SCRIPTURE: Romans 5:1-5
TEXT:5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. THEME: The Spirit helps us to discover understanding and compassion through our suffering. INTRODUCTION The sermon themes During this season of Pentecost or Ordinary Time, will be pertaining to “The Spirit in Life”. This is a turnaround of the phrase, “Life in the Spirit”. Life in the Spirit is a little self-serving, as if we get to choose when the Spirit moves, being about our lives and what we do to have the Spirit in us. But by turning this around. We have the Spirit that comes to our lives, not because we prayed, or were deserving, or forgiven of all of our sins, but because God loves us, and the power of God dwelling with us is wild, uncontrolled, infecting our lives, causing us to adapt, to adjust, to accommodate, to change and to live with the spirit of God in us. I’m also going to be carrying the image of the Spirit enabling us to have the ability to discover shards of light in every event and in all people. Lifting up the light we discover for all to see to bring wholeness to the world. SCRIPTURE God loves us. That love forgives us so we can be at peace with God. God’s love is gracious with us and results in a relationship with God and a community with others. God’s love Heals our wounds and is always there for us. Our faith in Jesus tells us that there is nothing that we can do that would prevent God from loving us. Faith is not a quantifier, but an attitude towards God’s love. This is the same compassionate love we can have for others, of how God has loved and helped us. Of how we can understand and have compassion for others. This is most exemplified when we suffer. Suffering is a part of our lives. God journeys with us and allows suffering to produce endurance in us, Allows suffering to produce character in us. And allows suffering to produce hope in us because God’s love pours the Holy Spirit in us to help. Zen Master, Thich Nhat Hanh cannot imagine the Kingdom of God without suffering, because it is how we are able to transform the suffering Inside of us, that we can help us to transform the suffering around us. We think of the Kingdom of God as a place where no one suffers. He would instead see the Kingdom of God as a place where we would not run away but understand the nature of suffering. Then what we discover about suffering can be used to build peace and happiness. Struggling with our suffering fosters understanding and compassion. These are needed in our relationships in the Kingdom of God. What we learn from suffering can help to transform the world around us. Following up on the thoughts of Dr. Remen from last week’s sermon, she asked her students what was helpful to them in a time of disappointment or loss. What did that person do? What did they say? What message did they bring that was helpful from their time of struggle? Then listen generously without judgment, holding confidentiality, with the power of our presence, being a witness to another person’s loss. Letting what matters to them matter. Being wholly human includes our wounds as well as our strengths. And often times we connect through our wounds. APPLICATION What has the Holy Spirit shown us through suffering that can be helpful for others? As we move out of the isolation of the pandemic, we will begin to be in conversation with others again. We will have to remember how to make small talk and converse with others. When Eric Law was here leading a workshop on his book, Holy Currencies, he talked about the importance of relationships but discovered that people don’t know how to converse with each other. All we need to do is to ask questions of the other person, to show our interest in them and not use the time only to tell our story. There will be plenty of opportunity for us to share later. But as we put our focus on others, they will get a sense of our care for them. We will have to refrain from our favorite conversation buddies to get to know some others better and greet the stranger or new comer. We will be surprised at how healing, being a good listener can be, especially for those who haven’t had anyone new to talk to for a while. This is not an interrogation but listening to another person’s story and to ask questions that spark an interest or curiosity. People are not looking for advice, or judgment, but there may be times when the suffering they have encountered is similar to the wound we have endured and what God has done to help us could be and encouragement. The words that describe these conversations are found in our text from Romans; peace with God, access to grace, and hope of sharing the glory of God. Showing how faith has enable us to discover shards of light in all events and people. CONCLUSION I ran into someone the other day. And they are working their faith, to get God to answer their prayer. There was a righteousness that they were aspiring to, to keep them in God’s good graces, so that their faith would justify their peace with God through Christ Jesus. I would describe the tone of our conversation as edgy, judgmental, critical and fearful at times. When Krista Tippett asked Dr Remen about perfection becoming a major addition to our Christian living, Dr. Remen responded by saying, “perfection is the booby prize in life, actually. It’s very isolating, very separating, and it’s also impossible to achieve. So, you’re always struggling to become something you’re not” I listened, but was a bit sad thinking about God loves as a parent; providing, sheltering and caring for us for no other reason than love. Of how God loves us as a friend or sibling, listening, coming along side of us to show us how-to live-in relationship with the Divine, with others and in our world. And how God loves us from within, through the Spirit helping us to be strong, feel secure and doing way more than we ever thought possible. All as a matter of nothing that we merit but grace. I listened to the pain, the deep seeded hope in God. And have joined the prayer for a miraculous outcome. But I believe, the Spirit is in Life. God’s love has poured the Spirit into our hearts, indwelling, filling, wild, uncontrolled Spirit, greets us in our suffering and helps us to discover hidden shards of light. There are more shards of light to discover in this event and in these people, to be lifted up for all the world to see.
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