Set Your Minds on the Spirit

Based on Romans 8:6-11
First delivered Mar. 29, 2020
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            “To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” These words of Paul are part of his argument that I don’t want to get much in to. Paul is making an extended argument about how Gentiles are included among God’s chosen people through the action of Jesus Christ. It’s not about being born a Jew, it’s about trusting in God. Paul uses words like “flesh” and “spirit” and “mind” as symbols to make this argument. As I have reflected on this passage throughout the week, the question kept coming to me. “So what?” The argument that Paul is making in Romans, it seems to me, doesn’t really matter right now. For all of us this shared experience of living through the coronavirus pandemic is impacting every aspect of our life, including what I should be saying in these messages. So, to dig in to Paul’s argument about Gentiles and Jews all being brought together as children of God seems to miss the point of the times in which we live.

            But I don’t want to let this text go. There is something Paul is saying about where we put our minds that resonates with me concerning these times that we are living through. What we think about, where we put our focus, does have an impact on the quality of our life. If we think about the flesh as a metaphor for our mortality or our own bodily needs, then setting our minds on the flesh does lead to death, a kind of spiritual death. But if we set our minds on the Spirit, the spirit of God, the spirit of life, the spirit of love, the spirit of creativity, then setting our minds on the spirit does lead to life and peace. I want to take a few minutes to talk about some observations I have had over the past few weeks of people setting their minds on the Spirit.

            Kim and I are big fans of the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. We watch them all faithfully. Of course, not when they air. DVRs are a great invention. Usually on the weekend we catch up and watch the previous week’s episodes. The show is produced in New York City. Obviously, production was shut down a few weeks ago. But instead of just playing reruns, Jimmy Fallon has still been putting out his show from his home. His wife, Nancy, is the camera operator. The camera is her IPhone. His two girls play the role of musicians, graphic designers, and just general cuteness. Jimmy still does his opening monologue. He then does a zoom call with a celebrity who promotes a non-profit organization. Perhaps later in the show he shows a musician who sent Jimmy a video of themselves performing from their home. Jimmy also films short bits around his home, joking around with his girls. One time, he and his wife filmed themselves taking a walk. Jimmy asked her questions about herself sent in by fans. These are not professionally polished productions. But they are so creative. And the viewers get to know Jimmy’s family and what his house is like. These shows have brought his viewers closer into his life, even though they, and we, are somewhat confined to our homes. The shows are intimate and authentic. I have to say that watching the Tonight Show: At Home Edition has been life giving. When we get through all of this and production of the show starts up again, I think I’m going to miss these at home editions. I sort of hope that Jimmy keeps doing some bits from home going forward. Rather than relying on reruns, Jimmy Fallon set his mind on continuing to produce something that is creative, uplifting, funny, and relevant to the moment we are in. He set his mind not on the flesh, but on the Spirit.

            Jimmy Fallon is not the only person who has been producing shows from home. Probably like most of you I spend a good share of my time watching the news. I like to watch Squawk on the Street on CNBC in the morning to see where the stock market is going to go that day. I watch the local news. And for the past week or so the people on these news shows have not all been in the studio together. Again, most of the news people are working at their homes. Take the local news program for an example. You have one anchor in the studio. But their partner anchor will be at their home. The weather reporter does their weather report from their home. The sports reporter, who doesn’t really have a lot of sports news to report on, are giving their report from home. These news programs are putting into practice the social separation that we are encouraged to do. Instead of having one person in the studio trying to deliver all the news by themselves, the team keeps performing their roles in a different way. It is a creative way to continue to deliver the news. And, again, it opens up a bit of intimacy as the viewers get a glimpse into what these homes of these newscasters live in look like. Far from the glare of the stage lights and the sterile set of a news studio, we get to watch our news anchors and weather reporters in less than ideal lighting and with the occasional lag that those of us who have been on zoom meetings lately can relate to. The news continues to be delivered in a creative way that is shaped by this health crisis we are in. Their minds are not on the flesh, but on the Spirit.

            I was talking to a church member recently, just checking in to see how she was doing. She made a great observation. She expressed her gratitude that this general quarantine is happening in the spring and not in the dead of winter. So, at least you can get out of the house and get some fresh air rather than stay cooped up. So true. Last Sunday, Kim and I took our puppy Oliver for a walk. It was a bright, sunny day. There were so many people out for a walk. Of course, everyone was maintaining appropriate social distancing from other groups. But it was so great to see everyone out walking around instead of sitting at home watching sports or whatever else. Tuesday evening, I was sitting in my backyard enjoying the comfortable temperature and reading a book. I heard a number of my neighbors out, greeting each other, kids laughing and carrying on, dogs barking. The neighborhood was alive with people out of their homes and connecting with each other. It was such a sweet sound. I look out the window and see the first dandelions coming up in my front yard. I have some neighbors who mowed their lawns the past few days. Daffodils and crocuses are popping up. Trees are starting to bud out. Robins are poking around in the yard. We as a community are contending with this deadly virus but that doesn’t stop the signs of spring from bursting forth all around us, oblivious to the health crisis we are in. It’s reassuring that even the coronavirus cannot stop spring from coming. As we look around us and see new life all around us, our minds are not on the flesh, but on the Spirit.

