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Isn’t it helpful and good to have a torch at home; it is, isn’t it? As we agree on this, I would like to ask your opinion on something else: What conditions are he best for one to test, whether a torch works properly, whether it is powerful enough, or not? > It has to be dark, because would it make much sense, to test a torch on a bright summer’s day, say at noon? No! And exactley this experience might help us to understand, why Paul talks in today’s word for the sermon in such different a way about life’s difficult times, even darkest hours, hardships and trials.
He writes there in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians in chapter 4:
„For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. “
It is very seldom that we get something so positive out of the negative things that happen to us, be it privately, at work, or in our congregation. It is more likely that we hope to escape such experiences. If we however still have to face hardships or difficulties, we often ask: “Why? Why exactly now?”, or: “Why me?” Maybe even: „Why must people, who believe in God, who trust in His blessing and protection, have to suffer at all?” Paul on the other hand comments these negative experiences quite differently; and he talks like this because of his faith in Jesus Christ, which he experiences as the light of his life: Whoever hears God’s call, says Paul, and trusts in His word, meaning whoever believes has been enlightened by God: „For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” It is as we, too, confess it in the Apostle’s creed: Whoever believes is included in the communion of saints, meaning; whoever believes, receives the treasure of God’s eternal life, and lives in the light of His new creation. However: This light of God’s new creation becomes noticeable the best in this life, when it shines in times of need and darkness – just as it is with a torch. Our faith in Christ proves as something helpful and becomes most distinct for us and others, where it carries us through the dark times of life. Because: How else could we be assured of the fact that God holds us in his hand, if we wouldn’t fall? How could we ever experience, that God is near, if we wouldn’t know what it means to be lonesome? How could we ever be comforted by God and his word, if we wouldn’t be sad? How else should other people realize, that we have something in faith that gives us a halt beyond our own strength, if there wouldn’t be situations in our lives, in which other people would be at the end of their own strength and possibilities? If we as Christians wouldn’t have to face problems at all; if we would just fare well in life, our faith wouldn’t be put to the test, and thus it would neither become certain noticeable for us, nor could it point out to other people our true halt, namely Jesus Christ. And would we be just content, if we would fare well, we wouldn’t be different from other people, who don’t believe at all. To see things from this side might sound very strange to us, but Paul says: Our faith in Jesus Christ, which God has evoked in us, actually becomes noticeable for us and others in a positive way most of all, where it is challenged. Paul doesn’t give a false colour to the difficult things, which happen in our lives. Don’t let him be misunderstood. He doesn’t pervert the bad things to be good. He knows too well, how much one can be hurt in life: “We are hard pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down.” He himself had to endure failures, loneliness, danger of death, physical and mental violence, rejection and much more. And it is most likely that he, too, wished to escape these things. However, facing them, he dealt with them in a positive way, looking at Christ, who overcame even death, though he was not spared to endure suffering. Christ, who promises to all, who believe in Him, that we will participate in his victory. And it seems that Paul experienced exactly this: that God’s power proves to be effective in us limited humans, us ’jars of clay’ as he says, especially in those dark moments of our lives. And Paul obviously realized something else in connection with hardships, he had to endure, because he says that God’s treasure within us is to be shown, and his glory in us should be revealed. It seems that Pauls sees a God given momentum of witnessing in the challenges we have to face in faith. Whenever God carries us through in faith, because we are at the end of our tether, we actually point out to others, what we believe in: God’s new life in Christ. A life that cannot be destroyed, not even by death.
This believe makes Paul inviting his fellow Christians so boldly to look differently to further difficulties and dark times waiting for us in life; at home, at work, or here in our congregation. Because to trust in the risen Lord, who himself had to go through suffering and death to reveal God’s ultimate power and glory, means to discover hardships in a new way: as challenges, our faith proves to be real, and God invites us the most to cling on his light, which is Christ himself; for the benefit of others as well as for our own benefit. Just like a torch that we have at home, which is there and works, even in bright daylight, but is needed the most and seen best at night, when it is dark. We benefit from the faith, which God has created in us, all times of our lives, also during the happy times. But it proves to be helpful for us and others most of all, when we have to endure dark times, and when we or others need the light of faith to orientate. Therefore: May the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, the light of life, now and forever! AMEN
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“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honour one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.”
