| Romans 8:14-17 "Led by the Spirit of God" |
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| Written by Rev. Don Lee | |
| Saturday, 26 May 2007 | |
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Welcome to Holy Covenant on this Memorial Day Weekend, and Pentecost Sunday! Everyone here is on a journey of some kind. While not all roads lead to the kingdom of God, assuming “a Kingdom of God destination,” Jesus has promised you help in getting from here—to--there. John 14:26 “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you.” The violent wind of Pentecost (recorded in Acts 2), is confirmation that Jesus’ promise has come true for his church. We are not alone …thanks be to God! Our reading comes from Romans 8:14-17. I invite you to listen now for the Good News. 14For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ—if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Prayer: Most Holy God, we await the touch of your Spirit with eagerness. We ask that you enter the lives of each one of us today, refreshing and renewing and healing us with the power of your loving Spirit that we may live with purpose and enthusiasm and courage after the manner of Jesus, who was truly whole. Amen. “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you….” John 16:13 My wife prefers for me to drive. I’m sure its not that I’m the better driver but because when she drives, I “advise” my wife on how fast to go, which route to take and what lane to drive in, and even where to park! And as much as my wife loves me, I don’t think she cares for this too much! Verse 16, “the Spirit bears witness with our spirit….” God has something to say about “how we go” on the journey of faith. The “spiritual” or “Spirit led” life has two important components to it: 1st It’s a Letting Go. Vs. 15, For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. One of the most telling chapters of the Exodus story is the constant complaining that accompanied Israel’s wilderness wanderings. That these “liberated slaves” begin longing for their former lives tells us a great deal about human nature; our preference for the familiar (even if it enslaves us), over the fear of the unknown! Never mind that God had led then by a pillar of fire and cloud; delivered them from Pharaoh and his army; parted the Dead Sea, and brought them safely through it. “At least as slaves,” (they reason) “In Egypt we had food to eat and some semblance of control over our lives.” God has set us free. It’s the letting go that we are not so good at. For as soon as I “let go” of something important to me, I wrestle it back out of God’s hands. “Mine,” I say. We cling to the familiar, the predictable, the controllable. We harbor anger, resentment, hurt. We hold on to things, people, and experiences long after we should. We hang on to both sin and guilt much too long. Do you know what one of the biggest obstacles to a Spirit led life is? Fear. Fear destroys families. Fear leads to isolation. More and more Fear dictates public opinion and national policy. Fear can generate both terrorism and war. My grandfather served in the military during WWII because he didn’t want his grandchildren growing up afraid. What am I doing with that sacrifice? What are you doing with it? For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear... In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings, many parents of college students are wrestling with some very real fears. How can I protect my child from all the things that could hurt her? How can I place my child in the hands of God and leave him there? Let go? Are you kidding?! Letting go is becoming increasingly difficult, isn’t it? One of my all time favorite lines from a movie is profoundly simple. Archeologist Indiana Jones reaches for the Holy Grail, the cup of the Last Supper, as the ground becoming a giant sinkhole. As Indy stretches for the cup, his father begins to lose grip of Indy’s other hand. “Dad, I can almost reach it…” His father’s voice full of gentle compassion responds, “Indiana: Let it go….” With gentle compassion God’s Holy Spirit says to us, “This is not who you are…It’s time to let it go.” When I learn to let go of those things that enslave me, I am beginning to experience what it means to be Spirit led! Verse 14, For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. God cares about the “how” of our going on the journey of faith. “Let it go,” says the Spirit. 2ndly, A second component of the Spirit led life is trust. We need to learn to trust God. Verse 15 & 16 When we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God… In her book Walking on Water, Madeline L Engle tells the story about a man who had a small son he loved deeply and in an attempt to protect him from all the things in life that can hurt or cause fear, he taught him, “Trust no one.” One evening when the father came home, his son came running down the stairs to greet him, and the father stopped him at the landing. “Son,” he said, “Daddy has taught you that people are not to be trusted, hasn’t he?” “Yes, daddy.” “You can’t trust anybody, can you?” “No, daddy.” “But you can trust daddy, can’t you?” “Oh, yes, daddy.” The father then held out his arms and said, “Jump,” and the little boy jumped with absolute trust that his father’s arms were waiting for him. But the father stepped aside and let the little boy fall crashing to the floor. “You see,” he said to his son, “You must trust nobody.” Madeline responds to this story saying, “I trusted my parents, thank God, and I think that my children trust me. We all fail each other; none of us is totally trust-worthy; but the more we are trusted, the more we become worthy of trust. Our children are growing up in a world full of hurt and fear (terrorism, war, rage, school violence, divided communities), and the message they are hearing loud and clear is this, “trust no one.” Don’t trust the person different from you; the stranger, the immigrant, the Muslim, the Democrat, the Republican, the liberal, the conservative, the atheist, the Jew, the fundamentalist. Trust no one! Nothing could be so contrary to the biblical witness! 2 Timothy 1:7, for God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. The spirit we have received is about power and love, not fear. If we truly trust God then, we go God’s way! We go “the way” that says: love your neighbor, help the poor, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, love your enemy, comfort the afflicted, visit the prisoner “I am the way…” claimed Jesus. “Follow me…” I wonder how much I really trust God. After all, I do everything reasonable to protect myself, my family. Insurance, savings, portfolios, air bags, safe suburban neighborhoods….And that’s good common sense but I wonder if the safety nets I’ve constructed for myself actually make it difficult for me to trust God. I mean, given all this, do I really need to trust God? And if I don’t need to trust God, do I? Do you? When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Abba! It’s an endearing name, the kind a child uses for her mommy or daddy. This is not a parent who says ‘jump’ and then steps out of the way. We trust God because we know what it feels like to fall and land in the arms of God. There are several children at HC who at the end of worship run up, throw their arms around me, eyes closed, smile dancing on their face. And what those children do for this pastor is something beyond words. And each Sunday I am reminded of what it feels like to land in the arms of God! The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ -John 3:8 Put simply, to be Spirit led is to let go and trust God. When Nelson Mandela was released from prison, in a broadcast televised worldwide, many noted the look of anger on his face as he walked across the courtyard to freedom. Later he admitted hating his captures from having taken so much from him. But as he walked to freedom, he says: “I sensed an inner voice saying to me, “Nelson! For twenty-seven years you were their prisoner, but you were always a free man! Don’t allow them to make you into a free man, only to turn you into their prisoner.” For you did not receive a spirit of slavery…but… a spirit of adoption. By grace we are sons and daughters of God; water washed and Spirit filled. Called to live a spiritual life? Let go… trust God! Prayer: O Dear Lord, three things we pray: To see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day. Amen. |
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