            Then there are all the ways churches, like ours, have been trying to come up with ways to stay connected when we can’t be together in one room. So many zoom meetings. Kim asked me a few days ago, half joking, if we should be investing in zoom stock. Kim has been doing virtual yoga through zoom. One time she was attending a virtual yoga session in which the teacher wasn’t even in Ohio. Back to Jimmy Fallon, he had a zoom interview with a popular songwriter who was in his apartment in London. Another time he interviewed a celebrity from his home in Columbia. Geography is irrelevant in these zoom meetings. Plus, there is a reduction in carbon emissions of course because you can have a zoom meeting with someone in London instead of having that person fly to New York. You can have a zoom meeting with your colleagues rather than have ten people drive to a central location to meet. It’s actually better for the environment by having all these zoom meetings. They take some getting used to. If you don’t have a great internet connection the video can get pretty choppy and sometimes everything freezes up. But, still, people can at least see each other and talk through things. Extended families or groups of friends are having zoom meetings in the evening to talk. A few days ago, I “Facetimed” my sister instead of talking to her on the phone, just to see her. She got Covid-19 by the way. The virus circulated through her church choir before they started cancelling everything and several of her fellow choir members got sick. She had a rough few days, but she is much better now. But as I think about all these zoom meetings that are happening, making geographic separation irrelevant and dramatically reducing carbon emissions by not driving or flying anywhere to get to a meeting, it makes me wonder if when this crisis is over we may decide that zoom meetings are more environmentally responsible. I wonder if that is the spiritually minded and life-giving thing to do.

            Dr. Amy Acton, the state public health director, has been a rock the past few weeks. She and our governor and lieutenant governor have provided steady and responsive leadership that I think for many of us has been quite reassuring. A few times, Dr. Acton has talked about the many innovations that are being developed right now to respond to this once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. We have seen tele-health be expanded dramatically which is extending health care to folks. Factories are being retrofitted to build ventilators. Distilleries are halting production of spirits in order to make hand sanitizer. Battele has developed a method to sanitize surgical masks to extend their usage. In so many ways, industries and businesses are responding to this crisis in new and innovative ways. Like the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. What innovations will emerge that will stay with us when the crisis passes? How will we reconsider our manufacturing sector so that we are less dependent on other nations to produce critical resources in our own country? Look at the recent stimulus package passed by congress making it possible for independent contractors, 1099 workers, Uber drivers and the like, to apply for unemployment. In what ways will our social safety net be evaluated and strengthened as this crisis brings to light the disparity of resources and support structures? If our minds are set not on the flesh, but on the Spirit, how might we come out of this crisis as a society more healthy and strong and secure? Who would have thought, in a year that many, including myself, thought would be a year of great division driven by our partisan politics and the presidential election, instead find ourselves pulling together to respond to a virus that cannot be bullied or tweeted down into submission. Instead of setting our minds on the flesh of partisanship and acrimony we find ourselves setting our minds on the Spirit of collaboration and solidarity.

            We have a challenging road ahead. If the projections are reasonable, the next few months will be a test to our health systems and governmental systems, infrastructure, and who else knows what. We don’t know how long this struggle will last, or if the spread will ease up during the summer only to ramp up again in the fall. In the face of these challenging and uncertain times, we can make the choice to set our minds on the Spirit, on life, on peace, on creativity. By setting our minds on the Spirit, I am confident that we as a society will come out of this stronger than we were before we entered into this. As we journey through this valley of the shadow of death, our minds set firmly on Jesus, we will come through on the other side as the Spirit, that dwells in us, gives life to our mortal bodies also.

The Lord is Our Shepherd

Based on Psalm 23
First delivered Mar. 22, 2020
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            I had planned to base this week’s message on Ephesians 5. As the week went along, so much time was spent on consulting with colleagues, calling parishioners, listening to the latest updates on the coronavirus, processing information and making decisions, that by Friday morning I had barely started on my message. I had read through Ephesians 5 a number of times. But, honestly, nothing was coming to me. The season we are going through right now overwhelmed my thoughts, and nothing in that passage was speaking to me. So, I looked to see what the other lectionary options were for this Sunday. I was drawn to Psalm 23. The unfolding of this pandemic has been very challenging to all of us. Psalm 23 speaks to me a word of comfort and promise during this difficult time. I want to reflect with you on this beloved psalm with the hope that you will be encouraged as we journey together through this pandemic.

            “The Lord is my shepherd.” This is a reminder to me that I am not the shepherd. Jesus is. The pastor, who is in a position of leadership, is sometimes considered to be the shepherd of her flock. I get that. I understand that part of the role of pastor is to be a shepherd, to provide guidance, to oversee the congregation. But any pastor will tell you, serving as a pastor during a global pandemic such as this is a new experience. I have heard our governor say a number of times that when he lies down at night he asks himself if he has done enough. I assure you, there are a lot of pastors who are wondering the same thing. What eases the pressure for me is to remember that the Lord is the shepherd. I can do what I can and it will have to be enough for today. “I shall not want.” Our shepherd gives us what we need when we need it. The comfort and strength we all need comes from our trust in God, and not in our own strength. With the Lord as our shepherd we shall not be in want.

            These are stressful times and a lot is being asked of all of us as we make dramatic shifts in our daily life for a season. The shepherd is there to guide all of us through these unchartered times, this journey that none of us know how long will take. As a shepherd guides the sheep along, so our shepherd is with us on this journey to guide us. We are not left to wander aimlessly through this time of crisis. The shepherd, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is leading. We can follow that lead by paying attention to what the Spirit is saying to us. In a recent blog by Pastor Sara, our assistant D.S., she said that if you think it and feel it, act on it. For example, if you think about your neighbor, check on them. If you notice something is off with a co-worker during a zoom call, follow up. When you feel anxiety building, reach out to someone you love and trust and talk about it. I would say that this is how the shepherd leads us by the Spirit through this time of crisis, by influencing what we think and feel, and by giving us the motivation to act in appropriate ways.

