Called to Be Saints
Preached at Hanover Street Presbyterian Church
On December 19, 2004
By the Rev. Thomas C. Davis, Ph.D.
Bible Texts:
Romans 1: 1-7
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ, to all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1: 18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means, "God is with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Sermon Text
This is a happy day for our church! Not only are we eagerly anticipating the birth of Jesus on this last Sunday of Advent; we have also welcomed young people into the body of Christ to join us in Christ's mission. Shortly we will ordain a new Elder and a new Deacon by the laying on of hands. And we will install several Elders and Deacons who have been called by this congregation again to serve the Lord with their spiritual gifts.
Yes, it's a very happy day for our church. So I'm glad that the lectionary for this morning gives us a very upbeat passage: the beginning of Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome, which ends with this benediction:
Grace and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace--a short and sweet finale to a sentence that goes on and on and on, as if it would never end! I dare you to diagram it. There are 94 Greek words in it, and enough dependent clauses to choke Demosthenes. Imagine wading through all that with no punctuation whatsoever, which is how the earliest scriptures were written. Why, if a writer today started a letter that way, the grammar police would pillory him! But Paul saw no harm in piling up the words. What better way to convey the exuberance of a movement that had started with a wee handful of people, and had spread all the way from podunk Galilee to the very capital of the Roman Empire? Yes, it was a very happy day when Paul wrote to the capital church. His cup was running over, just like his first sentence.
Paul's greeting to the Roman Christians is appropriate for this occasion of worship not only because this is a happy day for us too, but also because the chief topic of Paul's sentence, assuming you're successful in sifting it out, is calling. He starts by mentioning himself. "I, Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, I (am) called to be an apostle." (That means someone who is sent out with a message.) What is that message? --That the savior has come, the long awaited, anointed one; and though he was executed like a criminal, God raised him up, vindicated him, honored him. Paul then mentions that he has been called to take this good news to non-Jewish people, to Gentiles, that is, to all the nations. He finishes by saying that the Christians in Rome have the same calling. "We have received apostleship," writes Paul. In other words, the readers of his letter are all called to be apostles as well--bearers of the good news. Apostleship has only begun. Paul bids the brothers and sisters in Rome to continue what he has started. You are called to be saints, Paul encourages them. You are called to be saints!
That's the message I gladly give to the new members of our church this morning, and to the newly ordained officers, and to the officers who are being called to another term of service: You are called to be saints!
"What, who, me?" you may say. A saint? I'm nowhere near a saint! I like my Saturday nights too much. I lust for things I shouldn't. And when I'm fighting mad, I curse like a trooper. Me, a saint? No way!
Yes, Paul's benediction does sound like a tall order; indeed, an impossible order. But listen through to the end of his unbelievably long sentence. He says: Grace and peace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace! This means: Relax! You don't have to be perfect. Saints aren't perfect people. They are people on an upward journey which Paul calls sanctification. They are people who have dedicated themselves to improving, with the help of the spirit of Jesus. So, you new members of the church, you newly ordained officers, you officers called again to service, you members of the body of Christ, when I repeat Paul's remark that you are called to be saints, don't fret about how much you fall short of the goal you have in mind. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you peace." You know, sometimes it's the most sensitive, the nicest, the most good-intentioned people who become heavy laden, largely because they realize how far they are from the goal. Paul says we can relax and enjoy the grace and peace that Jesus gives us. We are called to be saints, blessed by the kindness of God through Jesus, and motivated by his spirit to become more like him. That's good news!
