Thank God We Can Change
Sermon
Sermons on the Second Readings
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
Someone once said that the only constant in life is change. No matter who you are, one of the greatest challenges you will face is managing the changes that take place in life. We have limited control over some of the changes we face. Our hair changes color and sometimes falls out. We gain weight as we become less active and our metabolism slows. Our children grow up and move out of the house. The shifting economy may lead to lay-offs and relocation. The death of a spouse or the breakdown of a marriage may result in radical changes in our living arrangements. And if that isn't enough, grandchildren come along to make us humble again.
Most of us try to control the tempo of our lives. We do all we can to maintain the status quo. We might move to a larger home as our family grows. We relocate to get a better job it if seems appropriate. We make new friends as our kids get involved in various activities. We get involved in a church and attend worship regularly.
Of course, most of us would rather nothing changed and we try to keep these events at a minimum. We like doing the same old thing with the same old friends. We don't enjoy looking at new ideas. We don't want to have our attitudes challenged. I read somewhere that by the time we reach age thirty, we are pretty much set in a pattern of behavior that will last the rest of our lives.
The exception to the rule comes in one of three ways. The first exception follows a life-changing event. Major changes often occur as the result of a wedding or the birth of a first child. A new job may also spark some big changes in an older worker. These events force everyone to look at life differently but the changes are often more pronounced the older you are when the event occurs.
The second exception comes after the experience of a tragedy, like a sudden death, loss of bodily function, or as the result of some catastrophic event. Just think of the people who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Families were uprooted and moved halfway across the country to start over. After the events of September 11, numerous stories arose about drastic changes that people made in the way they lived life. It is only natural to take a survey of what you are doing under these extreme circumstances.
The final exception is one that many of us are familiar with. When a person has a religious encounter after age thirty, there is bound to be a radical shift in their thinking about life. That was the case with the Apostle Paul. He tells his story at least three times in the book of Acts and again shares parts of it in several of his epistles, including the letter to Timothy we are reading today. As he shares his testimony, he comes away very thankful for the experience. I have to be honest with you, Paul does the exact opposite from what you would expect. Instead of seeing it as a negative, he embraces his new life and looks at it as an opportunity.
Maybe we need to take Paul's approach and find something to be thankful for. It is obvious that he is counting his blessings over the changes that occurred in his life. In our text he gives thanks to God for his new life.
Many of us have our stories of life before Christ. Some day we ought to sit around and tell our stories. Some may even be as dramatic as Paul's story. He tells how his life was turned upside down on the Damascus Road. Before meeting Christ, he thought of himself as a paragon of virtue, a crusader for God. After the event, he sees himself as nothing more than a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.
A friend of mine told me about a man in his congregation who was a real saint. He was generous and loving. He was a real prayer warrior. One day he and my friend were chatting and sharing some of their past experiences. My friend said he was shocked to hear the man's testimony. It included alcoholism and abusive behavior. It was a story of a family torn apart and marital infidelity. Then one day everything changed. The man met Christ at a revival meeting and he quit drinking, got a handle on his temper and his tongue, and started rebuilding his life. Every day now, the man says, "Thank God I'm not the man I used to be."
That man had the same sense of humility and honesty that Paul shares in this letter to Timothy. Paul knew what it was to be under the banner of God's grace and mercy. Time after time, he declared that it was only by the grace of God that he was able to stand before the crowds and speak to them.
You see, God had done two things. First, he forgave Paul's past, allowing him to start over. This time, Paul was going to get it right. He was no longer bound by the errors of his ways. He was, as he so eloquently put it in an earlier letter, a new creation. His past had no claim on him. Yet, he used his story to encourage others and help them understand that people could change. We don't have to be the same old person. He tells Timothy that God could now use him as an example of what God wanted for all of us.
This brings us to a second point: God gave him the ability to change. The new man was able to emerge with God's help. As the Holy Spirit entered him, Paul was now able to do far more than he ever dreamed possible. Paul wants us to know that. That is why he says in another letter, "All things are possible with God."
A funny thing happens when we begin to look at life this way. It reminds us that change can be good. It points out the fact that we don't have to remain the way we are. We can look ahead with thanksgiving and praise God that we aren't yet what we are going to be.
If you have even been to a Weight Watchers' meeting, you will know that part of their philosophy involves imagining what you will feel like, look like, and be doing in the future. Weight loss always involves making changes in your life. When you begin to imagine what the future will look like, you are half way there. You are no longer bound by the past.
