Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Notes
Transcript
The New Self
The New Self
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
We live in an era with incredible body dysmorphia. An acute example of this is regional. In June of 2015 Rachel Dolezal, was an instructor at Eastern Washington University and the president of the local NAACP. She said she identified as black.
It was revealed that she was actually white- had lied on her application to teach at EWU and was summarily dismissed.
About a week after this revelation after this I attended a conference in Chicago, hosted by the Brooklyn Tabernacle, a church Pastored by a white man, Jim Cymbala but with a congregation of incredible breadth and diversity, as one would expect in Brooklyn.
I’d estimate that 95% of the attendees at this conference were black and largely non-denom, baptist and pentecostal types. Then there was me, and two other white guys from Jefferson County Missouri.
Cymbala brought up the Dolezal story and everyone just laughed. Cymbala said something to the effect of, can you imagine if someone accused our church of being racist, a white pastor caring for the souls of a bunch of people that don’t look like him? Don’t they know that we’re Christians?
I FROZE. The room erupted in laughter.
In Ephesians 4 Paul is making this exact point.
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
We have pretty good data on the city and church of Ephesus. It’s pretty likely that the church in Ephesus was 90% gentile - literally, 90% ETHNOS in its original language.
A refresher here- a gentile is anyone who was not a member of the descendents of Israel. A member of the tribe.
Paul say’s quit being you. Germans- you quit being germans. Swedes- you’re not Swedish anymore. You’re Christians. There is no other identity worth bragging about.
At times Paul identifies as a Roman Citizen, others a Jewish Convert, and still others as a faithful member of the tribe.
In Philippians 3 Paul lists the absolute best things about himself- the highest resume qualities he would have:
circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
He concludes this passage famously:
But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
Here in Ephesians he puts it more succinctly- again v. 17:
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.
He calls our self identification - futility. In other places this word is translated - vanity.
A few times a year I update my profile on our website because I know we get ‘shopped’ and people want to know who does a majority of the talking. It seems I should conclude that profile by saying:
Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
Appealing to anything other than Christ for Identity, vindication or justification is worthless.
How do you identify yourself to the world? Not your resume, but your day to day life? What’s your instagram or twitter feed like?
A better way to get a read on our identity is to see how we respond to the question: What have you been up to?
What are the hushed thoughts in our heads or the images we strive for in the mirror?
Around here many of us pride ourselves on the ability to rationalize over emote.
Others live through the achievements of their children
Still others of us look for institutions and businesses to console us or approve of our philosophies.
Still others of us are holed up in the Pharisaical thought that at least we’re not like THEM!
Paul say’s you are no longer those people! That person that you’re thinking about is not who you are! On your own- MATT YOU’RE NOT RIGHTEOUS.
They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.
Man, that word ‘callous’ hits home for me. Literally, it means ‘defensive’. What else is a callus but a defense
Christians are people who need no defense but Christ.
Thick skinned. We tout that as virtue. Pastors in particular are told that we should have thick skin. I’m beginning to think we shouldn’t! why?
Because we don’t need it.
I’ve got reasonably soft hands. This is a side effect of the fact that my job requires mostly the lifting of laptops, chalices, and the occasional body.
It’s those moments, when I am holding either a child for baptism or helping the funeral home move the deceased that I realize just how vain and indefensible our identities are. They all perish and are susceptible to the decay of sin.
That word vain or futile in the original language is where we get the root word for Material.
Why would we ever appeal to our race or place of upbringing as a source of identity?
I’m a german! YIKES. We’ve got a few things to sort out
If you trace any of us back far enough- Adam there is stain.
This is why we have a tradition- a few times in the life of the church we are clothed in white. When are they?
Baptism- The old Adam- the old man is drowned and a new creation is brought forth
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
2. Confirmation- confirmed in Christ
3. Marriage- the bride is a picture of Christ, spotless
4. Funerals - traditionally there is a pall placed over the casket
Church, the life of our congregation should be a rehearsal of God’s grace and our holiness in Christ.
Paul appeals to something wholly other than us as our source of identity and union - the image of God.
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
This is who we really are. Kind, tenderhearted, forgiving! Why? Because that is who Christ is.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
I love the closing of this reading. Walk in love!
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Friends as you walk out of this place, look at your feet. Think of them right now. Any callouses? Any Cracking? Any planters warts?
Thats not who you are- those feet are beautiful feet because they carry the kindness of the Gospel. Put on some new clean socks. You’re beautiful in His sight. Amen.