Sermon and Video of Divine Service

 Divine Service, Setting 5 - St. Luke, Rensselaer

Pentecost 3 (Proper 8)            

1 Kings 19:9b-21      

Galatians 5:1, 13-25             

Luke 9:51-62

 

Collect: Lord of all power and might, author and giver of all good things, graft into our hearts the love of Your name and nourish us with all goodness that we may love and serve our neighbor; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

 

O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. 

 

Since we are so close to the Independence Day celebration, we are primed to celebrate the freedom that we have as Americans. So, when we hear the Apostle Paul declare “For freedom Christ has set us free,” we need to remember that Paul is not an American. Freedom in Christ and being set free by Christ means something different than what we will celebrate on July 4^th. On July 4^th we will celebrate the declaration of Independence. Our forefathers asserted that the people of this land will no longer play the role of a colony. We celebrate freedom from monarchial rule. We rejoice that we have freedom to work for ourselves and the betterment of our own nation. The material wealth of America may go to foreign lands, but the citizens of this country will directly benefit from that distribution. Our taxes and our goods will not benefit some government abroad. We will govern ourselves, thank you very much. We will make our own rules. The sale of goods and services will benefit the inhabitants of this land. This declaration of freedom means that we will do what we want, when we want, and for our own betterment. 

 

When the Apostle Paul speaks of freedom, he means that freedom is the opposite of slavery. As those who are baptized into the promise of the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are no longer slaves to sin, death, or the devil. On account of Jesus, we are set free by Christ’s righteousness and the placement upon us of Christ’s forgiveness. 

 

The church in Galatia heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They enjoyed the freedom that Christ brings through forgiveness and the promise of new life. They received the guidance of the Holy Spirit to now, in Christ, be a willing servant of the one who delivered freedom to us through the cross. 

 

Heresy has entered the teaching of the church. People are being encouraged to take the work of salvation away from Jesus and his cross and return it squarely into their own hands. If you want to be saved, then do THIS. In the case of the Galatian church “this” means be circumcised, become Jewish, keep the Law. Earn your keep in God’s kingdom by your own works, your own efforts. 

 

Th Galatian heresy is not promoting salvation through faith alone by grace alone on account of Christ Jesus alone. This is an old form of slavery where they are bound to keep a works righteousness form of Mosaic and Pharisaic law. In this form of slavery, your efforts determine the outcome of your salvation. You make yourself righteous before God.  The problem is that we cannot make ourselves sufficiently righteous on our own. No matter how hard we try to be good and moral people, our sin taints our efforts. We cannot free ourselves from our sin. If we try to make our own spiritual freedom, some of the fleshly attitudes and behaviors that Apostle Paul lists is going to spring forth and derail our efforts. If nothing else our spiritual lives will simply mirror our humanity and not God’s graciousness and purity. We are fooling ourselves to think that our bondage to sin is freedom. 

 

In the Gospel for today, we see Jesus challenging the self-confidence of those who decide on their own that they want to following Jesus. They do not understand, the magnitude of what they seek. They will have to live by faith for their everyday existence. No plans can be made. No assurances of a comfortable living can be offered. In the kingdom that Jesus leads his followers into, the standard expectations and conventions of society do not apply. There is no time for accommodation. The demand to follow Christ even means not fulfilling filial responsibilities and there can be no looking back. The way is only forward. 

 

It is important for us to know that nowhere in the gospels does anyone who offers to follow Jesus, subsequently become a disciple. Only those that Jesus calls become a disciple. Jesus must do the inviting. “Come, follow me” Jesus says. Then, they respond with the faith created by the Holy Spirit and follow Jesus. 

 

The Apostle Paul’s point to the Galatians, and to us, is that if we assert our own self-confidence that we can merit ourselves before God, we are wrong. Jesus calls us first, through the proclamation of the Word, the Holy Spirit creates faith within us, then we follow. When we follow Christ Jesus, then we live and serve in the power of the Holy Spirit. Walking by the Spirit, we are free to love God and love our neighbor. The fruits of the Holy Spirit work within us and manifest themselves through our interactions with others. The Spirit leads us to express and live with, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Christ Jesus works within us so that these free gifts accent our life and relationships. 

 

Our salvation is God’s work, not ours. Through Christ, we are free. In the freedom that Christ Jesus confers upon us through the work of His cross, we live and walk by the Spirit.  This fourth of July, we rejoice in the political and economic freedoms that our country enjoys. Every day that we remember our baptism, we remember that Christ sets us free from the enemies of sin, death, and the devil. Through Christ we are free to dwell in peace and love God by serving our neighbor. 

 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.