Sunday's Message: Easter in Seven Words - Spirit

There are many words and images that we associate with Easter, both secular and sacred. During the Sundays leading up to Easter, we'll focus on seven words that the Apostle Paul used when he described the importance of the crucifixion and resurrection. We'll consider the following:

• February 26 – Grace (Romans 5:12-19)
• March 5 – Faith (Romans 4:1-5)
• March 12 – Peace (Romans 5:1-11)
• March 19 – Light (Ephesians 5:8-14)
• March 26 – Spirit (Romans 8:6-11)
• April 2 – Humility (Philippians 2:5-11)
• April 9 – Life (Colossians 3:1-4)

During the fifth message in this series, we used Romans 8:6-11 to consider the word SPIRIT. Below is a copy and a recording of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel at 10:00 a.m.

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Considering the showers we’ve had the last few days, I think it’s pretty obvious that we’ve entered spring, and I’m talking about in a way other than just on the calendar. And of course, I think we all know what that means. Before we know it, the air will be getting warmer. And the days will be getting longer. And the smell of deacon-made soup has gotten stronger, at least around the church. And so, the rain is a reminder that we’re turning the corner, because, as everyone knows, April showers bring May flowers, and May flowers bring...pilgrims. All things considered, the world seems to be heading in the right direction, and I say that even though, with every thunderstorm, Debbie and I have to deal with a very frightened Coco Chanel. 

Of course, along with all this other stuff, the coming of spring is a reminder that Easter is on the way, which means, soon we’ll be finishing up the sermon series we started last month, you know, the one entitled Easter in Seven Words. I mean, as most of y’all know, as we approach the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we’ve been looking at some of the words that Apostle Paul considered important. And over the last four weeks, we’ve talked about GRACE, that incredible gift given to us by God, and FAITH, you know, our decision to trust that the gift was given without strings or conditions. And then we focused on PEACE, a word that pretty much describes the relationship that we have with our gracious God when we respond with faith, and LIGHT, that personal presence that God puts within us that enables us to shine in an otherwise dark world. Now, that’s what we’ve been talking about. 

And this morning, we’re going to discuss something else that God has given to us but that only has meaning when we trust that it’s there, and now I’m talking about SPIRIT, namely the Holy Spirit. And in that sense, it’s sort of like the light we talked about last week, with one important difference. Instead of being something that was given so that we could share it with others, God’s Spirit is something that helps us be what we were created to be and to do what we’ve been called to do. And I’ll tell you, personally, I’m really glad God did it, because without some help, I think sharing his light is really challenging. I mean, I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but the world in which we live can be a pretty tough place. And I don’t know about y’all, but when I pause and just think about being a light both out there and in here, well, let me just say I can sure understand what Coco is feeling during a thunderstorm. Good night nurse, when I think about my personal limitations and the mess that I see happening all over the place and the fear that, at the very best, we’re just going to see more of the same, left on my own, I seriously doubt that I can be anything more than a flashlight with a dying battery in an extremely dark and cluttered basement. Now that’s how I feel, and I don’t think I’m alone.

But you know, according to what Paul wrote, I think God recognized this problem, you know, this feeling that we have, and that’s the reason he’s given to us his Spirit. And so, with that in mind, we’re going to spend a little time with Romans 8:1-11, scripture in which he talked a lot about one of his favorite topics, namely the Holy Spirit. And during our discussion, we’ll focus on three things the Spirit offers that can not only make us just, plain, better people, but will also enable us to share the good news of grace and faith, peace and light to others. Now that’s what we’ll be doing for the next ten minutes or so.

For example, according to what Paul wrote to the Romans, the Spirit offers us a new sense of freedom, and I’m talking about freedom from our own past. Now, for him, that was the first thing the spirit offered. And I’ll tell you, I think that should be pretty good news for us all, because let’s get real, if we’re not careful, it’s really easy to become almost enslaved to who we were and what we’ve done. I mean, I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to assume that we’re often controlled by the past. For instance, I believe it’s really easy to assume that we’ll never be able to compensate for opportunities we missed. And we’ll never get past the mistakes that we’ve made. And we’ll definitely never be forgiven for the people we’ve hurt. Now that’s some of the stuff I think we often assume. And for that reason, if we’re not careful, the past can become like a yoke strapped to our shoulders, constantly weighing us down, and an anchor chained to our waist, continually holding us back. And since the past is the one thing in this world over which we have absolutely no control, not only can regrets wear us down, they can blind us to all the possibilities and opportunities that are all around us. I’ll tell you, when our past controls our present, man, we’re in big trouble.

But you know, I believe Paul understood that, and that’s why he wrote this to the Romans:

If you belong to Christ Jesus, you won’t be punished. The Holy Spirit will give you life that comes from Christ Jesus and will set you free from sin and death. The Law of Moses cannot do this, because our selfish desires make the Law weak. But God set you free when he sent his own Son to be like us sinners and to be a sacrifice for our sin. God used Christ’s body to condemn sin. He did this, so that we would do what the Law commands by obeying the Spirit instead of our own desires. [Romans 8:1-4, CEV]

You see, according to Paul, we’ve been set free: free from sin, free from the past, free from all those things that can push us down and hold us back. We’re free. Of course, I’m not stupid. Like I said a minute ago, we can’t control the past; therefore, we can’t take a mulligan and recapture opportunities we missed and correct mistakes we made and erase pain we caused. Still, we don’t have to do what we’ve done. And we don’t have to stay where we’ve been. And as God is my witness, we don’t have to continue to be who we were. Man, we can be better. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.” [1 Corinthians 5:17, CEV] I’m telling you, the straps have been broken and the yoke can be taken off. The chain has been cut and the anchor can be left behind. And now we have the possibility to become everything God called and created us to be. Why? Because the Spirit offers us a new sense of freedom. And according to this passage, that’s the first thing it offers, but of course, that’s not all.

