On Being Part of the Body of Christ….
Read Romans 12:1-8
I’m still thinking about my sermon from a couple of weeks ago. (August 21, 2005) I only hope my parishioners are also thinking about it!
I have read this passage over and over for years. I can quote it. I know the words. Nevertheless, the Lord helped me to see the words in a different way as I prepared for this sermon.
“…present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” Romans 12:1
Are words that I was quite familiar with, yet, this time around, I learned something about the words. Our Christian culture in America tends to stress the individual and his or her relationship with God. As I have read this passage time and time again, I have read it through the eyes of the individual. Most probably because of the words “present YOUR bodies”. This has always struck me as a rather individualistic kind of thing to do. You can’t present my body for me—I must present it myself. The insight comes just a few words past this “as a living sacrifice.” Did you catch it? I didn’t for so many years. Our bodies are not presented as sacrifices. That is each of our bodies is not offered individually as thousands and thousands of sacrifices made to God. Rather our collective bodies—are offered as one sacrifice.
When this revelation came, it made sense. After all, that’s what the rest of the passage really is talking about. This passage is about how, we, the many, and made into one body—the Body of Christ. It further explores the giftedness that God has made to the individuals to be used, not for their own benefit, but for the benefit of God.
How do you view your relationship with God? Is it as an individual or is it as a member of the body? Let me know what you think.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
Lessons on Fishing
Passage: Luke 5:1-11
As I was reading today, I came across a commentary on the passage where Peter is fishing. He's been fishing all night long. It has not been a good night. As the morning dawns, he realizes that it is time to pull in the nets and head to shore for a long awaited rest. He sits down and begins to repair his nets. In the distance, he notices a crowd that appears to be approaching him and his brother as they mend their nets. At the front of the crowd was a man. The man got into his boat and asked him to push out a little from the land so that he could peak to the crowd. Tired and weary--with nets still needing tending, Simon, nevertheless did as the man asked.
When he had completed his teaching, he leaned over to Simon and said, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch," Well, Simon, being the fisherman that he was knew the he wasn't going to catch any fish in the middle of the day. However, he had heard this teacher and he just couldn't be rude to such an obvious man of God. So, tempering his words he politely said, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything." The look on this man's face though changed his words from, "We're going back to shore to rest." Instead, he said, "But because you say so, I will let the nets down."
As he rowed out further and let the nets down--deep into the water--he knew in his mind that he was wasting his time heeding the request of an itinerant Jewish prophet. But, something in his heart told him to do it. As the nets sunk deep into the water he waited and then gave the command to begin pulling them back up. There was resistance. He probably thought, we've let them go so deep they've become snarled. He soon realized though that it wasn't resistance--it was weight. The weight of fish! Not just one or two or three, but dozens of fish--hundreds of fish. Their nets were beginning to break from the load. He quickly called out to his partners in other boats, "Come and help us. NOW!" They came they filled the boats, fish after fish after fish. The boats were beginning to sink.
Simon's head knowledge gave way to heart knowledge and he realized tha he was indeed in the midst of a man of God he fell to his knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord! I am a sinner!" His companions including James and John the Son's of Zebedee were amazed at the catch that had come from the deep.
Jesus, said to Simon, "There's no need to be afraid. Today you have caught fish . Follow me and you will catch men." They looked at each other. They pulled their boats up on the shore. They left their boats. They left their nets. They left the catch of fish.
AND THEY FOLLOWED HIM.
What struck me so much about this story was the phrase, " Put out into the deep water..." I was captivated by the image that came to mind. I would like to think that my church is a church that is active and alive. I would like to think that its members were followers of Jesus Christ that knew how to fish for men. Yet, in this story, it appears as if Simon, soon to be Peter, the expert fisherman--was only skimming the surface. He was not plumbing the depths that were available to him. I wonder how many of us also simply skim the surface of what God has available for us and never experience the depths of what is truly available to us? When was the last time you were truly awed by what God had done in your life or that you had seen God do in someone else's life? It's time to put our nets down deep into God's word.
As I was reading today, I came across a commentary on the passage where Peter is fishing. He's been fishing all night long. It has not been a good night. As the morning dawns, he realizes that it is time to pull in the nets and head to shore for a long awaited rest. He sits down and begins to repair his nets. In the distance, he notices a crowd that appears to be approaching him and his brother as they mend their nets. At the front of the crowd was a man. The man got into his boat and asked him to push out a little from the land so that he could peak to the crowd. Tired and weary--with nets still needing tending, Simon, nevertheless did as the man asked.
When he had completed his teaching, he leaned over to Simon and said, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch," Well, Simon, being the fisherman that he was knew the he wasn't going to catch any fish in the middle of the day. However, he had heard this teacher and he just couldn't be rude to such an obvious man of God. So, tempering his words he politely said, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything." The look on this man's face though changed his words from, "We're going back to shore to rest." Instead, he said, "But because you say so, I will let the nets down."
As he rowed out further and let the nets down--deep into the water--he knew in his mind that he was wasting his time heeding the request of an itinerant Jewish prophet. But, something in his heart told him to do it. As the nets sunk deep into the water he waited and then gave the command to begin pulling them back up. There was resistance. He probably thought, we've let them go so deep they've become snarled. He soon realized though that it wasn't resistance--it was weight. The weight of fish! Not just one or two or three, but dozens of fish--hundreds of fish. Their nets were beginning to break from the load. He quickly called out to his partners in other boats, "Come and help us. NOW!" They came they filled the boats, fish after fish after fish. The boats were beginning to sink.
Simon's head knowledge gave way to heart knowledge and he realized tha he was indeed in the midst of a man of God he fell to his knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord! I am a sinner!" His companions including James and John the Son's of Zebedee were amazed at the catch that had come from the deep.
Jesus, said to Simon, "There's no need to be afraid. Today you have caught fish . Follow me and you will catch men." They looked at each other. They pulled their boats up on the shore. They left their boats. They left their nets. They left the catch of fish.
AND THEY FOLLOWED HIM.
What struck me so much about this story was the phrase, " Put out into the deep water..." I was captivated by the image that came to mind. I would like to think that my church is a church that is active and alive. I would like to think that its members were followers of Jesus Christ that knew how to fish for men. Yet, in this story, it appears as if Simon, soon to be Peter, the expert fisherman--was only skimming the surface. He was not plumbing the depths that were available to him. I wonder how many of us also simply skim the surface of what God has available for us and never experience the depths of what is truly available to us? When was the last time you were truly awed by what God had done in your life or that you had seen God do in someone else's life? It's time to put our nets down deep into God's word.
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