This has been an ‘interesting’ week if you at all follow politics. We had a federal election in Canada on Monday and it feels like not just in this post-election time, but for the many months leading into this week, politics – locally, nationally and internationally – has been high on everyone’s minds, dominated the media landscape and been a frequent topic of conversation wherever you go. There has been so much polarization, division and debate. There has also been so much unpredictability in what might happen, and shifts and changes and surprises. You may personally be happy or upset, relieved or disappointed, or carry a whole mix of emotions about the election results in your riding or for this new minority government, or maybe you are just glad it is all over and we can get on with life and stop talking so much about it. As a pastor, I am not going to get into the party politics of it all – that is for the political pundits. I will relate and talk to anyone, no matter how they voted. What I have been struck with, is the kinds of things politicians say in the days right after an election, no matter what political party they are from or whether they have lost or gained their seat. It feels like for a few days at least, party politics, for the most part, are put aside, things are much more polite and civil, and there is a stepping back to how we all need to work together now. Those needing to step aside are gracious in concession, and talk about the value of their family and the closeness of their supporters, often with some tears, pointing to how tough this public office role is. Those stepping forward speak about how they will represent everyone in their riding, no matter what party they are from or how they voted. This is at time to bring people together, to value everyone’s voice, and to work in non-partisan ways for the good of the country. It is time to be humble and a time to cooperate. We get a glimpse into the human side of people. We know that our system is set up to be adversarial, that parties are already starting to position themselves for another election that will inevitably come, and that this kind of conciliatory and cooperative approach and language may not last long, and is already falling aside. We also know that there is actually a lot more cooperation that goes on quietly behind the scenes, in committees, in legislation, in cooperation, and that things can get done. But it made me wonder what our world would be like, if we truly believed and acted out of a belief that we need everyone’s voice and perspective, and that we are better off when we bring together very different points of views and find ways of working together even in that diversity. Can I respect and relate to someone with views diametrically opposed to mine, who voted different than me? Can I not only tolerate an opposite view, but also wonder what I might learn from it and how it might enrich us all? Can I convince myself that we truly need that liberal voice, that conservative voice, that NDP and Green and Bloc and Independent voice, even if some of the voices and perspectives feel so different than mine might be? Are we truly one body? The other day a kind and friendly stranger helped me out in a situation with our van in a neighbourhood unknown to me, without any hesitation, and was so kind and helpful, and I looked up later and saw that their political lawn sign was totally different than where I was at. It was a good reminder of all that we share.
It is into a very diverse and polarized group of people that the Apostle Paul writes his letters to the different churches, that we have now as so many of the books of the Bible. This Sunday, coming out of the Shine Sunday School curriculum, we are starting a new Spring worship series on the ‘Letters to the Church.’ Kandace and Melinda put the series together and this is part of what they say about the series: ‘Take heart! Paul’s letters to the church are a message of encouragement to God’s people living in a tumultuous and dangerous time. Our spring worship series looks to Paul’s letters for guidance and direction on how we live as brothers and sisters in an increasingly divisive world. Each of these letters from Paul, a respected leader of the time living at a distance, is a message of encouragement to the people of God- the saints. Paul is equipping the Church to face a hostile world as children of God, bonded together in mutual love and community, regardless of the social conventions of the time. Similarly, in our day, Paul’s letters to the Churches call us to recognize that we are bound to each other as children of God, across political spectrums, gender spectrums, generations and cultural divides. Paul calls us to see each other as more than issues to be discussed and debated, but as people, beloved by God and bearing God’s very image, just as we are.’
Our passage from this morning is a great first example. Of all the epistles, this is the one where scholars assume that Paul did not actually start or even visit the church in Rome, so it is not as direct to their specific situation and issues, but is more generally addressed to the church at large. The first 11 chapters sound very theological, and summarize Paul’s understanding of the gospel. Chapter 12 is the pivot, the shift to how his theology might be lived out in daily life. It begins, Therefore, Because of everything I have already said up to now in my letter. Therefore, I plead with you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, to not be conformed to this world, but be transformed, to become one body with each other, celebrating the gifts of all. And the rest of the letter goes on to talk about all the markers and virtues of a life in Christ, how this gets lived out practically.