            “God makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters.” I have noticed this in my life as I start each day fresh. And even to an extent when I get to bed at night. The in between times are full of anxiety, decision making, trying to focus on the matter at hand, taking care of daily responsibilities. But at bedtime, and when I first get up in the morning, the Lord is giving me rest. Each day, before jumping in to all that lies ahead, I am receiving the grace to begin the day with some quiet. I ease in to the day. At the time that the sun begins to rise, I go outside to greet the morning. For about fifteen minutes, I stay outside, standing or sitting, and I take some deep breaths. I get grounded in my body by feeling the ground under my feet, by noticing any tightness anywhere in my body. I try to still my mind, let thoughts pass through, be still, and ask God to give me a word that I need. It is usually a short phrase like, “stay focused” or “give yourself to others” or “rest”. I end the time with gratitude for another day. These fifteen minutes of greeting the morning has been like lying down in green pastures. It restores my soul. As the day goes on and we work through all we are having to deal with, new and unforeseen challenges, it is wearying. The Lord is leading us, which means we are not standing still. We are in motion. We are on a journey. But when bedtime comes and we can lie down and rest in God’s arms, it is then that God is able to restore our souls so that we will be ready for the next day in our journey.

            The Lord guides us along right paths for God’s sake. It is not an easy path. Canceling public worship is not an easy path. Engaging modern technology as well as utilizing old fashion technology, like the phone and mailing cards, is not an easy path. Dreaming new ways to do worship while physically separated, doing Easter worship in a dispersed way, how to do that, is not an easy path. But these are the right paths that the shepherd is leading us along. It is right and it is good even though it is hard. It is going to give God glory as we more intentionally stay connected with each other. We take for granted seeing each other on Sunday morning or for Bible Study on Wednesday to catch up with each other. And it isn’t just our church friends. We have co-workers or other social groups that we hang out with. Now we have to be more intentional. Social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation. But how to do that takes intentionality. And I wonder if this challenge to be more intentional will develop in us habits that will carry forward once this crisis comes to an end and we no longer have to practice social distancing. I am curious how the habits we develop now will achieve what God has intended for us all along.  And I have been thinking as we put expressions of worship on the internet, it actually takes our worship out of the building and into the virtual public square. By putting worship online, it makes worship even more accessible for those who choose not to or cannot attend worship when we have it in our buildings. We potentially reach more people with our worship when we do it digitally. To God be the glory. To expand our worship out to the virtual public square is the right path to be on. And God will get the glory.

            There have been times over the past few weeks where I have been inspired and energized, especially when I have been talking with colleagues about new ways to do worship and stay connected with our congregations, and as I have thought about and acted on more intentionally being connected with all of you by methodically working through the church directories and calling you. If you haven’t heard from me yet, be patient. I’m getting to you. Having those brief conversations with you has been great. And then there have been times where I feel overwhelmed, when I feel like I’m not doing enough. The grief of not having public worship on Easter for the first time in my life weighs very heavily on my heart as I know it weighs on so many others. It is a collective weight of grief. It is likened to walking through the valley of the shadow of death. The right path that the shepherd is leading us on includes walking through these valleys. This is not a diversion. The feeling of overwhelm and of not being able to do enough is not an experience of wandering off the right path. It is part of the journey that we are being led through. Acknowledging that those moments of walking through the valley with Jesus who is leading us through it helps in resisting fear. Why be afraid when it is God that is leading us into and through that valley? The valley of shadow is part of the journey that God is leading us through. God is with us. God makes a way for us through those shadowy, heavy, fearful moments. God is leading us through this part of the journey where worshipping on Easter will be different. There is no need to be afraid because God is leading us through this.

            “You spread a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” What are the enemies that we are facing? The virus, obviously. But also we face anxiety, the debilitation of uncertainty, the weariness of dealing with the disruptions, the tediousness of listening to people cast blame and be critical of the response to the pandemic, the ambient noise of panic, all these things that sap our energy, that distract us from focusing on and trusting the lead of the Spirit, that take our minds off of what we can be grateful for, that twists our thinking and feeling about the situation we are in that leads to actions that are not helpful. These are the enemies we face. And we face them with God. God anoints our heads with oil and fills our cups to overflowing, the psalmist says. In other words, we are God’s children. God cares for us and supports us. God provides all we need. God loves us. I came across this simple method we can use when the anxiety builds. It is the halt method. “H” stands for “hungry.” Are you hungry? When was the last time you ate? “A” stands for “angry.” Are you upset? Do you need to step away for a minute to calm down? “L” stands for “lonely.” Are you feeling isolated? Do you need to reach out and call a friend? “T” stands for “tired.” Do you need to take a break? Can you make time for a nap? I commend the halt method. When the anxiety builds, we can also use our imaginations. Imagine your head being anointed with oil by God. Sometimes in church we are invited to come forward to be anointed with oil by the sign of the cross on our foreheads. Imagine God doing that for you. Imagine holding a cup of blessing that is overflowing with the blessings of God. Remember that God is with us. Rest in the presence of God.

            “Goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.” Goodness and mercy doesn’t just follow us. A more accurate translation of the Hebrew would be that God’s goodness and mercy pursues us. It chases us down. When we journey day by day, and somehow wander off the right path that God intends to lead us on, it is God, out of goodness and mercy, who pursues us, who chases us down, to guide us back on the right path. This is our assurance in these uncertain times. The Spirit is leading us right now. But we can get distracted. We can be tempted to wander off this path we are on. We can be tempted to just check out. The one who leads us isn’t so far ahead of us that the shepherd doesn’t notice our wandering off. The shepherd chases after us. The shepherd responds to where we are and leads us back on the right path, the path that ultimately leads to “the house of the Lord.” And that means more than leading us back to public worship in our buildings. Yes, a church building is sometimes called the house of the Lord. But the house of the Lord that the psalmist is talking about is the house in which we will dwell forever. He is talking about our heavenly home, the place we will eventually get to because of the promise of eternal life.

            We are on a journey. And this journey has all kinds of twists and turns. And no one saw the coronavirus coming along. Our journey has taken an unexpected turn. But our shepherd is still with us. Our shepherd is caring for us and strengthening our souls. Our shepherd is guiding us on the right path, even when that path takes us through the valley of the shadow of death, even when that path brings us into contact with the enemies that seek to suck the life right out of us. Our shepherd anoints us, blesses us, pursues us with goodness and mercy. Our shepherd is leading us home. We will get there…together.

