Return to the Homepage Home
 Worship Schedules, Education, Fellowship, Outreach Worship & Service
 Sermon Archive Sermons
 A copy of the Sunday Prayers of Intercession Prayers
 Pastor Lynne's monthly newsletter Pastor's Page
 Articles and tidbits from the monthly newsletter Newsletter
 This month's events as well as the monthly calendar Current Events
 Read the Sunday School News Letter! Sunday School News
 Events for grades 7 to 12 Youth
 Other websites of interest Links
  
 Login to Administer this site Admin Login

St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
2903 McPhillips Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA R2P 0H3
http://www.stlukeszion.ca

Phone: (204) 339-0412
Fax: (204) 339-0412
E-mail: stlukeszionchurch@gmail.com
site design by clayton rumley

 

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Sunday, May 3rd, 2015

click here for past entries

Loving God, we sometimes forget how amazing it is that you have acted to save us through Jesus Christ.  Make us aware of your grace and love this day, and fill us with your love; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Today we have heard the very beginning of Paul’s letter to the Romans.  These verses reveal who is writing the letter, who the recipients are, and what the theme of the letter is going to be.  Paul, of course, is the writer, and I’ll say more about him in a moment.  The letter is addressed to the early Christian community in Rome – those who believe in Jesus Christ and have been made saints through baptism.  As to what the letter is about, the easiest way to summarize it might be simply to say that it is about what God has done through Jesus Christ.  This is good news, of which Paul reminds them as he writes and reflects about what it all means.

    While there are many details in these verses, there are three things in particular that I’d like to lift up today.  The first of these is how Paul identifies himself.  He says that he is a servant of Jesus Christ.  He has been called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God (Rom. 1:1).  In Paul’s case, his call to serve God actually came with a blinding light and a voice from heaven.  At the time, he had been persecuting followers of Jesus.  However, he hears a voice from heaven, changes his heart and his life, is baptized, and is sent out to proclaim the good news about Jesus.  He is also set apart by other leaders in the church to go and share the gospel with the Gentiles.

    To me, the question in all of this is how we would identify ourselves in relation to God and to Jesus Christ.  If you were writing a similar letter in order to strengthen some other Christians in their faith, how would you identify yourself?  Are you a servant of Jesus Christ?...  Have you been called to be a saint?... Are you God’s beloved child?...  Do you belong to Jesus Christ?...  All of these are descriptions that come from today’s reading from Romans.  And all of these are descriptions of those who have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  Who are you in relation to God?

    A second thing to ponder from today’s reading is the value of meeting one another face to face.  Last week I attended part of the meeting of the Cameroon Network in North America.  This is a group of people in Canada and the United States who are all involved in some way with the church in Cameroon.  One of the questions that was asked at that meeting was, Why meet face to face?  Why not just send e-mail to one another and have conversations on Skype every so often?

    It seems to me that Paul helps to answer this question.  When he is giving his reasons why he wants to go and visit the church in Rome, one of the best reasons is this: “so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Rom. 1:12).  There are ways that this mutual encouragement can happen in a face to face meeting that is missing if you are simply sending letters or even having a video chat.

    This is also why Christians gather together for worship and for prayer and for study and fellowship.  This is how we encourage one another in the faith.  I have spoken to people who are no longer able to come to church, and who watch services on TV and pray at home.  While most would say that it will do in a pinch, most will also tell you that it’s not even close to being the same as gathering together with others for worship.  There is encouragement that can happen in a face to face meeting that simply isn’t there when communicating from a distance.

    The third and final thing that stands out in today’s reading is “the power of God for salvation” (Rom. 1:16).  This is, at least in part, how Paul defines the gospel, and it’s important for us who are reading Romans to insert the words “good news” wherever we hear the word “gospel.”  Gospel means good news, and the good news that Paul is talking about is what God has done for us through Jesus Christ.

    And so, when we think of the power of God for salvation, this is the power of God that heals and that raises from the dead.  It is the power of God that has lifted up Jesus and given him power and authority to rule over all things.  It is the power of God that fulfills promises that were made long ago, and that reveals God’s faithfulness in doing what is right.  However, the question that is probably most immediate for many of us is how this power of God for salvation shows up in our lives.

    One of the ways that God’s power shows up is quite simply in our attitudes.  As Paul writes later in Romans, “Be transformed by the renewing of your minds” (Rom. 12:2).  This transformation happens when we become aware of how God has acted to save us.  God does not save us because we are such wonderful people, or because we somehow deserve it, or because we have earned it.  Rather, God’s salvation is an undeserved gift – what Paul refers to as grace.  God offers us forgiveness and healing and eternal life through Jesus Christ simply because of God’s love for us.

    When we realize what grace we have received from God, we develop an attitude of gratitude towards God and a reluctance to pass judgment on others.  As Paul writes, “all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).  We are forgiven sinners, but sinners nonetheless.

    At the same time, we are counted among the saints, which is also a gift of God.  Because of our baptism into Christ and our faith in him, we are counted as members of God’s family.  We are able to say with confidence that we belong to Christ and have inherited eternal life and salvation.  We do not need to live in fear of the future or even to fear death or suffering, for the power of God for salvation means that God is ultimately in charge.  This means that we are free to live out God’s calling to show God’s grace and love in all that we do.  We are free to follow God’s lead, and to trust God in those things that are outside of our control.

    Living by faith is not necessarily easy, but it does allow us to experience the power of God for salvation.  As we remain plugged in to our Creator and Redeemer, we become more secure in our identity as children of God and inheritors of eternal life.  And, as we gather together to encourage one another in our faith, we are strengthened by God’s life-giving Spirit, who continues to empower us for service and even to raise the dead.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Easter 5 (NL 1)                                Romans 1:1-17
May 3, 2015
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2015 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved


Previous Sermons
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
January 2003
March 0201