With these words, Paul continues his train of thought of last Sunday’s Epistle Reading about the spiritual, or better translated, the ‘reasonable’ worship. A worship that Paul describes in a life, which is founded on God’s irreversible and life-giving promise in Baptism (Rom 6), and that – trusting in this promise – orientates towards God’s standards in Jesus Christ (Rom 7-8) , and tries to put them into practise, even in its daily routine. Paul continues this train of thought by making some concrete suggestions of how such a life, such a reasonable worship could look like. And he does it in two stages: Firstly, he describes, how the Christians in Rome should deal with each other, meaning within the congregational boundaries, within the church. Then, in a second step, Paul describes, how the Chris-tians in Rome should deal with their Non-Christian surroundings, how they should behave towards other people.By doing this, Pauls uses a strategy that we know from a totally different area, namely from team sport like soccer – you have noticed it, haven’t you: We have arrived in 2010. By firstly describing a reasonable worship amongst Christians before getting to a reasonable worship in view of others, Paul pro-ceeds exactly like a coach, who prepares his team for a match with a new tactic.
And there is a good reason, why Paul proceeds like this, even though he probably didn’t have sport in mind, when he wrote these words. The reason is the following: As it is good in sport, if all members of a team know and train one common tactic, and then play ac-cording to it, it is the same with a Christian congregation. Only by becoming, remaining and behaving in one Spirit, by ‘living in harmony with one another’ a Christian congregation can be in a positive way effective inwardly and outwardly. Because: What happens, if not all players of a team play in accor-dance with the team tactic. [Get examples from the congregation]. Realizing this in view of sport, we can also see why many things within a church or a congregation don’t work. The reasons for this inefficiency and disharmony might then be very different in detail. However, the fact that we grow up and live in a society that imparts and lives according to other standards than those of our Lord, is certainly a common cause. I am talking about standards, which make us think selfishly rather than for the common good of others. Influenced in such a way, we might be tempted to treat our faith and Jesus standards rather as something private: an inside matter, hidden from the surrounding world, just recognizable on Sunday mornings between 9h00 and 11h00; but definitely not as some-thing that has to do with others. However, if this happens, we lose as Christians and definitely as a Christian Congregation. We would be like players, who are part of a team just because of the nice looking outfit, but not because of the team and its success, not because of what this team stands and fights for. We would refrain from using and sharing our talents, our knowledge, and our strength, and thus we would not only cause damage in view of the congregation. We would also be overcome personally by our opponent: from evil, as Paul points it out directly after today’s word for the sermon. If we as Christians don’t live and play for Christ and his team, the church and congregation (our team) we play against Christ. There is no passive membership; we are all members of Christ’s team. It is for this reason that Paul encourages the Romans, and also us, to practise a baptismal life, a reasonable worship; firstly within our congregation, and then increasingly also towards other people: In devotion, in joyful and patient hope, faithful prayer (which applies especially to those members, who aren’t able to serve the Congregation in another way), in frankness and hospitality. These are training goals for every one of us as well as goals for our congregation. If we achieve them, together as a single minded team, they will enable us to have an effect also on our surround-ings; God will enable us to become a blessing for each other and for others; even for people, who hate us, and who wish us evil. Because: By living according to these goals, we can head off trouble and frustration in as much as every one of us will be able to find backup and support in our congregation, for we stay to-gether. Like-minded, not as a group of lone fighters, driven by personal ambitions, but always willing and enabled through faith in Christ, to question ourselves by means of God’s standards. Paul exemplarily points this out with the subject of vengeance. If we trust in God’s superiority, if we follow Christ’s example, we will abstain from any form of revenge – be it in our private life or in business. For revenge is something that leads into no good and damages cooperation and coexistence – not only in sports, where pay back fouls hurt the team the most, because one gets a red card.
Therefore: Where we as a Christian Congregation live a baptismal life according to the goals of a reasonable worship inwardly, and then also outwards, God makes us a blessing for others, and thus leads us towards the victory, which Paul describes as the over-coming of evil with good. And which other victory could there be for us as a Christian Con-gregation than people, who join us and our congregation in faith because of the good that they are experiencing here?
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