God Makes Things Right

“God Makes Things Right”
Based on Rom. 5:1-11
First delivered Mar. 15, 2020
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            Reconciliation: to re-conciliate, to make things right. Reconciliation is one of those big words that names a number of experiences in our lives that can be quite meaningful, even transformative. Reconciliation is right up there with peacemaking, restoration of relationships, burying the hatchet, starting fresh with a clean slate. Reconciliation is one of those experiences that can potentially be some of the most important moments of our lives.

            Of course, not every experience of reconciliation is life altering. Those of us who sit down with our bank statement every month to reconcile the statement with our checkbook knows that this is not a life altering moment. Hopefully it is a short and tedious couple of minutes to go through and make sure that there are no crazy charges showing up on your bank statement. The most alarming thing that could happen when you are doing this reconciliation is if you find some fraudulent charges. Then you have to go through the process of contesting the charges, changing your account number, and so forth. Most of the time, this reconciliation process is pretty painless and doesn’t require a lot of intentionality or effort.

            Another way reconciliation is experienced is after a time of war, especially a civil war. You and I have not had this experience of reconciliation. One somewhat recent example of this I am aware of is in South Africa when Apartheid was ended and the nation had to come to terms with the ravages of the racist policies that pitted the minority white population with the majority black population. The violence and hatred that was stirred up during Apartheid had to be exposed and healed so that South Africa could move forward as a nation when Apartheid came to an end. In an effort to bring healing to the nation, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established. This commission provided a process in which those in power who enforced Apartheid could come forward and confess what they did, to speak the truth of the harm they perpetrated and publicly acknowledge that what they did was wrong. Rather than sweep it all under the rug and move on, a deliberate process was set up so that the truth could be told so that reconciliation would be possible. This is a dramatic and intense experience of reconciliation, attempting to heal the wounds of a nation.

            For most of us, reconciliation is mostly an experience of repairing a relationship that has been harmed in some way. By words or deeds, either you have hurt someone or they have hurt you. And the hurt is deep enough that it drives you two apart. The relationship has been harmed. For that relationship to be healed, a process of reconciliation has to be worked through. The first step, of course, is to acknowledge that harm has been done. Next, the one who did the harm, having acknowledged it, resolves to try to make things right. Over time, hopefully the hurt feelings can ease and the two can be friends again. It may not happen overnight. The relationship may never return to the way it was before the harm. Reconciliation is not guaranteed. But, by working the process, reconciliation is possible. Relationships can be restored.

            Whether it is two friends who have been hurt or a nation that has been ripped apart by strife, the process is the same. The one who has done wrong has to own up to what they have done. And remember, in most situations, both parties in the dispute can likely name harm that they have committed. The harm must be named. Next, the one who did the harm has to try to make things right as best as it can be. And, of course, somewhere along the way the one who did the harm has to ask for forgiveness and hope that the one who has been offended will accept the forgiveness and extend a hand so that the relationship can be restored. This is the process of reconciliation. And it doesn’t always have a happy ending.

            Then, there is another broken relationship that is deep and profound. It is the broken relationship between God and creation. Specifically, the rupture in the relationship between God and humanity because of the virus of sin. We talked a few weeks ago about how sin is like a virus which infects every human being, distorting who God has created us to be, dis-ordering our relationship with God, with one another, and with ourselves. Yes, we have free will. We are responsible for our own actions. We can’t say, “sin made me do it.” But sin does influence what we do. We are ultimately responsible for our actions. What we say and do corrupted by sin is an offense to God. The level of offense each of us has perpetrated on God and on God’s creation is truly immeasurable. The rupture between us and God is vast. We don’t even know, much less have the capacity to confess, all the offense we have perpetrated against God. There is no way that we can make things right. When it comes to reconciling our relationship with God, it is not possible for us to fix it.

            Have you ever had the experience where the pain the other person inflicted on you was so great, the hurt so deep, that mending the relationship was hopeless? It’s one thing if it’s just an acquaintance or a co-worker. But if it is a spouse, a parent, a child…that is a hard thing to carry. Sometimes the parting of ways is necessary. Self-protection and self-respect dictate the need to end abusive relationships, to at the minimum physically separate from each other, but also even emotionally separating for your own health. Regrettably, many of us will in our lifetimes have to acknowledge the necessity to end relationships, that there are some relationships that cannot be reconciled.

            Paul says that our relationship with God was like that. Our offensive actions against God was so great that the relationship was beyond repair. There was nothing we could do to make it right. When it came to mending our relationship with God, we were without hope. And God would not have this. God’s love for us is so great, so deep, so vast, that God was determined that nothing would prevent reconciliation from taking place. Even though God is the offended one, God determined to take the initiative and do what was necessary to make things right. Through some great mystery, God closed the gap in our broken relationship through the death of Jesus on the cross. Theologians have tried to explain in a number of ways exactly how the death of Jesus on the cross fixed our relationship with God. We will never know for sure how this works. But we can affirm that God, the offended one, extended amazing grace by acting through Jesus in a decisive way to make things right. By God’s own force of will God reconciled all of humanity to Godself. As far as God is concerned, we have been reconciled with God. We couldn’t fix it. So, God fixed it for us through Jesus.

            If our relationship with God was a check register, and we are $1 million off from what the bank statement says we should be, it is as if the bank sat down and credited our account $1 million so that our check register balanced. We could never repay that debt. So, it was covered for us. This is the amazing grace of God, the love that God continues to pour into our hearts day by day. God’s grace is like a constant infusion of credit into our relational bank account with God. Sin is still working in us. We spend our whole lives resisting its influence. And we fail regularly. We offend God daily. And the grace of God never stops applying grace to our offense.