Paul knew this well. He lived life with an eye to the future. He knew that he still had a way to grow in grace. He understood that he was going to change some more. He also knew that God was molding and shaping him through various experiences that would allow him to be a better servant.
We are growing and changing, too. Our faith will be stronger and we will be able to be more effective in our witness. If you are worried that you cannot quote the Bible like you want, or that you are too timid to get up and share your story, then just wait a while. As your faith develops, so will your confidence. Paul uses the illustration of being like little children in one of his letters. He suggests that maturity in the faith takes time. We will grow into it.
And, here is more good news. If you have some thorn in the flesh like Paul, that is holding you back and getting you down, it too shall pass. For in the end we shall all be transformed and ushered into the kingdom. When we suffer from disease and distress, it will not last forever. If we are being held back by some psychological baggage from our past or some physical problem, we will be delivered from them.
We all know people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease or those who have been ravaged by a stroke and lay in bed paralyzed. Our faith tells us that they, too, will be changed. They shall be made whole again. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, "Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Thank God that in the last days I will be changed. I wouldn't want to go around in eternity with this old body. I want to be able to move and play and dance again. Now that is something exciting to look forward to.
That brings me right back to today. Knowing that our past is forgiven and that we have been changed is good news. We can thank God for today as we recognize that no matter what shape we find ourselves, we have been promised a bright future. We can live life as it was meant to be lived.
Too many people are either preoccupied with the past or worrying about the future. They never get to rejoice in the present. Paul's message here points out this important truth. He begins the passage by thanking God for his calling. He loves the ministry and knows that God has prepared him to do just what he is doing. He is now fully engaged in the present moment.
Something changed in the make up of the organization when the Boston Red Sox came from behind to win the American League Championship Series in 2004. They were trailing the New York Yankees three games to none. The Yankees needed only one more win to clinch the series and send the Red Sox home with another disappointing finish. For 86 years, they lived with "the curse of the Bambino." Every time they got close to winning a big game or series, something extraordinary came along to prevent it from happening.
Over the years, the players changed but the curse remained. They just could not win the big game. Then, with their backs up against the "Green Monster," the Red Sox won four straight games against the Yankees in one of the most dramatic series in baseball history. It made a powerful impact on the franchise. They went on to dispatch the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals in four games to win the World Series for the first time since 1918.
The most incredible change occurred much later. As the team took the field in the spring of 2005, they were much more relaxed. They could enjoy life now. The curse was gone and they could play ball. So it is with us. Christ came to lift the curse and we can now enjoy life and live it to the glory of God. Thank God we can change! Amen.
Most of us try to control the tempo of our lives. We do all we can to maintain the status quo. We might move to a larger home as our family grows. We relocate to get a better job it if seems appropriate. We make new friends as our kids get involved in various activities. We get involved in a church and attend worship regularly.
Of course, most of us would rather nothing changed and we try to keep these events at a minimum. We like doing the same old thing with the same old friends. We don't enjoy looking at new ideas. We don't want to have our attitudes challenged. I read somewhere that by the time we reach age thirty, we are pretty much set in a pattern of behavior that will last the rest of our lives.
The exception to the rule comes in one of three ways. The first exception follows a life-changing event. Major changes often occur as the result of a wedding or the birth of a first child. A new job may also spark some big changes in an older worker. These events force everyone to look at life differently but the changes are often more pronounced the older you are when the event occurs.
The second exception comes after the experience of a tragedy, like a sudden death, loss of bodily function, or as the result of some catastrophic event. Just think of the people who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. Families were uprooted and moved halfway across the country to start over. After the events of September 11, numerous stories arose about drastic changes that people made in the way they lived life. It is only natural to take a survey of what you are doing under these extreme circumstances.
The final exception is one that many of us are familiar with. When a person has a religious encounter after age thirty, there is bound to be a radical shift in their thinking about life. That was the case with the Apostle Paul. He tells his story at least three times in the book of Acts and again shares parts of it in several of his epistles, including the letter to Timothy we are reading today. As he shares his testimony, he comes away very thankful for the experience. I have to be honest with you, Paul does the exact opposite from what you would expect. Instead of seeing it as a negative, he embraces his new life and looks at it as an opportunity.
Maybe we need to take Paul's approach and find something to be thankful for. It is obvious that he is counting his blessings over the changes that occurred in his life. In our text he gives thanks to God for his new life.
Many of us have our stories of life before Christ. Some day we ought to sit around and tell our stories. Some may even be as dramatic as Paul's story. He tells how his life was turned upside down on the Damascus Road. Before meeting Christ, he thought of himself as a paragon of virtue, a crusader for God. After the event, he sees himself as nothing more than a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.
