Sermon Series = “Our Summer in Rome”
Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32
“Mercy to Go Around”
People have had a wide variety of reactions to the idea of politically correct language. One of the more interesting is a series of books by James Finn Garner. A look at the contents of the volumes gives an insight into the way things are handled. The stories include such titles as the politically correct bedtime story of The Three Codependent Goats Gruff, and the holiday story of Rudolph, the Nasally Empowered Reindeer.
Under the humorous approach there lurks a problem that can cause us real difficulties. Today there are some terms which are not generally allowed in polite conversation: terms which are thought to be potentially offensive, even if there are no new terms to replace them. This leads to some concepts which are now, suddenly, more difficult to explain concisely. Like Rudolph, the Nasally Empowered Reindeer.
Consider a phrase commonly used before it became an issue to use only politically correct language – “Indian Giver.” The concept behind the phrase was someone who gave a gift, and then asked for it to be returned, or even took the gift back. Today, of course, there are still people who do this, but we no longer have a convenient term describing such behavior available for our use.
But the idea of an Indian giver, if not the term itself, can serve to remind us of what Paul is speaking of in our lesson today: “For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.” Simply stated, God is not an “Indian Giver.” Once given, the gifts of God are permanent, not able to be taken back.
Our lesson this morning begins with the continuation of territorial talk about God’s rejection of the Jews. The first proof given by Paul that God didn’t cast off the Jewish people is the fact that Paul was a Jew himself, “I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” The assurance that God has not cast off His people is as deep in Paul as the witness of the Spirit to his own salvation. If Israel had been cast off, Paul would have been a castaway himself.
Here’s something else you can chew on: Jesus was a Jew. How many of you have always thought of Jesus as a Christian?
And speaking of “territorial talk.” In one of the meetings I attended this week I overheard a conversation where one person was asking about the origins of someone else’s family. You know, where were they from, what did they do for a living. This person identified several of the members of his family by what church they attended—territorial talk.
When Jimmy Carter was President, he hosted Menachem Begin for a State visit. Begin was the Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983. As they were in the Oval Office Begin noticed three phones on Mr. Jimmy’s desk. One was platinum, one was red, and one was gold. Begin wanted to know why three phones.
“Well,” Carter said. “The platinum one connects me to my brother Billy in Plains. It’s my way of looking out for him. The red phone is a direct line to Russia, so I can call them anytime. The gold phone is my personal hot line to God.”
Begin laughed, “How much does it cost to talk to God?” “Ten thousand dollars,” answered Carter. “And it’s worth every penny.”
Time passed and Carter made a trip to Israel. He happened to be in an office with three phones in it. He couldn’t resist asking. “What are the three phones for?”
Begin replied, “One is my direct line to Parliament, one is my line to Egypt, and the last is a line to God.” “And how much does it cost you to reach God?” “Ten cents,” responded Begin. “It’s a local call.” [talk about territorial]
Paul asked: “Did God reject his people?” And his answer is, in the original Greek, much more emphatic than the way it gets translated in most Bibles, including in our lesson. “By no means!” Or, “Certainly not!” Or, “Of course not!” All these are rather pale representations of the words in the original Greek.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the gentiles are flocking into the kingdom. It was too much for the average Jew—a kingdom with a crucified Messiah and anybody and everybody getting in who will declare with their mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in their heart that God raised Him from the dead [a refresher from last Sunday].
The Jews suffered from a condition commonly known as “privilege.” They were born at third base and thought they hit a triple. They had a birthright. They had paid their dues. They were, after all, God’s chosen people. How dare God go allowing in all this riffraff.
The Jews did have a birthright, but it didn’t amount to a claim on God. It’s why Jesus famously told Nicodemus, a Jew and member of the Sanhedrin, that he would have to be “born again.”