            To top all this off, Paul teaches us that if God has paid such a high price by offering God’s son on the cross so that we could be reconciled with God, it would be the height of folly for God to then abandon us to the wrath we deserve. Paul believed a day will come, a day of judgment when God would pour God’s wrath on God’s enemies: the great and terrible day of the Lord. It is a punishment we all deserve for our offense toward God and God’s creation. We deserve God’s wrath. But if God has paid such a price to reconcile our relationship, why would God then pour God’s wrath on us? If God was going to do that, why would God have paid such a huge price to make things right? God has invested too much in each of us to at the end of the day walk away from us and destroy us in God’s rage. Besides, God loves us too much to do such a thing. In other words, Paul is saying we can have confidence in the hope that because of Jesus we will not suffer God’s wrath. Our future with God is secure. God will never abandon us or forsake us. This is our good news.

            “Karen”, not her real name, had given up on God. Her husband came out as gay. They belonged to a church that understood being gay as a sickness that needed cured. Karen and her husband went to a therapist the church recommended to cure her husband of his gayness. No surprise. It didn’t work. They got divorced. The church Karen belonged to also saw divorce as a sin, just like being gay. They did not support her divorce. Karen lost her husband. She lost her church. And she threw up her hands and gave up on God.

            Karen was in a situation where she felt God had wronged her, treated her unfairly. She linked God with the church. The church hurt her deeply. So, God hurt her deeply. She wanted nothing to do with church, with Jesus, with God, none of it. She had been hurt by God at the hands of God’s church. She was the offended one.

            Many years later, Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer. During surgery, when she was having a mastectomy performed, her heart stopped briefly. They were able to get her heart pumping again and were able to complete the procedure. Karen said that during her surgery she saw the bright light at the end of the tunnel that people talk about in after death experiences. Karen came back to life. She felt like God had given her a second chance. So, she seized it.

            Now Karen is deeply committed to God. She came to realize that the church she belonged to did not adequately reflect the heart of God. Karen has found her calling in life. She has dedicated herself to create inter-generational and ethnically diverse communities, safe spaces, where people can tell their stories, where stereotypes and misunderstandings can be overcome, so that strangers, even those at enmity with each other, can become friends. Karen has adopted as her life calling a ministry of reconciliation. This ministry emerged from her own profound experience of being reconciled with God.

            Karen went through a difficult and painful experience. Each of us go through things, endure painful experiences and broken relationships. We live through disappointments and sometimes even betrayal. We may even experience a sense of disappointment and even betrayal at the hands of God. Not everyone gets over their anger toward God for what they perceive God has inflicted on them. But, in time, Karen was able to get to a different place in her relationship with God. She got to the place where she could affirm what Paul is saying in Romans 5. There is one relationship that we can trust. It is our relationship with God, who has done all that is necessary to reconcile us, to make right our relationship. From a place of love and grace, God has acted to make things right between us. God has and continues to forgive us of our sin. God has and continues to stretch out God’s hand, to spread wide God’s arms so that we can respond with gratitude and confidence. We can trust that God loves us, no matter what. Nothing can separate us from the love of God, not even our sin, because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

            This can be our hope, a source of strength and confidence, as we move through our days. All of us share a common relationship with God, a reconciled relationship. We all are loved by God and there is nothing any of us can do about it. This is one thing that we all have in common. It is this reality of God’s love for each one of us that can serve as a foundation to reconcile with each other where there are broken relationships, by affirming God’s mutual love for each one of us. It is this foundation of mutual love that grounds us in our mutual task of reconciliation. It isn’t easy. And not every relationship can be fixed. But the fact that God loves every person provides a baseline, a foundation, on which we can establish loving relationships with others. At the bare minimum, we can respond with empathy toward others in their time of need because they too are loved by God. They too are persons for whom Christ died. They too are persons of sacred worth. We don’t have to be friends with everybody. We don’t have to agree on everything. Social distancing serves a purpose besides preventing the spread of the coronavirus. But it is not a small thing to affirm that person is someone for whom Christ died and whom God has reconciled with because of God’s unstoppable love for that person. Let’s not lose sight of this incredible faith claim that Paul is making for us in Romans chapter 5.

We Are a Global Family

Based on Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
First delivered Mar. 8, 2020
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            Do you know the process to become a citizen of the United States? It is a long process. It begins by receiving a green card, which marks you as a permanent resident. You have to live with that green card for at least three to five years. You have to be able to read, write and speak basic English and be a person of good moral character. After all of that, you must go through a ten step process that includes determining your eligibility to become a citizen, preparing and submitting an application for naturalization, taking the naturalization test and having a personal interview.

            For us, however, we didn’t have a say in becoming citizens. We were born here. For us, there was no path to citizenship. It was automatic.

            In 2018, 756,800 people became naturalized citizens, the highest number since 2013. Three quarters of one million people. Think of so many people who are willing to go through such a long process so that they can become citizens of the United States, many of which who chose to give up the citizenship of their home countries. Yet, for us, it was automatic. It is something that we should appreciate. We automatically received citizenship to a nation that millions of people around the world yearn, and indeed struggle mightily, to become citizens. For those who work through the process we should have respect because it is not easy.

            Why do people want to become American citizens? It could be so that they can bring their families into the United States. Or so their future children will automatically become citizens. Or they want a U.S. passport so they can more freely travel and get back in to the United States. Or they want to have the ability to vote, or run for office themselves, or receive government benefits. Or they see the United States as a land of greater opportunity, or appreciate our form of government. There are many reasons, but they all have to do with a desire to belong, to be able to say, “I am a citizen of the United States.”

