“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.” For many Sundays, we have been considering St Paul’s Letter to the Romans. And I am sure that some of you feel like you’re suddenly on solid ground, familiar territory. We have left behind the chapters on sin and justification by faith; we’ve left behind the chapters on baptism; we’ve left behind talk of predestination or the relationship between the Church and the Hebrews. Instead, Paul is describing the Christian life in detail.

 The difference is sort of an illusion. Everything Paul says in this chapter is meant to build on what has gone before. 

As Father Joe explained last week, Paul urged us to offer ourselves to God, soul and body. We are to make of ourselves “a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable.” And we are to do it in response to God’s abundant mercy. 

What Paul does now is show us what that looks like: what it looks like within the Christian community, to live as the one body of Christ; and what it looks like in our relationships with those outside the Church. We could sum up our calling in two words: love, and blessing. 

We are to love one another genuinely and “with mutual affection,” and we are to show kindness and offer tangible blessings to strangers and enemies. 

These two features get at key aspects of our life as Christians. We are, on the one hand, a new community. We have been drawn from many families into the one family of God. Whatever our other loves and allegiances, we are to show loyalty and honor to one another within the Body of Christ. Paul’s phrase “Love one another with mutual affection,” could easily be translated “Love one another with brotherly love” or “familial love.” In the first century, Paul was addressing a society intensely focused on familial bonds, and in our time too, it is easy for us to be drawn only into the needs of  relatives. Paul reminds us that the Christian calling is wider: to love this group like a new family. 

“Outdo one another in showing honor,” he says. “Contribute to the needs of the saints,” that is, to the needs of those in the Church. We all have responsibilities in caring for our families and loved ones; and Paul says, look around. Here is your family. Here are your loved ones. Whoever loves the Word of God; whoever has gone down into the waters of baptism; whoever has been made one with Christ – they are yours. And you are theirs. So “Love one another.” 

And don’t forget that God draws the circle of love even broader than this. We can see this truth, particularly in two phrases this morning. “Extend hospitality to strangers.” And “bless those who persecute you.” 

It turns out that it is not enough just to love our family in God. Love must abound for those we have not yet met and for our enemies.

How many of you have seen The Odyssey this summer? Well, even if you haven’t, I’m not going to give away the plot; the story has been around for thousands of years. However, in Christopher Nolan’s telling, The Odyssey revolves around homecoming and family, but also around the kindness and hospitality shown to strangers and enemies. It is the foundation of a good culture.

Nolan’s Odyssey is almost a story of Christian virtue. Even though the characters are constantly invoking “Zeus’s law” of hospitality, the story tamps down the glory of war and tamps up the theme of love, that the film seems more indebted to the teachings of Christ. I have read some reviews that criticize the film for being so blunt with its message: did we really need nearly three hours of entertainment just to tell us how important it is to show kindness? 

I think we did. We have lived through years of anger and suspicion directed toward our neighbors, toward those of other political tribes, toward other states in our union -- “Californians,” Easter Coasters, Southerners who aren’t good Midwesteners -- toward refugees and immigrants, toward foreign nations. 

Many of us have retreated into the comfort of our homes, our families, our closest circle of friends. OR we sit alone in our rooms with our AI companions. We hold everyone at a distance. We do not let ourselves encounter those in need, lest we see our obligation to them. We shut our eyes to bad news. We know that the Gospel calls us to love our enemies, but we find it easier to hate them. 

So, yes, I think a three hour blockbuster with a simple ethical refrain might have been exactly what we need. And maybe, just maybe, we also need what Paul offers in Romans 12 – not just an exhortation to offer our lives to God, but a description of what it would look like if we did. Listen, even if you know these things. Listen. He says: “Rejoice in hope; be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer; contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”

“Bless those who persecute you; bless, and do not curse.” I was sitting at lunch once when a friend and I were describing a mutual acquaintance who makes our lives difficult. We talked about this person for a while, trying to puzzle out how they tick, and why they act the way they do. We relayed a litany of sins. But I was really struck how we ended. One of us said, “Well, I pray for them every day and try to keep them out of my mind.” On the one hand, it was a good example of how neither of us was interested in revenge, and we were fulfilling Christ’s command to pray for our persecutors. On the other hand, it’s insufficient. It’s not enough.