Because second, it also offers us a new focus to claim. And you know, if it didn’t, man, we’d be in big trouble. You see, since we’ve been freed from the past, freed from the regrets, freed from the yoke and the anchor, we’re a little like blank slates, aren’t we? I mean, all those old assumptions that gave us meaning and stability and all those old desires that provided us direction and purpose, man, stick a fork in it; they are done. And let’s get real, if we decide to look out into a world that often seems unconcerned with that weird combination of arrogance and ignorance, if we look there for meaning; and if we listen to those who tell us that love of self should always trump love for neighbor, if we listen to them for direction, man, we may be worse off than we were before. I’m telling you, just because we believe that we’ve been freed from the past doesn’t mean we automatically have a clear focus on how to live in the present. Am I not right? Now, that’s our problem.

But fortunately, our problem isn’t new. And I believe that’s why Paul wrote this to the Romans:

People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace. Our desires fight against God, because they do not and cannot obey God’s laws. If we follow our desires, we cannot please God. [Romans 8:5-8, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul said, and just think about what it means. Right here and now, we don’t have to be ruled by our desires. We don’t have to find our meaning in values that sure seem to be a distortion of what’s true and compassionate and loving. And we sure as heck don’t have to listen to all those voices who, for a variety of reasons, think only of themselves and actively encourage us to do the same. As people who’ve received grace, as people who’ve responded with faith, as people who are at peace with God, and as people whom God has filled with light, these values and these voices can be dead to us. And in their place, we can concentrate our attention on claiming life and peace and on showing love and compassion, because that’s what God’s law demands. In other words, right here and right now, we can decide to think about what Paul called “spiritual things.” Why? Because the Spirit offers us a new focus to claim. And according to this passage, that’s the second thing it offers. 

And third, for Paul, the Spirit also offers us a new reason for hope, a new reason to look past the confusion and to look forward with confidence. And I don’t know about y’all, but that’s something that seems tailor-made for us now-a-days. I mean, we are constantly being bombarded with reasons that we should be afraid, aren’t we? For example, do you realize that illegals are pouring across the border and everyone is bringing drugs and crime and disease,  while at the same time, global warming is right now melting the ice caps and before we know it, we’ll be under water? And do you realize that they’re canceling our history and banning our books? And I’ll tell you, do you realize that either being WOKE or supporting MAGA will bring the destruction of the United States and end life as we know it? Am I not right? Well, depending on our source of information, I’m probably half right. What has happened to us? Have we lost our minds? And since those who provide that information understand that fear sells, no wonder we’ve become obsessed with negativity and scared of everyone who doesn’t agree with us. We’ve become a society grounded in and motivated by fear, and so it’s no surprise that a whole bunch of Americans have such a bleak view of the future and are willing to seek out any port in the midst of this storm. 

But again, I don’t think that perspective is all that new either. According to what Paul said to the Romans, they were pretty scared too. And that’s why he wrote this:

You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. But Christ lives in you. So you are alive because God has accepted you, even though your bodies must die because of your sins. Yet God raised Jesus to life! God’s Spirit now lives in you, and he will raise you to life by his Spirit. [Romans 8:9-11, CEV]

Now that’s what Paul said, and I think it’s important for us to remember. You see, we have the Spirit of Christ in us. And we know the truth that comes from God. And we trust that just like he raised Jesus to life, the day is going to come when he’s going to do the same thing for us. God is in control, and he holds our destinies in his hands. Do you believe that? Man, I hope you do. And even though, for me, that certainly doesn’t mean that we should ignore the very real problems that we face, we don’t have to be afraid. Instead we can choose to listen to God before we listen to anyone else. And we can choose to trust that his presence is always with us, and we can feel it when, together, we’re doing what he’s called us to do. And brothers and sisters, we can choose to move forward with confidence and not fear, believing that Paul knew what he was talking about when he wrote this:

I am sure that nothing can separate us from God’s love — not life or death, not angels or spirits, not the present or the future, and not powers above or powers below. Nothing in all creation can separate us from God’s love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord! [Romans 8:38-39, CEV]

You see, this we can do. Why? Because the Spirit offers us a new reason for hope. And that’s the third thing it offers.

Without a doubt, all signs point to spring. But you know, along with the warmer air and the longer days and that faint smell of stuffed peppers and vegetable beef, there’ll also be a few thunderstorms that will scare the pudding out of Coco Chanel. That’s just the way it is. But I’ll tell you, I think this same thing applies to more than just little, white dogs. Our world is a tough place: it always was and it always will be. And for that reason, it’ll always be challenging for people to shine God’s light in darkness, regardless of the amount of grace they’ve been given or faith they show or peace they have. That’s also just the way it is.

But praise the Lord, God’s also given us the SPIRIT and that Spirit offers us a new sense of freedom and a new focus to claim and a new source for hope. And you know, I think this is something we need to remember as we approach Easter and beyond. And next week, we’ll move to Paul’s sixth word: HUMILITY.