Paying it forward

Romans 3:28-30; 5:1-11

No, not at all, but through the law of faith. We consider that a person is treated as righteous by faith, apart from what is accomplished under the Law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Isn’t God the God of Gentiles also? Yes, God is also the God of Gentiles. 30 Since God is one, then the one who makes the circumcised righteous by faith will also make the one who isn’t circumcised righteous through faith. 

Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness,[a] we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory. 3 But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, 4 endurance produces character, and character produces hope. 5 This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

6 While we were still weak, at the right moment, Christ died for ungodly people. 7 It isn’t often that someone will die for a righteous person, though maybe someone might dare to die for a good person. 8 But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. 9 So, now that we have been made righteous by his blood, we can be even more certain that we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. 10 If we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son while we were still enemies, now that we have been reconciled, how much more certain is it that we will be saved by his life? 11 And not only that: we even take pride in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the one through whom we now have a restored relationship with God.

Our Scripture passage today is the kind of preaching I grew up with - preaching filled with big, theological words that I had little clue about. Even though the preachers using those words, straight from Scripture went to great lengths to explain them - and took great lengths of time to do so! I still didn’t really grasp them.

And, I have to say, after years of theological study, I’d still be hard pressed to explain them or to help others understand which doctrines they are part of and how they fit together and what great mysteries they unpack for us today.

And yet...

There is one phrase in the midst of it all that even as a child, I was able to understand very clearly.

And that is: Christ died for ungodly people. 

I got the message that Christ died for ungodly people. 

Even as a child, surrounded by all these big words and theological mysteries, that message shone through - that Christ died for me, not because I was a good person, not because I might have potential and I might be of some use in the kingdom of God - all that didn’t matter to the loving action of God so long ago that Christ died for ungodly people. 

And, as a child, hearing that preached week in, week out, and being surrounded by folk who lived in God’s love and who lived out God’s love, I was not only enabled to hear that and see it lived out, I was able to believe it for myself. Christ died for ungodly people. 

So, instead of trying, and failing, to explain all these theological terms and theories this morning, I want to get to the heart of the matter - that Christ, knowing humanity, would think us - you and I worth going to the cross for.

And so he carried on speaking of love.

He went on encouraging peaceful opposition to corrupt governments.

He continued noising up the occupying forces by gathering crowds to listen to his teaching on subversive love, love that makes a difference.

And he persisted in demonstrating that there was - and is - an alternative way to live, a way that challenges oppression and injustice wherever they are found.

That’s what got him crucified.

The powerful forces of the day - church and state- knew he was onto something and had to silence him before it was too late.

And we are here today to celebrate the life that came out of death because it was already too late.

Jesus lived and died for ungodly people and rose again to walk among us as we live out the love that he taught.

We celebrate life today.

We celebrate love.

And, as we continue to look for ways to follow, it’s not simply about Jesus post resurrection appearances or about the things we learn from the early church as they struggled to work out how to be Christians in an often hostile environment.

It’s not just about the peace Christ gives.

Or the imploring of Christ to “Feed my sheep”

It’s also about Christ’s call to “Follow me”

A call issued to folk at the beginning of his ministry

Follow me.

What does that look like?

What might it look like today?

It looks like the life Jesus lived throughout his ministry.

Follow me - eating with tax collectors, noticing those on the edge...

Follow me - seeing those who simply wanted to be noticed along with those crying out for healing...

Follow me - feeding hungry crowds and spending time alone with God.

Follow me - upending the tables of those who separate others from God

Follow me - sharing a meal around a table - even with those he knows will betray him and deny him.

Follow me - It looks like the very things that got Christ crucified.

As some of you may know, this week, as the Church of Scotland met in General Assembly, our theme has been, Follow me.

How do we do that in all our different communities and contexts today?

How do we do that in our sometimes hostile environments, in a post Christian culture?

How do we do that as we scatter in all directions?

How do we try to be obedient to Christ’s call: Follow me.

In v 10 of our passage in Romans 5, we read:

Now that we have been reconciled, how much more certain is it that we will be saved by his life?

Our passage this morning makes it clear - that it is by following the example of Christ. 

We, whom Christ loves, we who have been reconciled, see in Christ a model for living.

Christ showed us how to live and how to love.

Christ showed us how to live for those who today would be considered ungodly.

How?

It is by following Christ into all the unlikely places he went.

By following Christ in the company of the unlikely people he met and spent time with.

Following Christ, knowing that ungodly as we are, Christ loved us enough to die for us.

And in knowing ourselves so deeply loved, we are freed to follow.

Freed to follow and freed to hope.

With the kind of hope we read of in the passage:

This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Hope that doesn’t put us to shame.

Hope that doesn’t disappoint.

Hope that brings life in the midst of death.

As I mentioned at the beginning, even when I didn’t understand all the theological words being spoken and being preached on, yet still I was able to grasp the message that God loved me.

Why?

Because the people around me showed that love.

And that’s the challenge for us as followers of Christ today.

How are we being called to show the love of God?

Where are we being called to live out that love?

With whom are we being called to share that love?

Christ loved us enough to continue to protest, to continue to live at the edge, to continue to upset those in power enough to die for us.

But that is only the beginning.

Knowing ourselves loved, even with all our faults and failings, we are challenged to take that love into the world we inhabit every day.

Because that love is not a limited commodity.

It won’t run out.

It is given to be shared!

Part of the role I now play in the Church of Scotland is encouraging folks to rekindle the spark they once had, or to find that spark for the first time, to recognise that we are loved, but to go further than that.

And find the calling of Christ on our lives, individually and in community.

To know that Christ’s love isn’t just about us and our salvation.

It’s not just about us realising how blessed we are.

It’s about paying it forward.

So I invite you this morning, to think for a moment, how or when did you realise you were loved by God?

Is it something you have always known?

Is it something you learned at home, with family?

Is it something you experienced at school, at Youth Camp, in Scouts or BB?

Was it at one of the evangelical rallies?

Or a wee mission hall?

Was it right here in this place?

Take a moment to ponder - how or when did you realise you were loved by God?

And now, ask yourself - who are you making that possible for today?

Where are you sharing the incredible news that God loves even those considered ungodly?

With whom are you sharing God’s love today?

And, looking to the week that lies ahead...

Where are you being called to follow Jesus?

Where are you being called to share that unconditional love?

Where are you being called to share hope that does not disappoint?

And let me share with you three forms of commission today:

In the words of St Paul : 

We take pride in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, the one through whom we now have a restored relationship with God.

In the words of Jesus:

Follow me

And in words often used as a benediction:

You are blessed to be a blessing

Go and serve in love.

For the glory of God

Amen