The gospel is pure gift or it in nothing. The gospel requires simple faith or nothing. Check your birthright at the door. Check your church attendance at the door. Check your good behavior at the door. Check your accomplishments and accolades and credentials and qualifications at the door. All of that might matter and have some value in some places, but it has less than no value at the only door that matters. Yes, check your anything and everything else but “Jesus Christ is Lord and God raised him from the dead” at the door.
To be clear, this isn’t about getting into heaven when you die. This is right here, right now kingdom of Jesus stuff. This is the “on earth as it is in heaven” reality or it is no reality at all.
Many of the gifts of God are talents and skills which must be developed. An athlete, for example, can be blessed with exceptionally quick reflexes and extremely acute eyesight. These gifts, however, don’t mean that this person is ready to join a major league team without learning the rules of the game, practicing the game, and playing many games in preparation for that major league debut. In a similar way, most talents and skills must be used in order to develop them fully. Our gifts are the basic talent and skills, and an ability to redefine the basic talent which is also our gift from God.
We sometimes suspect that the only way to use our gifts is to work form or in the church [I used to make that mistake]. And there are certainly a large number of things that need to be done around the church, and a number of ways gifts can be utilized within the church.
But the story of how we are to use our gifts doesn’t end with the church. It doesn’t end with the ways we use our gifts in furthering the mission of the church. There is a world outside the walls of our building, and everyone who is a part of the church also finds themselves in the world on a regular basis. We are expected to use our gifts out there in the world.
Our biggest problem is that when we begin to turn our backs on God’s gifts, we very quickly, even without meaning to, turn our backs on the ultimate gift of God’s mercy, as it was shown to us on a cross.
We try to cope with the gifts, we try to use them responsibly and ethically, and we fall short, we fail in our efforts, we sin. When we are honest, we know we are not what we should be. We don’t live up to the gifts we have been given.
God didn’t err in making the covenant nor will He fail to keep it. Paul writes: “For God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable” [vs. 29].
The concept of an irrevocable trust is what God has given us in His Son. We have been given an irrevocable gift, something that is never taken back, something that never can be taken back. We have been given God’s mercy, God’s love, as an irrevocable gift. What we do with the gift is our witness to God, our reflection of God to the world.
In Matthew 20, verses 1-16 Jesus shares a parable about workers in a vineyard. The owner of the vineyard recruits’ workers in the morning, around lunchtime, and then later in the day. When he goes to pay them at the end of the day they all get the same pay, which angers those who had worked all day. Jesus said, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.” This was a parable about the mercy of God.
The story is told of a man who was caught and taken to court because he had stolen a loaf of bread. When the judge investigated, he found out that the man had no job, and his family was hungry. He had tried unsuccessfully to get work and finally; to feed his family, he had stolen a loaf of bread. Although recognizing the extenuating circumstances, the judge said, “I’m sorry, but the law can make no exceptions. You stole, and therefore I have to punish you. I order you to pay a fine of ten dollars.” He then continued, “But I want to pay the fine myself.” He reached into his pocket, pulled out a ten-dollar bill, and handed it to the man.
As soon as the man took the money, the judge said, “Now, I also want to remit the fine.” That is, the man could keep the money. “Furthermore, I am going to instruct the bailiff to pass around a hat to everyone in this courtroom, and I am fining everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a city where a man has to steal in order to have bread to eat.” The money was collected and given to the defendant.
This is an excellent example of justice being meted out in full and paid in full—while mercy and grace were also enacted in full measure.
In the closing of our lesson this morning Paul reminds the Gentiles that they have no room to boast. Only yesterday were the tables turned. The Gentiles were mainly unresponsive. A strong Gentile church hadn’t been heard of yet. Now the Gentiles have obtained mercy by the Jew’s very misuse of his gifts and calling—by rejecting the gospel and turning the evangelists to the Gentiles. The chain of sequence is that the Gentile salvation will tend to reopen the hope of Jewish repentance and Divine mercy on their race. In the last analysis there is no difference. All have been disobedient. All need mercy. And God’s gracious purpose is that He would have “Mercy to Go Around.”
Eastman First Methodist Church 