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Ascension Lutheran Church - Austin, TX - Sermons|Sermon 2006-07-16 God has adopted us Episode
Sermon
Sunday, July 16, 2006
+------------------------------+
| Sixth Sunday after Pentecost |
+------------------------------+
[9]God has chosen to adopt us
[10]Ephesians 1:3-14*
Chosen in Christ to live to the praise of God*s glory
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
God has adopted us!
I am pleased to report that a few new office volunteers have been
recruited. Their names are Olivia, Katriona and Alex, three of the
school aged children who are a part of our hand in hand day school
program this summer. The other day, I put them to work stapling the
bulletins. Actually, I was only going to have Olivia work on the
project but when the other girls saw an opportunity to escape from the
young ones for a little while what they were eager to help. First it
was Katriona who said she wanted in on the project to which I said, *of
course you too.* Then I caught sight of Alex*s sad, dejected expression
and I just couldn*t refuse. *Okay, you too.* And with that the trio
happily went about their work, pleased as punch for the change in the
routine. So elated were they I suppose I could have pulled a Tom Sawyer
on them, had them pay me to do the work. So, when Pastor gave them an
ice cream cone when they were finished you would have thought they had
died and gone to heaven. All that mattered was that they were included
in this new and different experience.
Their reaction the other day, got me to thinking about what Paul has to
say to the church at Ephesus. Speaking of the good news that he and
others have received, he wants even more people to know that they are
included as well, particularly to the Gentile Ephesians. *You too!* He
declares. *You too, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of
the promised Holy Spirit.*
And if the circle of blessing expands outward from Jerusalem all the way
to way to Ephesus, what*s to stop us from experiencing the ripple
effects too, up here atop a hill overlooking Mopac Expressway in Austin
Texas? *You too!* Behold, the ever widening circle of God*s grace!
Next to food, water and shelter, a sense of belonging is one
of our most basic of human needs. In most cases our families are the
first place where the need is met, among loving parents, siblings,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. In the context of the most
intimate and loving of relationships we begin to find our place in the
world around us. As we grow that need to belong is filled in the
company of others, our peers, those with whom we share a common
interest, experience, a particular point of view with regard to politics
or religion. And whether we*re talking about families, the school band
or football team, the neighborhood association or the bowling league,
the benefits of belonging are clear, a sense that we are important, that
somebody knows and cares about us, our thoughts and feelings, or simply
who we are.
Sadly though, the experience of belonging isn*t universal.
How often do we hear sad stories of all the lonely people who live lives
of quiet desperation? Or even more tragically of those live frustrating
and angry lives because they never quite fit and one day snap,
unleashing years of pent up frustration and rage. In such cases, the
responses of neighbors and acquaintances are chillingly similar. *I
hardly knew the guy.* Or else, *I never could have imagined him doing
such a thing.* *All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people where do they all belong?*
But from Paul*s point of view, no matter who we are, no
matter what our background or life experience, through baptism we do
belong, we belong to God *who blesses us in Christ with every spiritual
blessing.* And yet, the truth is God isn*t the only person or thing
vying for our hearts and our lives these days. *In the beloved we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,* Paul
declares which means that despite our Promethian self-image, there is
something about us that needs forgiving, that actually needs redeeming.
Of course to say that we need forgiving and redeeming is just about the
last thing that the Old Sinner in us wants to hear. After all, from his
or her point of view who and what we are in life is entirely a matter of
our own effort and ability, is determined by the amount of stuff that
one can accumulate, by how much wealth we can lay claim to at the end of
the day, or by how much power we have over others. If someone comes
along and tells us we stand in line to receive some sort of inheritance,
our eyes widen as we rub our hands together and think to ourselves *Oh
boy! Here it comes, the big lottery ticket payoff! So, I must be a
pretty great person to deserve something like this!*
What God gives though is not the result of our own effort and ability
and the life to which we are called is not about the accumulation of
possessions. Ironically, the very things, the choices and the
priorities we think will give us life are what lead us to death, to
being cut off, orphaned if you will from the only one who is able to
give us all we need from day to day, from the one who gives us life.
But while we were yet sinners, while we foolishly spend ourselves on the
things that perish, that moth and rust consume, God has come to us in
Christ to lay claim to us through our baptism, to put to death the old
sinner in us, to choose us, to adopt us and make us his own.
