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The mini-series on John Adams, our second president,
aired this past spring on HBO. The program provided a
unique perspective on the life and times of John Adams.
We were given a glimpse of the inner struggles of the
Founders who had to choose between pursuing freedom and
remaining loyal to Great Britain.
John Adams witnessed the Boston Massacre when British
soldiers opened fire on colonists. Adams walked among
the wounded shaking his head in disbelief at what had
taken place. As a lawyer Adams would defend the British
soldiers much to the dismay of many of the local
citizens. Adams would reply that the law is above no
one. He would not allow his personal opinions to
interfere with defending the soldiers on the basis of
the law. The British soldiers were found not guilty,
thanks in part to Adams efforts in defending them.
When the Declaration of Independence was written John
Adams not only influenced Thomas Jefferson, but also
those who initially opposed the notion of American
independence. While John Adams played an important role
in the founding of our nation he is not always
recognized in that role.
This weekend we celebrate the birth of our nation with
outdoor events, concerts complete with fire works. We
celebrate all that is right with American while praying
for God to “mend thine every flaw.” One thing is
certain and that is the days ahead will be days of great
challenge for us. Unemployment along with rising fuel
costs affects everyone. Those most affected by the down
turn of the economy are children. The coming days will
be a time for the church to be the church assisting
those in need.
While we want to do what is right,
however, at times what is the best response is often
blurred by other circumstances. It is easy to look back
to the past, to the time of the founding of our
country. While it is clear to us 232 years later that
independence was the right avenue to pursue it was not
obvious to those who lived through those days. Many at
the time of our founding wished to remain loyal to Great
Britain. If only we knew what course to take.
The Apostle Paul shared his struggles as well as the
struggles of fellow believers in his letter to the
church in Rome. Paul was quite candid when he wrote, “I
do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.”
Have you ever had that experience? When we started the
project we had the very best intentions but somewhere
along the way we fell by the way side and did what is
wrong. We failed in spite of our best intentions to do
the right thing. While we might not want to admit it,
all of us have from time to time done what we know in
our heart and soul to be wrong.
Paul reminds us that all have sinned and fallen short of
the glory of God. We are uncomfortable acknowledging
the sin in our own lives. It is always easier to point
to the sin in others failing to recognize and
acknowledge our own sin. Sin is more than making a bad
choice or bad taste. We try our best to rationalize
sin, “I was having a bad day,” or offer some other
excuse. “But in fact it is no longer I that do it,”
Paul writes, “but sin that dwells within me.” Paul the
great apostle and missionary to the Gentiles candidly
acknowledged the sin in his own life so that others
might recognize their sin and short comings. Sin is
anything that severs our relationship to Jesus Christ.
Sin takes advantage of the person and cause us to act in
ways contrary to our best understandings and
intentions. Sin’s power is such that it corrupts even
our best intentions. We long for salvation but what we
create is disaster.
There is always that tension in our lives between doing
good and participating in what is wrong. At any time,
each one of us is capable of great sin. Paul writes,
“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not
want is what I do.”
There is debate over this passage. Some claim that Paul
was writing about his life before he met Jesus.
Remember that he was a Pharisee who was bent on
persecuting believers. By following the letter of the
law Paul thought he was doing God’s will when in truth
he later came to understand that through his actions he
was actually opposing God’s will. Others claim that Paul
was writing about current struggles in his life and the
lives of other believers noting how easy it is to fall
into sin. There is always the possibility that we might
do what is wrong in the sight of God. We are never
exempt from sin and doing what is wrong.
The challenge comes in recognizing that what we are
doing is causing more harm than good. Frequently that
is a fine line. There might be times when we think that
what we are doing is right and later come to the
realization that it is not. That was where Paul found
himself. He thought that by following the Law of Moses
that he was doing the right thing in prosecuting
Christians. Paul admits, “Wretched man that I am!” Are
there times in our own lives when our insistence or
stubbornness might actually be contrary to the will of
God?
Out of this sense of hopelessness comes God’s grace.
God has defeated the power of sin once and for all
through the life, death, and new life of Jesus Christ.
When we seek forgiveness we are forgiven. When we turn
away from selfish living to Christ we are given a fresh
start, a new beginning, a new life. There is a way out
for us.
When have you experienced a sense of God’s grace in your
own life? We do not deserve or earn our salvation;
rather it is God’s gift, God’s grace in our lives. Paul
experienced God’s grace as he knew he was forgiven and
given the task of telling others about Jesus. With zeal
and enthusiasm Paul went forth proclaiming the good
news.
Our rescue lies not in our own efforts but only “God
through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Jesus is our deliverer
rescuing us from the grips of sin. There in lies our
hope. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Each time we receive Communion we first seek the
forgiveness of our sin. We pray together the prayer of
confession, and then we pray in silence. The words of
pardon are spoken, “in the name of Jesus Christ, you are
forgiven!” In that moment we once again realize that we
are forgiven. The bread and cup strengthens and
nurtures our faith. We go forth continuing the ministry
that Jesus began, stepping out in faith, doing what
Jesus would want us to do, participating in what Jesus
would. We share our faith, offer words of hope, to those
who are confused and unsure what direction to pursue.
We offer assistance to those in need out of our love for
Jesus and all Jesus gas done for us!
Amen.
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