Galatians 6:[1-6]7-16
[1 My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression,
you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of
gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. 2 Bear
one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For
if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. 4 All
must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor's work,
will become a cause for pride. 5 For
all must carry their own loads. 6Those who are taught the word must share in all
good things with their teacher.] 7 Do
not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. 8 If
you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you
sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 So
let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time,
if we do not give up. 10 So
then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and
especially for those of the family of faith. 11 See
what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! 12 It
is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to
be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. 13 Even
the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be
circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. 14 May
I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which
the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. 15 For
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is
everything! 16 As
for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the
Israel of God.
Luke 10:20
20 Nevertheless,
do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your
names are written in heaven."
May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
§
One of my favourite authors of
fiction is a man by the name of Robert A. Heinlein. He has since passed on and
despite this, his works continue to sell. In one of his later books, he wrote a
series of aphorisms, purportedly written by a man who had lived at least a
thousand years. One of those quips seemed appropriate to today.
§
This sad little lizard told me that he was a brontosaurus on his
mother’s side. I did not laugh; people who boast of ancestry often have little
else to sustain them. Humoring them costs nothing and adds to happiness in a
world in which happiness is always in short supply.
§
I’m quite happy when people humour me
when I boast of my ancestry, even though my Dad always said that our family
were horse thieves in England. (I have since discovered that there are a lot
of people with my family name in Australia, and I can guess how they got
there.) It does make we wonder, though, as to what we can really boast of.
§
We can boast of our successes and
accomplishments in business, in academics, in sports, and so many areas of
human life. There are even times when we might “rest on our laurels” and do
nothing else. In response to this, the world often asks “What have you done for
me lately?”
§
We can boast of our physical strength
and bodily stamina, until a tiny germ, a badly cooked piece of food, or a
turned ankle lays us low.
§
We can tell the world how smart we
are. This lasts until someone asks us the distance from the Earth to the Moon
or the distance from Aylmer to Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia… in furlongs.
§
Paul the Apostle was faced with
boasting around the Galatian Christian community. He had preached the Gospel to
them and they had responded. The Galatians were not Jewish; they were Gentiles
of mixed background – some Greek, some local folk, some Celt. (Yes, my
ancestors got around.) They also heard other preachers who told them that to be
a real Christian, they first had to become Jewish, be circumcised, and
obey the Mosaic Law in its entirety. Paul, of course, took issue with this. He
wrote this letter to them to assure them that in Christ, they are made free. He
also expresses some intense anger with the Galatian Christians for listening so
seriously to these other preachers. He even goes beyond dictating this letter
to write to them himself: See what large letters I make when I am
writing in my own hand! Paul is even more upset
with the so-called apostles who have been preaching Law rather than freedom to
the Galatians. He says they are doing this in order to boast about people
listening to them. In Paul’s eyes, they are keeping score and racking up points
either in competition with other missionaries or to avoid a persecution by
religious authorities. In the seventh chapter of this letter, Paul expresses
himself in no uncertain terms. When it comes to the necessity of circumcision
for a Christian, Paul – in his anger – goes so far as to say I
wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves! (Galatians 5:14)
Paul was not one to mince words.
§
I’m glad to say we don’t argue much
about circumcision these days. Yet we still argue. We argue about what makes a
“real” Christian and what constitutes true discipleship. We argue about colours
and shapes and musical styles. We argue about red wine or white, wafers or
chewy bread.
§
I’m not saying there should be no
discussion. There are always points of discussion because there are always real
things to discuss. Discussion is vital… and so is agreement.
§
We boast, too. Some boast about how
many “souls they’ve won” for Jesus. Others boast of their fidelity to church
rules even while others boast of ignoring those same rules. Some boast of avoiding
things that others rejoice in or of doing things that their neighbor can’t
stand. You all know how this goes.
§
What then is really ours to boast
about?
§
Our faith was given to us by our
parents and our parents’ parents, all the way back to the Reformation and
indeed to the Apostles. Our church affiliation is quite often an issue of where
and when we were born and raised or possibly where we live; we didn’t create
it. Our fidelity and list of accomplishments end when we do. Our hope in
ourselves fades with age and with the coming of real wisdom.
§
These are hard sayings, aren’t they?
§
What is really ours is what cannot be
left behind or taken from us by illness, age, persecution, or ridicule. What is really ours is a gift.
§
May I never boast of
anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world.
§
The hard words of the Cross of Christ
hold our hope and true possession. What we have received from God is what we
really have. To quote an ancient saint, Francis of Assisi “What we are before
God is all that we are and nothing more.
§
What are we before God? Poor… Loved…
blessed… redeemed… forgiven… graced… Children of God… with our names written in
heaven.
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