Christ calls us to more than an attitude of neutrality, in which we lob “bombs of prayer” from a safe distance. We seek a holy life, a life of love and blessing. It’s not enough just to pray for enemies. We must also bless them with our actions. Paul’s example is immediate, and drawn from the book of Proverbs. “If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” 

Evil is constantly seeking the victory in our lives. Someone wrongs us; we want to wrong them in return. We look for opportunities to seek revenge, when we should be looking for blessing. 

We always take Jesus as our model. In his suffering and death, he poured out blessings upon the world; by his blood, all sins are forgiven. He prayed for his persecutors from the cross itself, saying “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” Our lives have been transformed by that forgiveness; we have seen how love alone can drive out hate, and end the cycle of violence. 

Take this reading home. Think of two tangible ways you can embody its teaching better. 

How can you show greater love in the Christian community? 

How can you show greater love and blessing to strangers and enemies?

We continue in our focus on Paul’s letter to the Romans today. The letter continues to challenge us with topics that were specific to Paul’s historical time as well as with topics that are current to our day. In my weeks, I have drawn passages that have touched on sin, slavery, predestination, evangelism, and more. (I am not complaining, the other preachers have also had difficult topics. It is good for all of us, both in the pews and in the pulpit, to engage these complex issues.) The positive from this summer series is that throughout this entire letter to the Romans, Paul speaks of God’s eternal love for all through the gift of his son, Jesus Christ. Many of the topics throughout the letter keep recuring. Paul’s points circle; we hear them several times. Paul contrasts the Law with Faith in Christ. He makes the conclusion that everything in the Law had been leading to Christ who is the goal of the Law. While before following the Law was the way to relationship with God, now it is through faith and belief in Jesus. For Moses “the word” was the Law, for Paul “the word” is Jesus.

Today’s lectionary text is in the middle of Paul’s theological struggle with the fate of his own people, the Israelites. Two weeks ago, the appointed text ended with Paul on a spiritual high using beautiful poetry to make his point that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Then in last week’s passage Father Zack began with Paul saying, “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish” because his own people had not understood and accepted that Jesus is the Messiah.

And now we come to Paul’s arguments to lead his people to faith in Jesus. He uses words from the holy scripture of the Israelites, what we know as the Old Testament, to try to show his people that Jesus has always been with us. Throughout today’s passage he quotes and reforms these verses to change the subject to Christ.

I will not go through them all, but he uses parts of Deuteronomy, Leviticus, Joel and Isaiah to make his point.  These scriptures were well-known to his intended audience and in my mind, Paul showed his intellectual strength and some cunning, to quote and edit them to convince the Jews.. 

If you will, please take your service leaflet and look at the Epistle.

Here are the verses from Deuteronomy that Paul references (Chapter 30:11-14).

“For this commandment which I command you this day is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven that you should say, ‘Who will go up for us, that we may hear it and do it?’ Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us that we may hear it and do it.’ But, the word is very near you, it is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” 

See the similar words in verses 5-8?

Do you see what Paul has done to make the subject Christ? “That is the word of faith that we proclaim.” 

He was and is powerful in his argument; he knew his audience well and understood what they would be able to connect with and see his point.

Here is one more, and I promise, the last for today. If you wish you can look up the others to compare.

This is from Isaiah, chapter 52, verse 7.

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings … who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”

It is easy to find these words in today’s passage.

The good news is the truth of the gospel. This is about God and what God has done and his relationship to us, all people. We do not and cannot make our salvation happen. Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It is God’s work, not ours.

Even St. Paul knew this. He knew he could not argue others into belief. Though he could bring theological points to bear on others making the decision to believe. After all, it took a very dramatic intervention by God for him to come to belief. His words are to lead them to see the possibility of what he knows as truth. It is God’s work in which he participates.

