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Proper 11

Romans 8
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that[c] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.


There’s nothing like a good motto to really sum things up.

Take New Hampshire, as an example. Their motto, “Live free or die” seems to sum up the fierce independence of this tiny northeastern state, and the rest of the country too. It’s a borrowed motto, of course, with similar mottos in a variety of places such as Greece, Catalan and revolutionary France.

Or our beautiful province, with the motto “Loyal she began, loyal she remains.” Settled by refugees from the same conflict that gave birth to “live free or die,” we see how these mottos can be weirdly interconnected and often political in nature. And we won’t even mention “Je me souviens.”

Other mottos put aside history and politics and and try to be more aspirational, like our own “A mari usque ad mari.” It’s from the same Bible verse (Ps 72.8) we talked about after Dominion Day, and translates “from sea unto sea.” Or our friends to the south, who adopted “In God we trust,” in the 1950’s, partly to find unity beyond politics and partly to wag a finger at the Soviet Union, officially an atheist country.

And beyond simple mottos, there are key phrases and ideas that seem to sum up a place or people. So “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is one example, with our own “peace, order and good government” held up as a counterpoint. In some ways, these phrases become a sort of national DNA, part of our makeup, and the heart of who we are (or seek to be).

The Bible too, is filled with mottos and sayings that sum up individual characters and their work. So for Moses, we might say “Let my people go,” (Ex 9.1) the words God commanded him to say to Pharaoh. Or King David, described in 1 Samuel as “a man after God’s own heart.” (13.14) Or his son Solomon, applauded for saying “a good name is more desirable than great riches.” (Prov 22.1). Of course that’s rich, coming from a guy who collected a billion dollars in tributes each year.

Switching testaments, we could point to John the Baptist and his key phrase “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” It is what he preached in the desert and the concept for which he became known. Or Peter, named by Jesus as “the rock on which I will build my church” (Mt 16.18) and an idea the Bishop of Rome still clings to.

With Jesus, it becomes more difficult to identify one idea or saying that we could describe as a motto. “Go and sin no more” (Jn 8.11) would have to be a leading contender, along with “Come and follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” (Mk 1.17) Or perhaps a summary of his program is better than a motto, making it “Love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbour as yourself.” (Mt 22.37ff)

Finally, we get to St. Paul, architect more than a founder of our faith, and certainly the most important figure in Christianity after Jesus. And on the 500th anniversary of the Reformation we might point to verses that Luther turned to from Paul, such as “you are saved by grace through faith” (Eph 2.8) or “the righteous will live by faith” (Rom 1.17) which Paul actually borrowed from Habbakuk.

Both strong candidates, but I’m going to nominate another, suggested by N.T. Wright and part of the key to understanding our reading this morning. You’ve heard it countless times here, since it’s one of my go-to assurances, the words that follow our confession of sin.

“Anyone in Christ is a new creation, the past is done, and new life has come.” (1 Cor 5.17)

So before we look at Romans 8 again, maybe we should unpack this idea of the ‘new creation’ and why it’s part of the key to Paul. It begins (according to Paul) at our baptism, when we baptized into the death of Christ. As we go below the water (by symbol at least) we are joined in Jesus’ death on the cross. We are buried with him and raised to new life with him (2 Cor 4). The old self is gone, and our new self is joined to Christ to be part of this new creation. Listen to Paul’s more complete description of the new creation:

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

And this is other important part of being a new creation: that we are a new creation to others. We enter a fellowship (the Greek is koinonia) whereby we are utterly transformed by this new life in Christ. We no longer live for ourselves alone, we live for each other in Christ. “From now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view” means we no longer view them as strangers or competitors, but as potential brothers and sisters in Christ. “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3.28)

So we can (at long last) turn to our reading for the day. I’m going to share a few select verses to refresh your memory:

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.”
“The creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.”
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

Before I go on, I should acknowledge that the idea of creation and ‘new creation’ call to mind the current state of God’s creation, and the modern movement that would have us safeguard the world God made. In some ways, it is just another way we can be joined to God—to protect the environment and seek to restore it to something resembling God’s intention for our planetary home.

But it’s never without controversy. After the first Earth Day held on April 22, 1970, conservative commentators noted that the date was also the 100th anniversary Vladimir Lenin’s birth. The FBI launched an investigation, and Time quoted a lobbyist who said "subversive elements plan to make American children live in an environment that is good for them." Imagine that. Clearly, the recent brand of crazy down south is not new.

Creation waits in eager expectation. Creation will be liberated from bondage. The whole creation has been groaning in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. And to these I might add one more motto, something else we will share in our service, in a few moments time: “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

As N.T. Wright has said, the God who make heaven and earth intends to bring them together at the last. This is the eagerness, the groaning, the long-awaited liberation: that the world and everyone in it will be transformed by God in Christ, and that long-expected kingdom will come.

So what do we do in the meantime? One scholar said we should “preach repentance and practice patience” (John P. Meier) and that seems as good advice as any. Preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was John’s starting point, and it allowed people to prepare in their hearts room for the message that would follow: the kingdom of God is among (or within) you.

We seek the “freedom and glory of the children of God,” but we also recognize that it is here in our midst. We are already transformed by life within the body of Christ, a reconciled fellowship that can be new life for others.

Anyone in Christ is a new creation, the past is done, and new life has come! Amen.

posted by michael jacob kooiman @ 4:47 AM