Former ELCA Presiding Bishop George Anderson was legally adopted by his
parents as an infant and speaks poignantly about what that means in
understanding himself as a child of God.
*I grew up knowing that I was adopted. My parents told me about going
to the hospital and seeing me for the first time. There were plenty of
laughs about that first visit, because they discovered I had jaundice
and looked very scrawny. But they waited until I got better*more than a
month in all*and then they took me to their home.
"Maybe that story helped me in those adolescent years when
teenagers brood a lot and wonder whether their parents really love
them. My parents and I had our big arguments, and I was sometimes
accused of being a *smart aleck.* But I didn*t take refuge in saying,
*They*re not my real parents* because I always knew that I had been
chosen*and waited for*even when I looked like a really bad choice.
"Back in those days, adoption agencies were better than
Swiss banks at keeping secrets. It was not easy to learn about birth
parents. I can understand why that search is so important to some
adopted children (these days), but it just never was a big deal for me.
So, Reuben and Francis Anderson are the only parents I know.
"Being adopted has two good effects on me. For one thing, I
don*t know what I*m going to die of. When doctors ask me about my
family medical history, I just shrug. It has kept me from mistrusting
any particular organ and treating it as a potential Judas. I get along
with them all.
"Adoption has also given me a personal experience of grace.
I know what it is to have been loved before I was lovable, and chosen
when I was a bad choice. If caring human beings can do that, I know
that God does it even more gladly and more fully. It makes me want to
pass that love along.*
And we too, we too have been destined for adoption by the
God who has chosen us in Christ, even though we looked like a pretty
lousy choice. What*s more, we too have obtained an inheritance, not the
silver and gold variety, not the kind we can take to the bank, but one
that weathers every storm, that will surely keep and sustain us in this
world and into the next, God*s saving word of truth, the seal of the
Holy Spirit. Now, having been brought into the family of God, having
received all that we ever need and so much more, that we too might live
for the praise of Christ*s glory, to *pass the love along* as proclaim
God*s love in our worship, in our daily work, at home, on the job, at
school, with our friends and neighbors, with all those who long to hear
God say *yes, of course, you too!*
Now, may the God who has chosen us, keep us all in the love
of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Pastor Brian Peterson
References
10. http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=19487007 Sermon
Sunday, July 16, 2006
+------------------------------+
| Sixth Sunday after Pentecost |
+------------------------------+
[9]God has chosen to adopt us
[10]Ephesians 1:3-14*
Chosen in Christ to live to the praise of God*s glory
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
God has adopted us!
I am pleased to report that a few new office volunteers have been
recruited. Their names are Olivia, Katriona and Alex, three of the
school aged children who are a part of our hand in hand day school
program this summer. The other day, I put them to work stapling the
bulletins. Actually, I was only going to have Olivia work on the
project but when the other girls saw an opportunity to escape from the
young ones for a little while what they were eager to help. First it
was Katriona who said she wanted in on the project to which I said, *of
course you too.* Then I caught sight of Alex*s sad, dejected expression
and I just couldn*t refuse. *Okay, you too.* And with that the trio
happily went about their work, pleased as punch for the change in the
routine. So elated were they I suppose I could have pulled a Tom Sawyer
on them, had them pay me to do the work. So, when Pastor gave them an
ice cream cone when they were finished you would have thought they had
died and gone to heaven. All that mattered was that they were included
in this new and different experience.
Their reaction the other day, got me to thinking about what Paul has to
say to the church at Ephesus. Speaking of the good news that he and
others have received, he wants even more people to know that they are
included as well, particularly to the Gentile Ephesians. *You too!* He
declares. *You too, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of
the promised Holy Spirit.*
And if the circle of blessing expands outward from Jerusalem all the way
to way to Ephesus, what*s to stop us from experiencing the ripple
effects too, up here atop a hill overlooking Mopac Expressway in Austin
Texas? *You too!* Behold, the ever widening circle of God*s grace!
Next to food, water and shelter, a sense of belonging is one
of our most basic of human needs. In most cases our families are the
first place where the need is met, among loving parents, siblings,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins. In the context of the most
intimate and loving of relationships we begin to find our place in the
world around us. As we grow that need to belong is filled in the
company of others, our peers, those with whom we share a common
interest, experience, a particular point of view with regard to politics
or religion. And whether we*re talking about families, the school band
or football team, the neighborhood association or the bowling league,
the benefits of belonging are clear, a sense that we are important, that
somebody knows and cares about us, our thoughts and feelings, or simply
who we are.