What then is our work?  

Paul asks several rhetorical questions near the end of this passage that make clear what the answer to that is.

“But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? 

Our work is to do that proclaiming. We are to plant the seeds that God will bring to fruition. Remember I said that I had drawn the topic of evangelism. Well, this is it. Paul makes it clear that it is our responsibility to do this proclaiming. The word evangelism can bring all sorts of negative pictures. Which is a shame. In the broadest sense evangelism is the work of those who are messengers of good news. 

How might we, as Episcopalians, do this? Most of us are a bit reserved, me included.

I am sure we have ideas of how we do not want to do this proclaiming. I don’t see us being that man in a suit and tie who talks outside the Urbana Farmer’s Market each Saturday morning proclaiming the need to repent. I don’t see us as a group going to Chicago and standing across from the Art Institute singing of God’s love. I don’t see us going door to door to pass out scripture passages. While I do not fault those who do these things, I admit I do not readily engage with them. I do realize that their actions are their way of living out what Paul has said here. It is their way of bringing God’s message to others. For that I respect them. 

I know many people who were born in other countries as their parents were missionaries, who brought the gospel to those who had not heard it. In my time here, Emmanuel has sponsored several missionaries who followed Paul’s call to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to people far away.  For that I respect them. These people had a special call to spread the news of the love of God to all in a particular way. 

While these may not be your and my call, we still are asked to proclaim our faith in God and belief in Jesus Christ to those who may or may not have heard it. Note that we are not called to save the world; God has already done that, through Jesus Christ. We are to live our belief that this is true. Paul asks us to live an authentic life, a life based on our faith.

I ask you to consider, how might we do that? 

For some it might be easier to proclaim by demonstration rather than by words. For example, living as Christ teaches us, showing kindness and love to others. Giving a smile to those in need of that recognition or saying thank you for services rendered, or by helping those in need. These and more are ways to live an authentic life matching our actions to our beliefs.

Using our words, it may mean speaking simply at first. For example, when someone asks us on Monday, how was your weekend? Rather than telling of a party or a movie or a good meal we had, we can say, “I went to church on Sunday and took my children. I was refreshed by the worship there.” 

Perhaps next time the person will ask you to describe what happened at church and you can go a little further. Maybe you might even get to the point of inviting them to come and see what it is like here.

We are called to proclaim our faith but each of us is called in a unique way. For some it is standing outside the red doors at the back in vestments carrying a cross or torches. For some it is posting on Instagram a picture of something in the church that is meaningful to you. For some it is taking someone new to coffee and talking about your faith and how you came to believe as you do. For others it is to have a theological discussion, listening to others’ ideas and speaking of your own. For those whose personality is perhaps more shy, there are still ways to proclaim our faith. It might start with wearing a faith-based t-shirt or piece of jewelry to indicate your willingness to listen to others. Conversations that follow this would offer the opportunity to explain where you find your comfort and hope when faced with difficulties. For those who are more outspoken, bringing up the topic can be easier, though not always. If you pray about this, you will be given some ideas that would work for you.

Evangelism is a process, I think and while it might be uncomfortable at first, God appreciates our individual gifts and will use us as best fits. The call is to proclaim the truth we believe. We must not ignore that. 

Someone in our lives was that person to bring us the truth of the gospel. They may have done it by demonstrating love for us or singing us simple hymns while rocking us to sleep. They may have done that by taking us to church or told us stories about Jesus. They may have done that by being there for us in a crisis. They may have done this by talking with us about death and life and the gift of Jesus Christ. It is ours now to pass on what was done for us. We must be the someone to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ’s overcoming death and offering eternal life. It is truth that is too important not to share. When we ask God how to do this; we will be shown occasions and the means to do so.

 “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news.” It is time for us to use our feet to be the ones to proclaim the faith we profess.

