Transforming Rocks
As you may have gathered from my time with the children that fossils have always fascinated me. The thought that a picture of something that was once living could be captured in solid rock…what a mysterious gift that is for us! I find that when I look at fossils I am drawn into the wonder of creation and the incredible imagination of God. The whole world of dinosaurs… from man-eating monsters, to gentle vegetarians, to feathered and flying wonders, such as the ones we saw in the movie “Jurassic Park”… all of these open up my mind to the possibility of things we have yet to discover about our world. And, if such awesome creatures could have existed in the past, what might the future hold?
In the passage from Matthew that Eloise read this morning, Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” And Simon declares… without hesitation… “You are the Messiah… the Christ … the Anointed One… the Son of God.” Jesus blesses him and acknowledges that this new insight that Simon has could only be the work of God… a revelation from his heavenly Father. “You are Peter,” Jesus tells him, “and on this rock… petra…on this rock, I will build my church.” Petra is the Greek word for rock… solid rock… and those of you who have seen the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” might remember the city that was carved out of rock… out of a mountain of rock… the city of Petra in Jordan… which really exists. Solid rock… a firm foundation… “on this rock, I will build my church.” Was Jesus talking about Simon Peter, the man, who in the Roman Catholic tradition became the head of the church… the very first pope? Or was Jesus talking about the rock of Peter’s faith… the faith in things unseen… the faith that is the foundation of the church today?
There is a certain sense of security that comes with rocks. They seem so solid… so firm… so immovable. And there are aspects of our life as Christians that need to be like that. We need to have a faith that is immovable… a faith that is unshakable. At the same time, we need to understand what is truly the basis of our faith and what is merely “window dressing.” And sometimes, it is not easy for us to discern the difference.
Now, at the very beginning of our text from Romans, the Apostle Paul says to us that we should not be conformed to this world. Yet, isn’t this the same man who said to the people in Corinth that “to the Jews [he] became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law [he] became as one under the law… so that [he] might win those under the law. To those outside the law [he] became as one outside the law… so that [he] might win those outside the law. To the weak [he] became weak, so that [he] might win the weak? “I have become all things to all people,” said Paul, “that I might by all means save some.” Goodness gracious! It sounds like Paul is being conformed to everyone he comes in contact with as he travels! If he is becoming as one of them… as a Gentile… as a nonbeliever… then why does he now say that we should not be conformed to this world? Where does he draw the line between “becoming as one of them” and “being conformed to this world”? And how does he know when he has crossed that line?
Paul tells us that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds… and that, through this transformation, we should be able to discern what is truly the will of God… what is good… and acceptable… and perfect. How does that transformation take place? And how do we know when we have been transformed… when our minds have been truly renewed in Christ?
When my son, Julian, was growing up, the hottest toys were the transformers. These were toys that looked like cars or trucks, but they could easily change their shape into that of a superhero… capable of fighting for the cause of good over evil. I guess I should say that they could easily be transformed if… you were under sixteen years of age and knew the basic secret of changing them from a car or truck into a superhero. I never did quite get the hang of it. But I did live with transformers in the house… and under foot… for many, many years. Now Julian’s transformers could not only change into superheroes, but they could also be transformed back into trucks or cars just as easily. It was not a permanent change. In fact, sometimes, they did not spend much time as a superhero at all before morphing back into the shape of a car or truck.
This is not the transformation that Paul was talking about… this temporary change of appearance… this temporary realignment of our attitude. I have heard many people comment over the years that there are many so-called “Christians” who transform themselves in this way on Sunday morning as they drive into the church parking lot… pasting a smile on their faces… and acting like “Christlike” for one or two hours… while they are in this building… and then returning to their “real” selves in the car on the way home from church. No, Paul’s transformation is not a temporary thing… it is a permanent change of perspective that only comes with the constant renewal of the mind through things that are holy… things that are of God. And it has nothing to do with outward appearance… or people…or places… or things that surround us. It has to do with our ability to discern what is truly the will of God… and learning, from God, what is good… and acceptable… and perfect.
Do you remember Peter’s vision that is told to us in the book of Acts? After God sent Peter a vision showing him food that an orthodox Jew would consider unclean and commanding him to eat, Peter met with a group that had gathered in Jerusalem and said to them, "You yourselves know that it is unlawful for a Jew to associate with or to visit a Gentile; but God has shown me that I should not call anyone profane or unclean.” It is not the food that you eat… as God revealed to Peter in his vision… or the clothes that you wear… or the people you associate with… for our Savior spent his life with sinners. It is not those things that make you unclean… or unholy. You see, sin is not external to you… it is internal. It comes from inside of you. Sin comes from your mind… the way that you think. For it is your thoughts that guide your words and your actions.