Sadly though, the experience of belonging isn*t universal.
How often do we hear sad stories of all the lonely people who live lives
of quiet desperation? Or even more tragically of those live frustrating
and angry lives because they never quite fit and one day snap,
unleashing years of pent up frustration and rage. In such cases, the
responses of neighbors and acquaintances are chillingly similar. *I
hardly knew the guy.* Or else, *I never could have imagined him doing
such a thing.* *All the lonely people, where do they all come from?
All the lonely people where do they all belong?*
But from Paul*s point of view, no matter who we are, no
matter what our background or life experience, through baptism we do
belong, we belong to God *who blesses us in Christ with every spiritual
blessing.* And yet, the truth is God isn*t the only person or thing
vying for our hearts and our lives these days. *In the beloved we have
redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,* Paul
declares which means that despite our Promethian self-image, there is
something about us that needs forgiving, that actually needs redeeming.
Of course to say that we need forgiving and redeeming is just about the
last thing that the Old Sinner in us wants to hear. After all, from his
or her point of view who and what we are in life is entirely a matter of
our own effort and ability, is determined by the amount of stuff that
one can accumulate, by how much wealth we can lay claim to at the end of
the day, or by how much power we have over others. If someone comes
along and tells us we stand in line to receive some sort of inheritance,
our eyes widen as we rub our hands together and think to ourselves *Oh
boy! Here it comes, the big lottery ticket payoff! So, I must be a
pretty great person to deserve something like this!*
What God gives though is not the result of our own effort and ability
and the life to which we are called is not about the accumulation of
possessions. Ironically, the very things, the choices and the
priorities we think will give us life are what lead us to death, to
being cut off, orphaned if you will from the only one who is able to
give us all we need from day to day, from the one who gives us life.
But while we were yet sinners, while we foolishly spend ourselves on the
things that perish, that moth and rust consume, God has come to us in
Christ to lay claim to us through our baptism, to put to death the old
sinner in us, to choose us, to adopt us and make us his own.
Former ELCA Presiding Bishop George Anderson was legally adopted by his
parents as an infant and speaks poignantly about what that means in
understanding himself as a child of God.
*I grew up knowing that I was adopted. My parents told me about going
to the hospital and seeing me for the first time. There were plenty of
laughs about that first visit, because they discovered I had jaundice
and looked very scrawny. But they waited until I got better*more than a
month in all*and then they took me to their home.
"Maybe that story helped me in those adolescent years when
teenagers brood a lot and wonder whether their parents really love
them. My parents and I had our big arguments, and I was sometimes
accused of being a *smart aleck.* But I didn*t take refuge in saying,
*They*re not my real parents* because I always knew that I had been
chosen*and waited for*even when I looked like a really bad choice.
"Back in those days, adoption agencies were better than
Swiss banks at keeping secrets. It was not easy to learn about birth
parents. I can understand why that search is so important to some
adopted children (these days), but it just never was a big deal for me.
So, Reuben and Francis Anderson are the only parents I know.
"Being adopted has two good effects on me. For one thing, I
don*t know what I*m going to die of. When doctors ask me about my
family medical history, I just shrug. It has kept me from mistrusting
any particular organ and treating it as a potential Judas. I get along
with them all.
"Adoption has also given me a personal experience of grace.
I know what it is to have been loved before I was lovable, and chosen
when I was a bad choice. If caring human beings can do that, I know
that God does it even more gladly and more fully. It makes me want to
pass that love along.*
And we too, we too have been destined for adoption by the
God who has chosen us in Christ, even though we looked like a pretty
lousy choice. What*s more, we too have obtained an inheritance, not the
silver and gold variety, not the kind we can take to the bank, but one
that weathers every storm, that will surely keep and sustain us in this
world and into the next, God*s saving word of truth, the seal of the
Holy Spirit. Now, having been brought into the family of God, having
received all that we ever need and so much more, that we too might live
for the praise of Christ*s glory, to *pass the love along* as proclaim
God*s love in our worship, in our daily work, at home, on the job, at
school, with our friends and neighbors, with all those who long to hear
God say *yes, of course, you too!*
Now, may the God who has chosen us, keep us all in the love
of Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Pastor Brian Peterson
References
10. http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=19487007
[ Sun, 30 Jul 2006 04:19:06 -0500 ]
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