Today we celebrate a glorious event in Jesus’ life on earth —the Transfiguration. In our music and in our scripture, we are invited into the scene of heaven meeting earth with Jesus Christ at the center.

The lessons tonight contain two stories of dramatic experiences of humans encountering God. In the first lesson it is Moses’ followers who witness the event, actually events, as each time Moses went up the mountain to encounter God, his face shone so brightly that he had to cover it when he came off the mountain. In the gospel, it is three of Jesus’ disciples, Peter, John, and James who see this same light shining in Jesus’ face as he prayed. In both readings, those who watched were overwhelmed by what they saw and heard. There were heavy clouds, bright lights, glowing faces and visions of the giver of the Law (Moses) and the greatest of prophets (Elijah). The disciples, we are told, also heard God speak, using words they could understand. God called Jesus his beloved son and instructed those present to listen to him. These living, breathing humans were given the gift of knowing without a doubt, that they were in the presence of God. How spectacular!

While we gathered here this evening, may not have had an exact replica of these events, I wonder, have you ever had such an experience? Has there ever been a time for you when you have known, known in your body that you were in God’s presence? 

Many of us have traveled to the mountains or been to the ocean. We’ve seen sunsets over the water and looked out over the cliffs and marveled at the magnificence of God’s vast creation. 

We have had the aesthetic experience of appreciating the beauty of the world around us. However, today’s biblical experiences were holy events, not just aesthetic ones. Have you ever witnessed such a holy event? 

  Maybe your theophanies were not as dramatic as these described in today’s lessons, but I feel certain that some of us have had similar experiences. These moments can happen most anywhere. Perhaps you were on a mountain top as in the lessons today, or maybe in a church, or sitting with a person near death or even looking at the vast expanse of central Illinois cornfields! Theophanies can happen anywhere.

Perhaps you have not had such a first-hand experience. Don’t worry, you are in good company. Remember only three of Jesus’ disciples saw the transfiguration with their own eyes. The other nine heard about it and experienced it through the others’ words. 

Whether it was a personal experience or something you learned about vicariously, I ask you to recall when and where you were, at the time you knew without a doubt, that you were in the presence of God. Remember, for a minute. Where were you; what did you see or hear or feel?

What was your reaction? 

Perhaps like Peter you wanted to stay right there in the moment. “Let’s build some dwellings and remain here.” Maybe you just took it in, paused, became quiet and focused on breathing.

Or maybe you wondered about your own perception of reality. “Is this really real?”, you may have thought. In hearing another’s experience you may have doubted the truth of their words, at least at first. 

Or perhaps, like the Israelites during the exodus, you were so overcome you could say or do nothing; your awe at what you were experiencing caused you to stop, you froze in both time and place. Holy fear overtook you.

All of these are possible reactions: wonder, skepticism, fear, inability to move, and awe.

I ask you to recall how you reacted in the moment, when it happened to you, or when you first heard of it happening to another.

And then, what is it like now when you remember it? 

Most likely, I would expect most of us to be like Peter, in that over time the spectacular nature of what happened faded but the memory of it brought strength and comfort in tougher times. In today’s epistle, this was true for Peter as he faced his death. He had seen God’s glory and knew he would see it again.

The disciples saw and heard about Christ’s transfiguration prior to the agony of his crucifixion and death. This must have brought them much comfort as they sought to comprehend the glory of his resurrection. 

For the Israelites, seeing Moses come down from Mt. Sinai, having spoken with God and glowing with being in God’s presence gave authority to the words he taught. Certainly Peter, John, and James had a different respect for Jesus and his authority as God’s son, following the Transfiguration.

This strength came from reflecting on what had happened to them. At the moment these glory-filled moments occurred, they were not even able to describe it. The awe of the realization of being in God’s presence is not easily described in words. One knows it has happened. It is through reflection, the value and meaning of the occurrence becomes clear.

We each are invited to glimpse God’s glory, whether in our own remembrance or in hearing the stories of holy scripture. We are called to pause and reflect on these rich experiences. And then we can draw strength and courage from having met God in these spectacular moments. Our belief in God’s authority is strengthened through these glimpses.