So, how do we know whether what we think is of God? Some of you have been around this church for many, many years. You have seen lots of candles in the church… and you have seen no candles in the church. Which of those ways is “of God?” Some of you have seen communion administered by having people come forward to receive the bread and wine at the front of the sanctuary and communion served using trays of bread and wine passed in the pews. Which of those ways is “of God?” Some of you have worshipped in churches that were glorious sanctuaries of magnificent architecture and art… some of you have worshipped in temporary metal buildings on folding chairs… and some have worshipped in stark, bare simple structures with not even a cross for a focal point. Which of those ways is “of God?” Or is it all just “window dressing”?
Wars have been fought over some of these things. People have died over some of these things. What do you believe? Paul says that we should be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so that we may discern what is the will God… what is good… and acceptable… and perfect. And yet, he goes on to say, “we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually, we are members of one another.” You see, it is not what I believe that is important here… nor is it what you believe that is important. We are one in the body of Christ. God has put us in community so that we might come together to discern together what the will of God is for this church. God never meant for us to struggle through that process alone… but for us to be surrounded by other believers and to draw strength and wisdom from them.
Let me give you an example. The Session of this church is not made up of one person… but of nine… nine very different… very strong… very committed… very faithful Christians. These nine don’t always agree, but we begin each Session meeting with a reading from the word of God and a sharing of what we believe that reading is saying to us… and then we pray together. Then… and only then… do we begin to look at the issues that lie before our church today. Each person speaks… from their heart… from their conscience… from their convictions… and we debate and discuss… and, drawing on the gifts of all who are gathered… and relying on the wisdom that God gives to us through our collective process, a decision is reached. But that decision is not the will of any one person in that room… it is what the Session as a whole believes is the will of God for our church…in this day… at this time.
You have an awesome group of leaders… and they have dealt with a wide range of issues in the months that I have worked with them. As our church continues to grow and new challenges are put before them, they will be stretched in ways that they may not have anticipated when they agreed to serve. But there is one thing I do know. They are constantly confronted with the challenge of discerning what is truly the will of God for this church… and what merely “window dressing.” And that is not an easy task. As Wanda Solley shares with you her need to identify new individuals who are willing to face the challenges that this church will put in front of them in the years ahead, I hope you will listen for God’s call to you.
I have said that the Session’s task of discerning what is truly the will of God is not an easy one. I will also tell you that discerning what is truly the will of God is not an easy task for each of us in our own lives. “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” That renewal is a constant thing. While we build this church on the rock of our faith, we must constantly be renewed by the word of God to us. We must be open to the transformation that comes when God speaks through the power of the Holy Spirit and moves us to action. And yet, we are one body in Christ and each of us is given gifts to use to further the work of the church in our time.
This church is a rock. It has been a witness to God in this community for more than 145 years. Each generation has struggled to discern the will of God for their time… and so we struggle to discern the will of God for our time. And from time to time, the leaders of this church bring issues to you, so that all of us might be part of discerning what is truly the will of God for the future of this church. I hope you will stay after the service today to hear the concerns that your Session brings to you for your consideration. I hope that you will listen… and thoughtfully consider what God’s will for this church might be.
Each age presents challenges to the church… and this present age is no different. It challenges us as Christians to consider who we are… what we believe… and how we will minister to those whom God brings to our door. Eight of our members gathered at the church yesterday to go out into several apartment complexes to welcome our returning college students and invite them to visit our church. In ninety minutes, we knocked on more than 150 doors and spoke to fifty people. More than thirty percent of our community is made up of college students… and most of them live close to our church. How will we minister to them? How will we share the good news of what God has done in a way that they can understand and appreciate? This is just one of the challenges that faces this church in the future.
“Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God.” As our Steering Committee for the Long Range Plans continues to work, they will be considering which ministries are needed by our members… and by our community. You will be a part of that process… through discussion… through questionnaires… through issues that the Session will place before you for your consideration. You will play an important part in shaping the future of this church for years to come. Don’t stand on the sidelines! Get involved. God is at work in this church! Amen.