These first verses of Chapter 12 are key. It is about transformation and embodiment and submitting every part of our being – body, mind and spirit – to the will of God, as a living sacrifice to God, as an example and witness to who God has been in our lives. It uses the Greek word ‘Metamorphousthe’, Metamorphosis – that change and transformation from the inside out, like our butterfly image we are using for this series. It is the same Greek word used in Mark 9 and Matthew 17 for Jesus and the Transfiguration – he was transfigured before them – changed, metamorphosis. If we are caught up in God’s transforming power, it will simply burst out of us in how we live our lives. And the first place that it will make a difference, is in how we relate to the rest of the body of the church. Paul loves this image of the body and speaks of it often. Remember the passage in 1st Corinthians 12 of the foot and the eye and the ear and even the less honorable parts all being essential to the one body, all needing each other. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it. We are one body, and we all belong to each other. Therefore, we respect and honour, and absolutely need all of each other’s gifts. It is like what Mathieu said in the Children’s Time. All the gifts build up the body, all the perspectives, all the passions and convictions. This inevitably makes the church messy, complicated, even chaotic. But if we truly believe that God is about transformation, then we trust God with even the most diverse of gifts and perspectives and principles. All of these, and the whole community, the whole body, is transformed by God into what is good and pleasing and perfect.
Paul also holds all this in contrast to the behaviours and customs of this world. The NRSV uses the phrase, ‘Do not be conformed to this age… but be transformed by the renewing of the mind.’ The Greek verb here, according to Bible Hub, ‘means to conform or to shape oneself according to a particular pattern or model. It implies an external conformity to a standard or example, often with the nuance of adapting to the surrounding environment or societal norms. In the Greco-Roman world, conformity to societal norms and expectations was a common practice, as social harmony and order were highly valued. The concept of conforming to the image or pattern of something was well understood in a culture that emphasized public behavior and appearances. In the New Testament, this term is used to contrast the temporary and external nature of worldly conformity with the transformative and internal work of God in a believer’s life.’ (https://biblehub.com/greek/4964.htm)
Mennonites have often picked up on this phrase – Do not be Conformed, and talked lots about non-conformity. We see that most overtly in the Old Order Mennonite community around us. I went back to some of our Confessions of Faith. In 1963, there was a whole article on Discipleship and Nonconformity, referencing Romans 12, with lots of language of two opposing kingdoms, Christ’s, the church and Satan’s, meaning the world, and how that played out in our bodies – no alcohol and tobacco, and being adorned in our bodies simply and modestly – which seemed to apply mostly to women. (https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Mennonite_Confession_of_Faith,_1963). And there were whole lists of acceptable and unacceptable behaviours. Ironically, it became a kind of conformity itself, missing the spirit of Romans 12. It’s abrupt two kingdom theology tried too hard for us to be in the world but not of the world. But maybe today, we need a reminder of how to hold critique of the very world we are often so much a part of, and how to hold values shaped by Christ, even as we live fully in this world. Our most recent 1995 Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspectives has an Article on Discipleship and the Christian Life, with a different tone. It starts with the call to take up our cross and follow Jesus, and as we walk in Christ’s way, we are being transformed into his image – we are conformed to Christ, our being re-created in the image of Christ. Conformity to Christ implies non-conformity to the world. What this might mean is much broader in this confession. It might mean seeking simplicity instead of materialism, and being faithful in our behaviours, but it also has to do with acting in peace and justice, loving enemies, being loyal to God’s kingdom instead of any nation-state or ethnic group that claims our allegiance, and performing deeds of compassion and reconciliation. To quote ‘our faithfulness to Christ is lived out in the loving life and witness of the church community, which is to be a separated people, holy to God.’ (Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective, Herald Press, 1995, p.65-68) What might this mean in our lives?