Tonight we hear of heaven meeting earth, with Christ as the center.

“Jesus took with him Peter, and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem…A cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.”

 Tonight we bask in this description of God’s glory and give thanks that we share in Jesus’ life.

During last week’s sermon on the letter to the Romans, Deacon Chris reminded us of the unfailing love of God. Her sermon ascended to the place Paul reaches at the end of Chapter 8. 

I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (8:38-39). 

This is an expression of total confidence in God’s mercy. We should rely on it. But how then, did we feel when Paul’s words turned so dramatically in our lesson today? 

I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people…

It’s a big shift in only a few verses.

Nothing can separate us from God’s love; yet Paul wishes to be separated, “cut off.” St Paul stands between these two poles of confidence and prayer – convinced, to the fullest extent possible, of God’s mercy toward all; but then still worried, praying, and wishing. Why? 

The short answer is unbelief. Paul was in anguish over the response of most of his people to the Christian message. We cannot forget that the Church started as a movement among Jews. Jesus was Jewish, the 12 apostles were Jewish; nearly all the earliest disciples were. But, quickly, Christianity became a movement among “Gentiles,” the goyim, the non-Jewish nations. We can see this change take place in pages of the New Testament itself, not least in the Acts of the Apostles. As the message about Jesus spread, as he was proclaimed as Israel’s Messiah and Lord, many Jews responded, but many more Gentiles responded. Within a generation, the Church was filled with those who had no claim on the traditions or culture of Israel. 

How could this be? As St Paul says of the Israelites, “To them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah.” It’s their Bible we’re reading; their Psalms we are singing; their traditions we inhabit.

The Lord made himself known in a particular way to this people. He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, giving them a calling in Canaan, the Land of Promise. He rescued their descendants from Egypt during the Exodus. Through Moses, he gave them the Law and the tabernacle in the desert and the prayers and the sacrifices. His glory shone out among them in the pillar of fire and the cloud, and he was with them through their long years in the wilderness, in the Promised Land, during the time of the Judges, during the monarchies, during the Exile and return. Israel was like God’s firstborn son. He spoke to their prophets. They had a rich heritage, a unique faith and calling. It was not yet ours.

So when the Messiah came, how could they not believe? Wasn’t this the whole point: their faith in him, their salvation through him, their allegiance to him? Why would God work so patiently through the centuries, molding this people, forgiving their sins and restoring them so many times? Why -- if in the end they would not believe? It seems incredible.

“I am speaking the truth in Christ,” Paul says, “I am not lying; my conscience confirms it in the Holy Spirit – I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh.”
 
You may have felt this kind of anguish before. Perhaps you have an unbelieving son or daughter, an unbelieving mother, father, cousin, co-worker, friend, spouse. You have someone whom you love dearly and yet do not fully understand, because you believe and they do not. I have felt this sorrow for family and friends: it’s not like everyone I know goes to church. 

And when it comes to the faith and heritage I felt this sorrow, too, on another level when I was serving as a priest in England -- as an American, working for the established Church, with its parishes in every community, its influence felt everywhere, and its congregations that are so small. Less than 3% of the English population attends an Anglican church on any given Sunday. It’s shocking. This is the church whose cathedrals the world travels to admire, whose music is the glory of choral singing, whose literature has inspired countless generations. This is a church of real saints (and some notorious sinners). This is the church that sent missionaries around the world and formed the Anglican Communion. Yet the Church of England is dying, and the English people less to do with it every day. There, as priest for that people, I may have felt some of the great weight Paul bore, when he said, “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people…”

It felt so strange to minister among the English. I’d look around me and think: All this belongs to them.

Of course, we might say this in a different way about the Christian faith in America. Christianity has flourished on this continent. There is a heritage here with worship going back centuries. This faith belongs here. And yet in each generation, adherence slips, and our understanding of that Christian heritage diminishes or is distorted.