A friend of mine told me about a man in his congregation who was a real saint. He was generous and loving. He was a real prayer warrior. One day he and my friend were chatting and sharing some of their past experiences. My friend said he was shocked to hear the man's testimony. It included alcoholism and abusive behavior. It was a story of a family torn apart and marital infidelity. Then one day everything changed. The man met Christ at a revival meeting and he quit drinking, got a handle on his temper and his tongue, and started rebuilding his life. Every day now, the man says, "Thank God I'm not the man I used to be."
That man had the same sense of humility and honesty that Paul shares in this letter to Timothy. Paul knew what it was to be under the banner of God's grace and mercy. Time after time, he declared that it was only by the grace of God that he was able to stand before the crowds and speak to them.
You see, God had done two things. First, he forgave Paul's past, allowing him to start over. This time, Paul was going to get it right. He was no longer bound by the errors of his ways. He was, as he so eloquently put it in an earlier letter, a new creation. His past had no claim on him. Yet, he used his story to encourage others and help them understand that people could change. We don't have to be the same old person. He tells Timothy that God could now use him as an example of what God wanted for all of us.
This brings us to a second point: God gave him the ability to change. The new man was able to emerge with God's help. As the Holy Spirit entered him, Paul was now able to do far more than he ever dreamed possible. Paul wants us to know that. That is why he says in another letter, "All things are possible with God."
A funny thing happens when we begin to look at life this way. It reminds us that change can be good. It points out the fact that we don't have to remain the way we are. We can look ahead with thanksgiving and praise God that we aren't yet what we are going to be.
If you have even been to a Weight Watchers' meeting, you will know that part of their philosophy involves imagining what you will feel like, look like, and be doing in the future. Weight loss always involves making changes in your life. When you begin to imagine what the future will look like, you are half way there. You are no longer bound by the past.
Paul knew this well. He lived life with an eye to the future. He knew that he still had a way to grow in grace. He understood that he was going to change some more. He also knew that God was molding and shaping him through various experiences that would allow him to be a better servant.
We are growing and changing, too. Our faith will be stronger and we will be able to be more effective in our witness. If you are worried that you cannot quote the Bible like you want, or that you are too timid to get up and share your story, then just wait a while. As your faith develops, so will your confidence. Paul uses the illustration of being like little children in one of his letters. He suggests that maturity in the faith takes time. We will grow into it.
And, here is more good news. If you have some thorn in the flesh like Paul, that is holding you back and getting you down, it too shall pass. For in the end we shall all be transformed and ushered into the kingdom. When we suffer from disease and distress, it will not last forever. If we are being held back by some psychological baggage from our past or some physical problem, we will be delivered from them.
We all know people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease or those who have been ravaged by a stroke and lay in bed paralyzed. Our faith tells us that they, too, will be changed. They shall be made whole again. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, "Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).
Thank God that in the last days I will be changed. I wouldn't want to go around in eternity with this old body. I want to be able to move and play and dance again. Now that is something exciting to look forward to.
That brings me right back to today. Knowing that our past is forgiven and that we have been changed is good news. We can thank God for today as we recognize that no matter what shape we find ourselves, we have been promised a bright future. We can live life as it was meant to be lived.
Too many people are either preoccupied with the past or worrying about the future. They never get to rejoice in the present. Paul's message here points out this important truth. He begins the passage by thanking God for his calling. He loves the ministry and knows that God has prepared him to do just what he is doing. He is now fully engaged in the present moment.
Something changed in the make up of the organization when the Boston Red Sox came from behind to win the American League Championship Series in 2004. They were trailing the New York Yankees three games to none. The Yankees needed only one more win to clinch the series and send the Red Sox home with another disappointing finish. For 86 years, they lived with "the curse of the Bambino." Every time they got close to winning a big game or series, something extraordinary came along to prevent it from happening.
Over the years, the players changed but the curse remained. They just could not win the big game. Then, with their backs up against the "Green Monster," the Red Sox won four straight games against the Yankees in one of the most dramatic series in baseball history. It made a powerful impact on the franchise. They went on to dispatch the National League Champion St. Louis Cardinals in four games to win the World Series for the first time since 1918.
The most incredible change occurred much later. As the team took the field in the spring of 2005, they were much more relaxed. They could enjoy life now. The curse was gone and they could play ball. So it is with us. Christ came to lift the curse and we can now enjoy life and live it to the glory of God. Thank God we can change! Amen.
