Faith

Galatians 3: 23-29, page 825

Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek,
Slave nor free,
Male nor female,
For you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Sermon
This week has been another week of disappointing revelations.
We have now heard apologies from BP for the oil that continues to spew into the Gulf, and despite the message from the Oval Office where President Obama attempted to calm us down assuring us that things will be OK, I’m still pretty concerned, as the bigger companies like BP get the more their mistakes cost, and that despite all the power that our nation’s government has, we still can’t seem to fix everything. Its weeks like this that our humanness is striking – as no matter how rich, powerful, or smart, big companies are still led by people who make mistakes.
Like many of you, in addition to being mad about the oil spill, I was surprised to see that after 40 years of marriage, Al and Tipper Gore announced their separation.
Had it been the Clintons there might have been a different reaction out of people, but the Gore’s separation seems almost tragic leading to all kinds of speculation.
Guest columnist Jonathan Zimmerman wrote an opinion column in the Atlanta-Journal Constitution last Tuesday focused on our speculation.
“Was Al still depressed about his controversial loss to George W. Bush in 2000? Was he too consumed by his fight against global warming, which eventually cooled his marriage? Or,” alluding to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, “did one of the Gores take a walk on the Appalachian Trail?”
But Zimmerman’s point is not to speculate, but to address the problems that come with what seems to him to be an American obsession with knowing every detail about our leader’s intimate lives. He writes that “the more we pry into our leaders’ private lives, the less able they become to serve and govern the public.”
I am convinced that our culture does have an obsession with lifting leaders up, then, once we discover the flaw that we are looking for, we go about pulling them down from the pedestals that we have placed them on.
It’s an important thing to think about I believe – a society obsessed with celebrity, perpetually lifting up human beings to superhuman status – while simultaneously thirsting for any sign that those same celebrities might have some foible with which to capitalize on.
Our drive, I believe, is to find that shred of humanity hidden behind the veil of perfection – for in pulling our heroes down from their pedestals we find that they are no different, no better, no less human than we are.
But I believe Paul would have us examine this tendency in light of the Gospel. We know now that Al Gore, BP chair Carl-Henric Svanberg – just like Lady Gaga or Tiger Woods – are not perfect - but Paul would have us think about what that imperfection means.
The issue he addresses in our lesson for today is how best to use the law, more specifically, the Jewish Law that made up most of his culture and religious practice, the Law that makes up a good chunk of our Old Testament. This law, he says, may act as our “disciplinarian,” it was put in charge of us to keep us in line. It held us in restraint for our own good, to keep us out of trouble: “So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” says verse 24.
It’s this statement that is the key to understanding our lesson for today, and it’s possible to read this statement saying that following the law will keep you on the right path – that following the law is the yellow brick road that will lead you to salvation and the promised land, that the law is the straight and narrow way that leads to eternal life – a path that so many have strayed from.
That line of thinking reminds me of friends who say things like, “I think I’ll be going to heaven, I’m a pretty good person. I do what’s right most of the time. I’m not a bad guy.”
But the law according to Paul is not just to help you be a pretty good person. The role of the law according to Paul is to convince you that you that you are not.
The law can only lead you to Christ if it leads you to one vital conclusion – you are not perfect. You are human, you make mistakes, and if your life were under the microscope of celebrity than it would be hard to say that you are any better or any worse than anyone else.
According to Paul, it is impossible to go through life never breaking the law, therefore the law cannot be the means of salvation – if it were we would all be condemned.
The law leads us to the great realization that we are human beings – incapable of saving our selves – and therefore in the radical need of a savior.
In this way the law leads us to Christ – as the law reveals our need.
It is only in Christ Jesus that you are children of God – not because of your work, not because you are pretty good, not because you have the potential to become perfect – you are the children of God because Christ Jesus made it so.
The mistakes, the misdeeds, the shameful acts that are publicized on the covers of newspapers and magazines only make it more obvious than ever. We humans are in need of a savior – and if God loves us it cannot be because we have earned it, it can only be because God’s love is given freely to those whom God chooses to love.
But our world is about earning.
Our world is about being good and achieving to the highest level.
Because of their mistakes in the past months we can be sure that the executives of BP, because of their mistakes, can kiss some of their prestige goodbye.
But if their mistakes can teach us anything, it is that no person can escape the great human flaw of imperfection.
We are all equal then, for we are all equally in need of a savior.
And this is the great offensiveness of Christianity – there is only one hero.
There is only one hero and it’s not Paul or Peter. It’s not you and it’s not me. It’s Christ Jesus.
So there can be no fighting about who is better and who is worse.
There is no Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.
Not because you are good – but because God is good.
We are dependent, not on ourselves, but on God.
The Lord came to Elijah the prophet asking, “What are you doing here, Elijah.”
He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
Then the great wind came and tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord. Then came an earthquake, and after the earthquake came a fire, and after the fire came a gentle whisper, “it’s not up to you Elijah, for I have reserved seven thousand in Israel – all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
I have been disappointed in the powerful this past week – but I do not depend on the powerful.
The rich have disappointed me this past week – but I do not depend on the rich.
I have been disappointed by the ones who I expect to set an example – but I do not depend on them either.
And if I really think about it – this past week I have fallen short and I have been disappointed in myself.
But I do not depend on myself – I depend on the Lord – my rock and my salvation.
Amen.