Faith is a mysterious thing. There is something about it that we do not understand, that Paul himself could not understand. As he writes in Romans chapter 11, “How unsearchable are God’s judgments and how inscrutable are his ways!” 

What is God doing in each human heart? Why do some believe and others only doubt? 

With St Paul, “I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come…shall ever separate us from the love of God.” And yet I find myself in sorrow over many who will not believe. 

I want everyone to know the joy that we have, to know what it means to feel the love and support of God I want to repeat to them the words of the prophet Isaiah in our first reading: “Come!” 

Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price.

The grace of God is present. It is for you. It is for your children and all whom you love. You are thirsty, do not deny it. You are wasting your time on so many things while here there is food, water, and life. The Lord is opening wide his hand to satisfy the needs of every living creature. Do not close yourself off. 

Jesus stands on the shore of the world, looking upon that great crowd, the whole human family, and he still has compassion. As in times of old, as in the story relayed in our Gospel today, he means to stay with those who need him. He sees the hungry and the thirsty. And he gives a command to his followers: “Give them something to eat."
 
It’s important for us to hear this, in our times of anguish, when we see the need around us, both material and spiritual. “You give them something to eat.” We wonder what God is doing for the unfaithful; well, he is doing something in you for them. “Give them something to eat,” however small your efforts may feel, however meager. Christ took five loaves and two fish, a little picnic, and he fed a multitude: 5000 men “besides women and children” with 12 baskets left over. 

It is not for the Church to puzzle out what is happening in each human heart. We do not know how God shall resolve his judgments respecting this or that person. That’s not for us. This is for us: “Give them something to eat.” Imitate God in his continual love and mercy. Open wide your hand and fill others with blessing. 

While I do not usually wear T-shirts myself, I do get a smile every so often when reading what is on others’ torsos. It’s a bit like reading bumper stickers. One shirt I saw recently said, “If Paul were here, we’d be getting a letter! It had a picture of a stamp and those words, “If Paul were here, we’d be getting a letter”.

I wonder, what might a current letter from St. Paul to the Champaign-ians, contain?

From our reading of the letter to the Romans this summer we know that Paul usually writes about a mixture of things in his epistles. He often has comments about cultural issues of the particular time and place. Sometimes he writes about theological issues facing first century followers of Christ, and always he addresses God’s love for humankind and how humans are to pattern themselves after Jesus. Often the Sunday scripture passages these past weeks have included all three topics. Paul has commented on cultural matters, theological disputes, and the depth and greatness of God’s love for all! 

So, what might Paul have to say to us today? He might have a word or two about Christian conduct or morality. Perhaps he might say “Remember Champaign-ians, you have a responsibility to those less well off than you. Can’t you do something about the rise in gun violence in your community?” Or, “Can’t you do something to provide safe housing or food for all in your area?” Or, … 

Perhaps Paul might have an opinion on current theological differences, maybe the issue of women in clergy, or the Christian definition of marriage, or providing safe churches for all… Or,…

Certainly, his letter to Champaign-ians would remind us of the importance of God’s gift of his son. He would also write about the meaning of God’s immense grace for all believers. These are lasting truths, not dependent on the year or place of his text. Paul would most certainly challenge us to be in right relationship with God, molding ourselves to be more Christ-like.

With these thoughts, let’s look at today’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Paul’s audience for this epistle is the community of Christ’s followers located in Rome. This community included both Jews and Gentiles. Up until this time, Paul’s ministry to spread the Gospel had been mostly to Gentiles in Asia Minor and he was traveling to Spain to continue the same. His journey would take him through Rome, and this letter preceded his actual meeting of those followers of Christ. An issue for the Roman community, as a mixture of Jews and Gentiles, was the question, would the Gentile converts need to become Jews, to follow Jewish law and customs, and to be absorbed into the Jewish ways? Would those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah, gradually convert the Jewish church from within? Or, would being a Christian be separate from being a Jew? 

