a conclusion, that same renewal sets him or her to the task of performing what is seen as the will of God. Recognizing that sometimes they get it right and sometimes they learn through painful trial and error.

And so we come back to the beginning: technology. What is accepted as normal probably should be questioned. What is accepted and used really does require wisdom beyond reading a marketing report.

So,

Does it make sense that $120M is spent per day on weapons and developing weapons technology?

            To be honest this brings advances in computer technology, gaming and 3D movies.

            But at what cost?

Does it make sense that the nuclear bomb industry cost $1 T over the past 10 years?

            Again, it produced medical technologies to help cancer patients.

            But at what risk and was there another way?

Should fertility drugs be used, yes or no?

Should plastic surgery be performed on 16 year old girls who want a different shape?

            What’s the risk, the reward?

Should genetically altered seed be used in fields?

What about chemical fertilizers, pesticides and what about roundup? What are the fish, animals and people drinking from the ground water?

            What’s the risk, the reward?

I’m no Luddite – that’s a person who rejects technology out of hand – I use technology all the time. Creativity is a God given activity; many developments save lives and relieve suffering. But I am concerned that I can easily be swayed into buying or using the next best thing unless I intentionally ask myself questions like those above. And yes sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no.

For the sake of our world and our own future, the Spirit is asking us to be wise about technology and let him guide us into life giving choices. Choices that will agree with what is good, pleasing and perfect. It’s clear that with the spirit we can, will we?