As we continue to work on our listening conversations as a church and pray about the ways that these conversations will lead us into our mission, I thought it might be good for us to hear from someone who has been though this process personally. Someone who has themselves, discerned and responded to a call to be in mission to the world for the gospel. So this week, Brooke Collins will be giving the sermon on Sunday to help us continue thinking through how we are being called into ministry and mission. Brooke is a United Methodist missionary to Costa Rica, and I’ve invited her to be here on Sunday to share with us her work, and to help us think through the difference between belief and faith in our lives. We’ll see you on Sunday, and if you’d like to read the Scripture before then, you can find it here.
Scripture Text:
Romans 12: Place Your Life Before God
1-2 So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
3 I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.
4-6 In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. The body we’re talking about is Christ’s body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn’t amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ’s body, let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.
6-8 If you preach, just preach God’s Message, nothing else; if you help, just help, don’t take over; if you teach, stick to your teaching; if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you don’t get bossy; if you’re put in charge, don’t manipulate; if you’re called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don’t let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face.
John Wesley's Notes=Commentary for Romans 12:1-8
Verse 1
[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
I exhort you — St. Paul uses to suit his exhortations to the doctrines he has been delivering. So here the general use from the whole is contained in the first and second verses. The particular uses follow, from the third verse to the end of the Epistle.
By the tender mercies of God — The whole sentiment is derived from Rom. i.-v. The expression itself is particularly opposed to "the wrath of God," Romans 1:18. It has a reference here to the entire gospel, to the whole economy of grace or mercy, delivering us from "the wrath of God," and exciting us to all duty.
To present — So Romans 6:13; 16:19; now actually to exhibit before God.
Your bodies — That is, yourselves; a part is put for the whole; the rather, as in the ancient sacrifices of beasts, the body was the whole. These also are particularly named in opposition to that vile abuse of their bodies mentioned, Romans 1:24. Several expressions follow, which have likewise a direct reference to other expressions in the same chapter.
A sacrifice — Dead to sin and living - By that life which is mentioned, Romans 1:17; 6:4, etc.
Holy — Such as the holy law requires, Romans 7:12.
Acceptable — Romans 8:8.
Which is your reasonable service — The worship of the heathens was utterly unreasonable, Romans 1:18, etc.; so was the glorying of the Jews, Romans 2:3, etc. But a Christian acts in all things by the highest reason, from the mercy of God inferring his own duty.
Verse 2
[2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
And be not conformed — Neither in judgment, spirit, nor behaviour.
To this world — Which, neglecting the will of God, entirely follows its own.
That ye may prove — Know by sure trial; which is easily done by him who has thus presented himself to God.
What is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God — The will of God is here to be understood of all the preceptive part of Christianity, which is in itself so excellently good, so acceptable to God, and so perfective of our natures.
Verse 3
[3] For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
And I say — He now proceeds to show what that will of God is.
Through the grace which is given to me — He modestly adds this, lest he should seem to forget his own direction.
To every one that is among you — Believers at Rome. Happy, had they always remembered this! The measure of faith - Treated of in the first and following chapters, from which all other gifts and graces flow.
Verse 5
[5] So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
So we — All believers.
Are one body — Closely connected together in Christ, and consequently ought to be helpful to each other.
Verse 6
[6] Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Having then gifts differing according to the grace which is given us — Gifts are various: grace is one.
Whether it be prophecy — This, considered as an extraordinary gift, is that whereby heavenly mysteries are declared to men, or things to come foretold. But it seems here to mean the ordinary gift of expounding scripture.
Let us prophesy according to the analogy of faith — St. Peter expresses it, "as the oracles of God;" according to the general tenor of them; according to that grand scheme of doctrine which is delivered therein, touching original sin, justification by faith, and present, inward salvation. There is a wonderful analogy between all these; and a close and intimate connexion between the chief heads of that faith "which was once delivered to the saints." Every article therefore concerning which there is any question should be determined by this rule; every doubtful scripture interpreted according to the grand truths which run through the whole.
Verse 7
[7] Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
Ministering — As deacons.
He that teacheth — Catechumens; for whom particular instructers were appointed.
He that exhorteth — Whose peculiar business it was to urge Christians to duty, and to comfort them in trials.
Verse 8
[8] Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
He that presideth — That hath the care of a flock.
He that showeth mercy — In any instance.
With cheerfulness — Rejoicing that he hath such an opportunity.
Sermon Story "Combining Ordinary and Sacred" by Gary Lee Parker for Sunday, 16 November 2014
As I read over this Scripture Passage and reflect on meeting Brooke Collins at The Water's Edge when Pastor Molly the preaching pastor, this passage that has been read and reflecting on through Brooke's missionary endeavors whether for a short time in Africa and now in Costa Rica. The memories of meeting Brooke at The Water's Edge worship service was when my son, James, would come and she would attempt to include him in their Bible Study afterwards. In some ways, this was hard because the majority of the young adults were either college student s or career people and my son had only the career to deal with his own disability. Yet, Brooke somehow left an imparession on James in a positive light compared with some other people he had met in a church whether locally or elsewhere. Brooke was a career young woman and it surprised me that she prayed through to God and was hearing Him call her to overseas mission work. She quit her employment as she was accepted to be a short-term missionary in a country of Africa then she was then assigned by the United Methodist Church to Costa Rica. To me, this was a surprise but I trusted God in leading her in His ways. This passage talks about first that Paul is calling the Roman Disciples of Jesus to bring their Sacred life redeemed by Jesus into their everyday ordinary life. Does this souond familar to what Pastor Brent is leading us at Normal Heights UMC? Yet, Paul goes on to say that each of us are given gifts from God to build His Kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. God gives us both natural and supernatural gifts that we are either able to manifest through further academic education or through practical work experiences as well as giving us supernatural gifts that even goes against our comfort zone whether training, experience, or desires. Yet, God uses our training within the realm of the calling He has placed on our lives. Well, What characters do your relate to or not relate to in these stories? How do your really understand God's gift whether they are natural or supernatural? How will you be open to how God will use your sacred gifts and lives into the everyday ordinary way of life? I am reminded of the following Hymn " Where He Leads Me" by Ernest W. Blandly, 1890:
1. I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
“Take thy cross and follow, follow Me.”
Refrain:
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
2. I’ll go with Him through the waters,
I’ll go with Him through the waters,
I’ll go with Him through the waters,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
Refrain:
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
3. I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him through the garden,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
Refrain:
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
4. I’ll go with Him to dark Calv’ry,
I’ll go with Him to dark Calv’ry,
I’ll go with Him to dark Calv’ry,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
Refrain:
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
5. I’ll go with Him to the judgment,
I’ll go with Him to the judgment,
I’ll go with Him to the judgment,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
Refrain:
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
6. He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
And go with me, with me all the way.
Refrain:
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.
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