I think we know how that controversy was settled from our vantage point. But this is why Paul speaks to the question of predestination. Jews were God’s chosen people. This theme runs throughout the Old Testament. So, in the mind of some of those of Jewish heritage the new converts would need to follow the Jewish laws to be a part of God’s chosen. Paul, even though a Jew himself, was on the other side of this argument. Being followers of Christ did not require following Jewish law. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, God expanded salvation to the whole world.

Not wanting to get into the thorns of Calvinism versus Arminian interpretation, and personal versus group arguments for predestination, I choose to leave this part of the passage to Paul’s answer to the issue of the time. Gentile believers in Christ were equal participants in receiving God’s grace and the church would not depend on following the Law. God’s call to follow him and to be in right relationship with him was for all.

Even though not specifically stated in this passage, I also think Paul’s belief had room for personal human choice in the issue of being called. 

Topics of theology and culture are things Paul wrote about in most of his letters. He had great intellect and he could talk about the faith in this way. 

However, in today’s passage, Paul changes. He moves from intellectual argument to personal conviction. He is not just talking about the faith. Rather he takes the message of God’s love to a personal level. When he uses the words hardship, distress, persecution, and so on, he knows each of those terms as something he had gone through himself. Paul had been persecuted, faced nakedness, hunger, threats of death and other perils. They were not just theoretical topics; they were real events he had experienced.  He knew first-hand that his sufferings did  not remove him from God’s love. This was personal, not something to talk about but rather something to know and feel deep inside.

Life was not easy for Paul. 

In all honesty, Life is not easy for most of us. Or perhaps I should say, life has its difficult times. 
 
In the words one sixth grade Urbana teacher repeated often to her students, “Life is not fair.” Twelve-year-olds need to hear these words. Maybe at some level we all have not forgotten being 12 and need to be reminded of this. Life is not fair. 

Most of us have had hardships and distress in our lives. Maybe we give thanks for having escaped persecution, famine and the rest, or maybe not. We each have our own story. It becomes personal, not only to Paul, but also to every human being. It is a part of our existence. Life is hard and often may seem unfair.

And yet, Paul, reminds us that it is Christ Jesus who died, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who intercedes for us. So, then, what is it that can separate us from the love of God?

There are many reassurances in this passage, many reasons to hope. Even when we are beaten down from life’s difficulties, the Spirit can and does pray for us. We are precious beings to God. When we suffer Jesus knows exactly what that is and Jesus is right with us, in those sufferings. We are not alone in our difficulties. 

Especially at the worst times of our lives, we need to read and remember Paul’s experience. These are not mere words. These are Paul’s conviction of the depth of God’s loving support. We are never abandoned, even in times when we think we cannot feel his love; God is there. 

Paul tells us that God is able to bring good out of any circumstances, even those that are incredibly painful. This does not mean that those bad things become good, but rather that in the middle of all circumstances, God is faithful. And as God was faithful to Paul, God is faithful to you and to me. Even during suffering and death God’s love is solid, unwavering and the source of peace and comfort.

This is why the end of the 8th chapter of Romans is often read at funerals. It brings hope and comfort to those who are in the middle of loss and grief. 

But it is not just at the time of death we sorrow. Paul’s words offer hope whenever we are separated from what we have known and loved. This passage offers comfort in all times of hardship and distress and loss. 

Life is hard, sometimes harder than others. And these verses heard this morning carry the eternal truth that God is always with us. He will not ever abandon us. 

As we may think about what Paul might have to say to us in a letter today, we realize we don’t really need such a letter. Because, in all his writings, Saint Paul’s focus is on the work of God; what God has done and what God continues to do to show how much he loves us. These truths are lasting truths. This letter to the Romans carries the same truth to all readers throughout the ages wherever they may be. 

Remember, Paul is not just talking about truth. This is not one of his philosophical arguments. Rather, he is giving his whole self, his whole experience, sharing his deep conviction of his belief in Christ. Hear again, Paul’s words.

“What then are we to say about these things? If God is for you, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God who intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Amen, Paul, amen.