            In the days of Jesus, there were people who wanted to become Jews. As then, so it is now, most people are Jews because they are born Jews. Judaism is not just a religion, it is an ethnic group. People are Jewish, whether they practice the faith or not. People don’t even have to believe in God and they are still Jews because of their family line. But there have always been people who were attracted to Jewish religion and culture. Gentiles, those who are not born Jews, who wish to become Jews, could go through a process of a sort of naturalization. They could never be fully Jewish. But they could be proselytes. They could conform their lives to the Torah. They could be circumcised and practice a kosher diet. They could attend the religious festivals. They could even go to the Temple, taking up space in a specific area for proselytes. It was, and is, a long and challenging process, to convert to Judaism. If you stick with it, you can be included as one who belongs to Israel, God’s chosen people. It’s a much easier path, in fact, no path, if you are simply born a Jew. By birth, you belong to the people Israel.

            I have been talking about citizenship either by birth or by choice in order to give some context as we now turn to what Paul is getting at in this passage from Romans that we heard this morning. This passage from Romans 4 is commonly interpreted as an argument for justification based on faith and not works, one of the big dividing lines between Catholics and Protestants in the age of the Reformation some 500 years ago. But, in fact, Paul is not really talking about justification by faith, or arguing that we are saved only by believing in Jesus and that we can’t earn our salvation by works. Paul is actually arguing another point. I am going to ask you to bear with me this morning. I’m going to try my hardest to help us better understand what Paul is saying. If you stick with me, my hope is that you will see the importance of what Paul is arguing and its continuing relevance in our day.

            In those days, one of the big issues that the first Christians were dealing with was how to incorporate Gentiles into the church. Jesus, being a Jew, was understood to be a Jewish messiah, the one to fulfill the promise of Abraham, that Israel would be a light to the nations. But all these Gentiles were being drawn to Jesus. They were receiving the Holy Spirit, just like the Jewish believers. These Gentiles wanted to be counted as believers in Jesus, to be included in the way. How should these Gentiles be incorporated into the community of believers?

            Well, there was a real push to insist that they go the path of those who have wanted to convert to Judaism. That meant the path of the proselyte. They would need to spend time studying the Torah. They would need to renounce their pagan idolatry. The men would need to be circumcised. They would have to commit to a kosher diet. It took a lot more effort than simply believing in Jesus. Since that’s the way it had always been done, how else could these Gentiles be incorporated as children of Abraham, heirs of the promise as God’s chosen people?

            Paul had a problem with that. Paul argued that Gentiles did not have to become proselytes to be included as sons and daughters of Abraham, children of the covenant, heirs of the promise. Such a long and arduous process was not necessary. In fact, Paul argued that if anything the Gentiles were more naturally like Abraham than his fellow Jews.

            If we go back to Genesis 12, this is where we read of when God chose Abraham to be the one who would be the father of God’s chosen people. He would have descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and the grains of sand on the beach. And this chosen people would be given a land that would be their land for as long as the sun shines. God would be their God and they would be God’s chosen people, meant to be a light to the nations, blessed to be a blessing. But who was Abraham when God first came to him with such an incredible promise? At the time, his name was Abram. He was born in a land called Ur, which was among the peoples from Chaldea. They were pagans, who worshipped any number of gods. In other words, when God spoke to Abram the promise that God would make of him a great nation, Abram was an ungodly pagan, just like those Gentiles that have come to believe in Jesus.

            What do we read in Rom. 4:5? Paul writes that God justifies the ungodly. How can he claim this? What is his evidence? Look no further than Abraham, who was an ungodly pagan when God chose him to be the progenitor of God’s chosen people, a new nation, a nation spoken into existence by God’s own action. Abram did not have to convert to God first. He did not have to forsake his gods first. He did not have to leave his religion first. He did not have to do anything before God chose him, called him, to be the one through whom God would establish Israel. Does God justify the ungodly? Yes. Look at Abraham.

            One of the most prized possessions of Israel is the Torah, the law of God. First given to Moses on the mountaintop in the form of two stone tablets upon which was written by God’s own hand the Ten Commandments, what made Israel distinctive from all other nations was their possession of God’s Law. God had chosen this people to be God’s own people. They wanted to know how they might worship and serve the God who chose them. So, God gave them the Torah so that they would know how they are to worship and serve God. It is their adherence to this law that marks Israel as God’s chosen people. Obedience to the Torah is what makes Israel distinct from all other nations. Just as our Constitution is unique to us as citizens of the United States, so the Torah is unique to those who are citizens of God’s chosen people, Israel. We have a lot of pride in our Constitution. Some have even argued that it is the greatest form of government the world has ever known. Is it any stretch that there were those in the days of Jesus and Paul who would argue that there is no greater possession than the Law that was given directly by God mediated through Moses? Would we be surprised that there were those who held the view that Israel, being God’s chosen people, is the greatest nation in the world, a city set on a hill?

            I think we can appreciate those in the days of Jesus and Paul who had a good deal of pride in their status as children of Abraham, citizens of God’s chosen people, Israel. Yes, Israel was currently under Roman occupation. And Rome was just the latest of a series of empires that occupied Israel and imposed heavy taxation. Yes, people longed for a messiah to come to restore Israel to its rightful place, like it was in the days of David and Solomon. We can understand that longing.

            But, what does Paul say? When God chose Abraham, did Abraham yet possess the Torah? Actually, no. The Torah would not be given for many hundreds of years. The chosen people of God got along fine without the Torah for several generations. That doesn’t mean they were morally pure and upright. It’s just that there was no Torah for them to possess. And all that time that Israel did not have the Torah, they were still God’s chosen people. Israel existed before there was a Torah for them to possess. That’s what Paul is pointing out.

            And what good is the Torah anyway, Paul asks. All the Torah does is make it clear how the Israelites deserve God’s wrath. It explicates how woefully they all fall short of maintaining strict obedience to God’s laws. What does he say in 4:15? The law brings about wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That’s technically true. You can’t transgress a law that doesn’t exist. Since the law didn’t exist for Abraham, he didn’t transgress God’s law. Again, that doesn’t mean that Abraham was morally perfect. The point is that of all the things he had to deal with as he heard and responded to God’s call on his life, he didn’t have to stress over following all the points of God’s law.