I shared in January that I was invited to teach an AMBS seminary Thursday evening Zoom class this semester on Faith Formation and Spiritualty: Youth and Young Adults. The last class was on Thursday. It has been a blast having good and deep conversations with the 6 eager students, and with the 30 different guests I have brought in on various topics, various panel conversations, youth, young adults, pastors, professionals, including 7 different people from SJMC who graciously shared their stories and wisdom. We talked about the challenges of faith in this time, the disconnect for so many with church, and the shape of what church could look like. We had hard conversations about technology and social media, sexuality and gender, youth mental health, intercultural church, and spiritual care for young people in a climate crisis – in a way getting at what shape non-conformity to the world looks like today. We talked about the vital element of feeling like you belong, of having a voice, and having a community to surround and support you. It is about every gift being honoured and valued. We talked about the value of sharing lives, storytelling and finding rituals for youth and young adults that can embody faith in our time. I shared the example of our Meals that Matter ritual for youth and young adults, who are gathering for supper tonight at the Morton Ninomiya home, and I think about something like the devotional and service project of tree planting our 4 Church Junior Youth/Youth Group participated in yesterday morning. The big project for the term, was for the students to create a ritual for young people, that is rooted in Scripture and Christian identity and is counter-cultural, providing a different vision for how to live and be in our world. I thought of these projects immediately when working with today’s Scripture passage. These students were finding ways of not conforming to this world, but being transformed in our age and time. So much of our world, our social media feeds, our politics, leads to superficiality, and to polarization, to living lives without depth of meaning and community. I loved the contrast these students provided. One student had her youth group set aside a sacred time to share the highs and lows of their week, but also the ‘Glows’ the places where they saw God’s Spirit moving that week, and watched the youth group deepen in their spirituality and groundedness, and their vulnerability to each other. Another had college students share their raw faith stories with each other, in a safe circle, rooted in the John 4 Samaritan woman story of knowing and being known. Another had youth exploring themes of the Table Fellowship of Jesus, not unlike some of our Lent stories here, and then planning menus, buying ingredients, and making and sharing a Love Feast together. A student from Indonesia transformed the Chinese New Years Dinner celebration from her cultural history, into an exploration of the Passover story and themes of belonging and Home. The student from Chad, who got to know Levi on his MCC Texas borderland trip in January, explored shifts in how communion and footwashing could be practiced in Chad, that would both respect the Elders, but also transform and bring a spirit of mutuality and sharing between the younger and older generation. Another student developed a whole ritual for bringing together parents and mentors of Graduating Grade 8 girls, in a safe warm environment to share blessings, appreciations, dreams and the promises from God of being Beloved, created in God’s image, countering the cultural messages that worth is based on physical appearance, beauty and body image. These were fantastic presentations and projects, and reminded me again and again of what our Romans 12 passage can look like in our day.
So what might Paul’s letter to the Romans mean for us here at SJMC, and for our lives. Where and how do we gather for ritual, meaning making, storytelling, vulnerability, and Biblical groundedness, that can provide an alternative narrative and community where we are transformed by God and renewed by God’s Spirit? – where we can value our differences and receive all the many gifts we can share with each other. I started my sermon with a few wonderings about our recent Canadian election. When I was almost done writing this sermon, I saw a press release, from Mennonite Church Canada and Executive Minister Doug Klassen, and co-written and supported by the Executive Ministers of all the provincial area churches, including Anthony Siegrest in his newly appointed role in MCEC. It was in the form of a letter and reflected as well on the election – calling it a ‘Pastoral Letter following Federal Election’ – https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/article/45442-pastoral-letter-following-federal-election . It named the range of how people might feel about the election results and the diversity that represents in a divided and fragile world, and potentially in the church. It called our nationwide church to a unity in Christ as we follow Jesus in daily life, ‘to open our hearts and lives to one another, including those with whom we disagree.’ It reminded me of the messages from today’s Romans 12 passage, and it even refers a few verses later to Romans 12:13 – to practice hospitality, to love our neighbours and to extend grace even when it is hard. It is inviting us to transformation, to metamorphosis, to not be conformed to this age but transformed by the renewal of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect. And so I end this sermon about Paul’s letter to the church, with the ending of the MC Canada Letter to the churches:
‘As congregations, we encourage you to eat together, to visit in one another’s homes, to share your lives and your stories. Focus on that which unites rather than divide us. Let our congregations be places of healing and understanding. Please know that this letter comes with the prayers and support of the executive ministers of our nationwide church. It is our deep desire that we, as the people of God, would be a voice of healing and hope in this season. May our communities—rooted in grace, joy, and peace—become sanctuaries for those who are united in Christ, possibly discouraged by circumstance but committed to each other and seeking deeper meaning.
With hope in Christ.’
May it be so. Amen.