The Risky Business of Worship—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 13A (Romans 12:1-8)
Romans 12:1-8 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6 We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
*************************
We go to church to worship God. It
doesn’t require much of us. Yes, as a preacher I do have certain
responsibilities, but we can easily slip into the back row of a church, take in
the presentation, and then slip out without that affecting our lives in any
meaningful ways. For Paul’s readers, joining together as a community presented
certain risks. Even if persecution wasn’t widespread in the Empire, Christians
were considered a deviant group. But, to Paul, the risk was worth the reward of
experiencing the blessings of the Spirit of God.
The Second Reading for the
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost takes us back to Paul’s letters to the
Romans. Having spent three weeks with Paul’s reflections on the ongoing nature
of God’s covenant with the Jewish people, in Romans 12 Paul moves on to discuss
life in the Spirit of God, a life that begins in worship as we present our
bodies as living sacrifices. This living sacrifice is holy and acceptable to
God as our spiritual worship. The word holy is important here because it speaks
of our identity as persons who reflect the ways of God, and thus is supportive
of our worship. Holiness is rooted in the next statement, and that statement
has to do with the command not to conform ourselves to the world or perhaps
better to this age. Paul writes this letter to people living in the capital of
the Roman Empire. Getting ahead in this world means embracing the values of the
empire, values that differ greatly from those espoused by Jesus and by the
Judaism out of which he emerged. This is where that sacrifice comes into play. As
Michael Gorman notes, “Although the word ‘cross’ does not appear in the text of
12:1-2, Paul is clearly calling for a cruciform, alter-cultural (i.e., ‘holy’;
12:1) community that embodies the gospel and serves as both a contrast and a
witness to the surrounding culture” [Gorman, Romans, p. 243]. Paul wrote
to people living in what he would deem a pagan culture; is it possible that we
live in a similar culture, even if a majority of Americans claim to be
Christian?
The next word, after telling the
Romans (us) not to be conformed to the ways of the world (this age), Paul then
tells the readers to allow themselves to be transformed. How? By the renewing
of their minds. This means allowing God to change their minds. The use of the
plural “minds” here suggests that this is not just a word to individuals, but
to the community as a whole. This is an important word for our modern,
individualistic culture. This is a call for the community as a whole to be
transformed, as God renews their minds. This involves both an unlearning of
things that separate them from the ways of God and then learning new lessons so
they can be conformed to the ways of God.
Now
that Paul has addressed the need to learn the ways of God anew so God’s Spirit
might transform them, Paul moves on to discuss how they should live together as
a community. In doing so, Paul speaks of the gifts of the Spirit, which God has
endowed the people so that they can fulfill their calling as members of the
body of Christ. This is one of several places where Paul discusses spiritual
gifts, with the most in-depth discussion being found in 1 Corinthians 12. You
can find an in-depth discussion of these gifts and how they function within the
body of Christ in my book Unfettered Spirit: Spiritual Gifts for the New
Great Awakening, Second Edition (Energion Publications, 2023).
Paul
begins this section on spiritual gifts by reminding the people in the community
of how they should understand themselves in relationship to their peers and
with God. Writing out of God’s grace, Paul tells the people not to think too
highly of themselves. There is no room for narcissism or arrogance in the body
of Christ. It’s not that people should denigrate themselves, but they should
consider each other as equally blessed by God’s grace and mercy. When it comes
to the things of God, what we receive is a matter of grace, not merit. While
that is something that is difficult to embrace, this is the meaning of what
Paul has to say here. So, think of yourself using sober justice, not inflated
pride. Then, Paul addresses the question of spiritual gifts. While this list
might not be as long as the one in 1 Corinthians 12, it serves as a reminder of
our place in the community. To each is given a gift that God believes is
fitting to who we are. Along with this word, Paul reminds us that as members of
the body of Christ, the body is one with many members. We don’t all have the
same function. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul uses the imagery of different parts of
the body, suggesting that it would make no sense if we were all eyes, etc. Here
again, we are reminded that Paul is writing to a community and not a group of
individuals. In doing so, Paul can emphasize both unity (one body) and diversity
(many members).
Although
Paul writes to a particular community, the church in Rome, his reach is
scripturally universal. While we are a secondary audience, the implications are
the same. We might even extend this out to the larger church, which is diverse
in its makeup, theologically, ethnically, and culturally. The oneness of the
body of Christ does not take away the gifts that this diversity brings to the
Table. Thus, as Rochelle Stackhouse puts it:
Applying Paul's words throughout this passage to each of us in our roles in the body of Christ leads to a sobering reflection on the dysfunctional body that may impede the enactment of God’s will in the world today. Reflecting on ecumenism within Paul’s framework of body metaphor brings hope and possibility to what too often seems an enterprise fraught with struggle. [Feasting on the Word, 378].
Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts here in Romans 12 and
in 1 Corinthians 12 provides a foundation for a hopeful future of unity within
the body of Christ. As Paul reminds us, “to each is given the manifestation of
the Spirit for the common good” (1
Cor. 12:7).
In this
reading, Paul focuses on seven gifts, which in this case he deems useful for
life in the one body of Christ. Unlike in 1 Corinthians 12, you will not find
such gifts as speaking in tongues, miracles, or healing. You will, however,
find “prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7 ministry,
in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8 the
encourager, in encouragement; the giver, in sincerity; the leader, in
diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness” (Rom. 12:6-8). Definitions are
always a matter of interpretation. What does Paul mean, for instance, when he
speaks of prophecy? Or compassion? I offer my take on these and other gifts in
my book Unfettered Spirit (Energion, pp. 95-159). In introducing the
definitions of the gifts, I point out in the book that what was there was to offer
tentative definitions, but “by naming these gifts and offering them to the
world, we unleash the Spirit to blow through the world, bringing refreshment and
new life to a world that is groaning for God’s transforming presence” [Unfettered
Spirit, p. 97]. What we can see here is that the gifts that Paul lists are
intended to provide teaching, guidance, support, encouragement, and
compassionate care. It is a reminder that the community of Christ is designed so
that together we can live into the common good of all. I would add that this
includes those outside the community as well as those within.
As we
look at Paul’s discussions of spiritual gifts here and elsewhere, it is
important that we note that these are gifts of grace. This is not a merit-based
system. Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 12-14 that gifts are not to be
understood hierarchically. They are not markers of elite spirituality. They are
not limited to one gender or race. This is good news because it affirms the inclusive
nature of the Jesus movement. Michael Gorman, in emphasizing the missional
nature of Paul’s message, writes helpfully:
The use of these gifts is not only for the community’s internal harmony and holiness. The mission of God in the world is accomplished primarily because gifted participants use their gifts for the edification of the community. This edification allows the community to function properly as peaceful, Spirit-filled, Christlike “weapons” of God’s righteousness/justice (6:13) in the world, as well as in the church. [Gorman, Romans, p. 248].
I
will close by taking us into the next paragraph, in which Paul gives a charge to
the church: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what
is good; 10 love one another with mutual
affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do
not lag in zeal; be ardent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice
in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. 13 Contribute
to the needs of the saints; pursue hospitality to strangers” (Rom.
12:9-13). This is what God gifts for. In our day, that last word is
important. At a time when the government of the United States is engaged in
mass deportation, we hear this word to the church to “pursue hospitality to
strangers.” Now Paul might not have had our situation in mind, but I think this
is telling, that is, if our love is to be genuine. In fact, this is what it
means to be a missional church.
Comments