            This is the point that Paul is making: if all the Torah does is make the case for God’s wrath as a response to disobedience to God’s law, and Abraham got along fine without the Torah, why should Gentiles desire or be compelled to adhere to the Torah? If God could call a pagan who did not possess or adhere to the Torah, which is who Abraham was, then why can’t God also call pagans who do not possess or adhere to the Torah, like these Gentiles who are responding to the gospel of Jesus? Of course, God was calling pagans, including them also as children of Abraham. They don’t need to be proselytes. They don’t need to convert to the Jewish faith. They don’t need to be circumcised or maintain a kosher diet. All they have to do is what Abraham did. They have to believe in the promises of God. Their faith in God through Jesus Christ will be credited to them as righteousness, just as Abraham’s faith in God was credited to him as righteousness. Indeed, if there are any people more like Abraham than not, it is the Gentiles who are responding to God’s call on their life.

            Thanks for being patient with me as we slog through this argument Paul is making. I hope I have made myself clear and haven’t confused you. To summarize what Paul is arguing in Romans 4: rather than become proselytes and adhere to the Torah in order to be included as heirs of the covenant of Abraham, all the Gentiles had to do was have faith in God, believing that because of Jesus Gentiles are also included in the covenant. Because of their belief in God through Jesus, Gentiles are also sons and daughters of Abraham.

            So…why does this matter to us? Why am I taking all this time to try to make clear what Paul is arguing? I’m taking the time to do this, not only to try to interpret faithfully the scriptures, but also because what Paul was arguing to address a specific issue of his time still has implications for us 2,000 years later. I have four quick points I want to make about the implications of Paul’s argument and I’m going to go through this quickly.

            First, we see that God made it very easy to be included as a child of Abraham. There was no need to enter a long process with lots of steps. Granted, there was the need to forsake pagan gods and affirm only one God, the creator of the heavens and the earth. They needed to avoid sexual immorality and were not to consume the blood of animals. But that’s it. God determined to make it as easy as possible to be included as one of God’s chosen people, heirs of the covenant promise. This tells us that God is determined to place the bar low so that as many people as possible, all who would respond to the call to place their faith in Jesus, have a place among the people of God.

            Second, being a child of Abraham has nothing to do with blood relation. You may recall the time when Jesus was arguing with Pharisees. The Pharisees were bragging about how they are sons of Abraham. Jesus scoffed at them by saying, “From these stones God can call forth children of Abraham.” The point that Jesus and Paul were making is that being included in God’s covenant promise is not tied to blood. Instead it is tied to responding to the call, saying “yes” to God. Inclusion as children of Abraham is not based on blood but on faith.

            Third, as I said at the beginning of this talk, you and I have the privilege of being born as citizens of the United States. We are Americans. This is our ethnicity. We comprise the American people. But we are not just Americans. There is another ethnic group we belong to based on our faithful response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We also belong to the ethnic group of Abraham. We belong to the people of God. And this people transcends all ethnic boundaries. It transcends all nations. Yes, we are Americans. But we are also Abrahamites. We are American people. But we are also God’s people. And this people includes all the nations of the world. We belong to a trans-national people, a people that transcends ethnicity.

            This leads to my last point. Every person on earth who has faith in God through Jesus Christ is a brother and a sister. Whether that person is an American, a Russian, a Syrian, a German, a Brazilian, or a stateless refugee, if they have responded to the gospel of Jesus they are our brothers and sisters. If this is true, how does that impact how you view people who are not Americans? When you see Christians stuck at the southern border escaping violence in their homelands and longing for asylum here in the United States, do you see these asylum seekers as brothers and sisters? Let’s bring it even closer to home. When you see Christians attending rallies for Donald Trump, Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders, do you see your brothers and sisters? I would hope that all of us who see our brothers and sisters under duress would feel some empathy and at least desire to help in any way possible. I would hope that when we see our brothers and sisters who hold political views opposite of our own, that we would not forget they are brothers and sisters and not people we are to turn our back on and discard, disown or shun. Of course, you can’t always tell who is a Christian just by looking at them. You can’t tell the faith of a person, whether that person has faith in God, just by looking at them. So, the safe bet is to assume that every person you come in contact with is a brother or a sister of Abraham: your brother and your sister. From that position, act accordingly. And if you end up showing empathy toward someone who doesn’t believe in God or has rejected Jesus, what does it hurt? No one needs to show their Christian papers or prove their citizenship among the people of God before we can offer our concern and support. Let’s assume that every person is a brother or a sister. I am convinced that if we approach each person as a brother or sister it would go a long way toward transforming this world into the kind of world that God has desired all along.

Fighting the Sin Virus

“Fighting the Sin Virus”
Based on Romans 5:12-19
First delivered Mar. 1, 2020
Rev. Dr. Kevin Orr 

            We can’t avoid hearing about it. Covid-19, commonly called Coronavirus, has the world’s attention. It has all the markings of a pandemic. It is engaging public health services throughout the world. The CDC has a page dedicated to releasing the facts of the situation and what citizens, organizations, businesses, and communities can do to prepare. The spread of the coronavirus is impacting global markets. And, as is everything these days, coronavirus is being used as another means to score political points.

            Why Covid-19 has our attention is that it is a new pathogen that has never infected humans before. It is a new infectious disease. Scientists and medical professionals are having to learn more about this virus and how best to treat it. Because it is new and we don’t know for sure how contagious this virus is or how long someone is actively sick with it causes the need to put people in isolation and consider the possibility to minimize large public gatherings, the temporary closing of schools, the restriction of travel. Although the possibility of any of us catching the virus here is low, the threat is serious. Our prudent response is to do the things we should always do to avoid getting sick. I also recommend you check in with cdc.gov for the latest updates, where you can find solid information.

            I chose to start this message by addressing coronavirus because it is likely something that is on all of our minds. But I also wanted to start there because this passage we heard this morning from Paul’s letter to the Romans is on the subject of sin. And when I think of sin I often think of sin as like a virus. Sin is more than doing bad things or having bad thoughts. It’s much deeper than that. Sin is a pathogen, a parasite, a virus. It is an entity that invades our bodies and souls, working its corrupting influence on us, distorting who we are as those created in the image of God. Sin is an infectious disease of the soul.

            Sin is much more contagious and deadly than Coronavirus or any other infectious disease. We don’t know for sure how Coronavirus spreads from person to person. And we do not yet know the mortality rate for this virus. It could be anywhere from 2% to 5% or more. Many people infected with Coronavirus may only have a mild illness and go undetected. Sin, however, is highly contagious. Now, let me just stop and make sure you understand that what I am doing here is using infectious disease as an analogy for sin. I am obviously not saying that sin is a literal infectious disease. What I am saying is that sin, both in how it spreads and its impact on us has parallels to an infectious disease. That said, if we use Adam as the original host for sin, from Adam the pathogen has spread to every human being. We believe that Jesus is the only human being who was never infected with the sin virus. Every other human has the sin virus in their system. Some would even say it is like a genetic mutation, that we are born with it. The only point I am making is that every human being is infected with sin. The intent of this virus is to work spiritual death in every human being. Sin is a soul killer.

            As we sit here, researchers are scrambling to develop a vaccine against Covid-19. We don’t know how long it will take but a vaccine will not be available any time soon. There are also no medications to treat it. There is nothing for doctors to prescribe. Those who are infected have to ride it out as their bodies do what our bodies are designed to do, attack foreign pathogens and heal itself.

            As for the sin virus, there is no vaccine. But a medicine that cures sin has already been provided. Paul argues that just as the one transgression of Adam was enough to impact every human being, leading to condemnation, so the one righteous act of Jesus is enough to cover the sin of every human being. Because Jesus, the sinless one, died on a cross, this action was the sin virus killer. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the medicine that goes to work, destroying the sin virus, delivering people from spiritual death, and bringing about spiritual healing and restoration. This saving act that Jesus performed on the cross, according to Paul, is made available to all people. Jesus did not die for some people. He did not die only for the so-called chosen people. Jesus offered up his life for the sake of all people for all time. This medicine that cures the sin-sick soul is available to all, free of charge, and universally effective.

            But, there are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to applying the medicine of Jesus’ sacrifice to cure us of the sin that plagues our souls. Although the medicine is available to all and is universally effective, the medicine itself must be received to have its effect. As Wesleyan Christians, there are two things that we do not affirm. We do not affirm universal salvation, the idea that all people are saved whether they want to or not. Nor do we affirm limited salvation, the idea that only some people have been chosen by God to be saved and the rest of us are out of luck. We affirm that Jesus died for the salvation of all people, that it is God’s desire that every person be saved, but each person has a role to play in their own healing. Trusting in Jesus for our salvation makes a difference. Willfully rejecting Jesus’ sacrifice for your healing has a consequence. How we respond to the offer of salvation, the healing of our sin-sick souls, has consequences.

            The other thing to remember is that the medicine we receive by trusting in the sufficiency of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is not limited to one shot, or like taking one pill. I am currently on antibiotics to fight an ear infection. Two pills a day for ten days. It is explicitly written on the instructions, I must take all the pills, even if I am feeling better. That’s fine. But it sure would be more convenient if I could take one pill instead of twenty spread over ten days. That’s not how it works. These antibiotics have to be built up over time to reinforce what our bodies naturally do. Antibiotics are sort of like reinforcements. And it is a process to get things going.

            In the same way, the healing from sin that we receive by trusting in Jesus’ sacrifice is an ongoing process. We don’t just say “yes” to Jesus one time and then we are good to go. Sin, just like a virus, is pernicious. What Jesus did on the cross is the sin killer. But sin reproduces itself and spreads very effectively. You may have noticed that after you accepted Jesus as your savior you didn’t all of a sudden stop sinning. The fact is that the medicine that Jesus provides for us is not a single dose but a lifetime therapy.

            We learn from Paul that when we believe and trust in the saving power of Jesus’ action on the cross, that we are justified, made righteous, before God. Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross covers all our sin. But before the sin can be covered by the medicine, it has to be uncovered. The sin in our life has to be exposed. We learn in Paul’s letter to the Romans that the law serves as a tool to identify sin. The law has no power to overcome sin. It is a diagnostic device. The working out of our salvation, the work of healing our sin-sick souls, requires our participation. We have to do the work of exposing our sin to the healing power of Jesus. This is where confession and repentance comes in. Our spiritual healing is a process of ongoing examination and repentance. Especially now, in this season of Lent, we are invited to examine our conscience, acknowledge our sin, and trust that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

            Finally, I want to encourage you to be honest with yourself and honest with God about the continuing presence of sin in your life. This is not something that we should be shy about or feel a lot of guilt and shame about. Remember, sin is a foreign substance. It is a virus. We will sometimes say, “I am a sinner.” That’s true, but that doesn’t mean you were created in the image of sin. You are created in the image of God. Your true, pure self reflects the image of God. Sin is a distortion of who you truly are. So, don’t get it twisted. Acknowledge sin for what it is, a virus that needs destroyed. Expose your sin before God. Acknowledge it freely. Do not be afraid. This is how this therapy works.

            Hear these words from the psalmist which we find in Psalm 32:3-5:

While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”, and you forgave the guilt of my sin.

            Does this resonate with you? Do you know the feeling of bearing the weight of a heavy conscience? There is no reason to keep your sin secret from God. There is no reason to hide it. All that does is prevent the healing power of Jesus to get in there and kill off that sin virus. Expose it. Expose your sin to the saving grace of God’s forgiveness so that you can be healed. Release yourself from the burden of unconfessed sin. Receive the healing balm provided by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.