Galatians 3:23-29
July 27
Lauren J. McFeaters
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I’m not sure we can truly value how radical a message our text was to those who lived in the 1st century world of the Mediterranean.
Our current concept of individualism would have been unfathomable in Paul’s time. Life was lived in circles of society different from our own. First century life revolved around networks of trade and work, the empire and religions, guilds and associations.
As C.K. Robertson says, the Apostle Paul was a man of two worlds. He could move in and out of synagogues and at the same time he was a citizen of the Roman Empire. And yet, with his message that “all are one in Christ,” Paul set up a new possibility: a network that demanded primary allegiance from its members and in which all other distinctions between people became secondary and irrelevant. [ii]
So when word reaches Paul that within the Galatian Church there are those casting doubt about an inclusive gospel; telling church members that only some can be considered followers of Christ Jesus; and that the Body of Christ is becoming a club with an entrance fee, he is angry and fearful.
You can smell Paul’s fear lifting off the page of this letter. Paul is afraid that this church is being seduced by an elite and exclusive circle, restricting entrance to the love of Jesus. Paul’s fear is a living, breathing thing because he is fighting for the very soul of the church – for the Galatians and for us.
To preach Christ crucified and risen – for all:
- Not as a reward to be earned through the Law of Moses, but a gift given to each and every person.
- Not as a prize to be won by choosing a clique to belong to; but a treasure opened to every individual.
- Not as a payment to receive by selling your soul to an inner circle, but a cherished place found at the table and font.
Listen again:
My Beloved Ones, remember you are now seasoned in Christ, and free to respond in faith to the Living God.
It is true, there was a time when we were carefully protected by Mosaic law, and the law was like the best of teachers, who walk with us and protect us.
But now we have arrived at our destination, and in the family of faith there is absolutely no division in any way for Jew and non-Jew, immigrant or citizen, slave or free, male or female.
In God’s world all are equal through Christ and that makes each of us heirs of God’s promises. You are now seasoned in Christ, and free to respond in faith to the living God. [iii]
Seasoned in Christ.
Seasoned, as in, experienced in Christ, practiced in Christ.
Seasoned in Christ.
Seasoned, as in flavored in Christ, as in being salt and light for Christ, baptized in Christ; engrafted in Christ – living and dying in Christ.
More than anything else, this is the issue we wrestle with in these treacherous days. Can we be seasoned? Are we teachable?
For Paul, the place to start our seasoning is to tell the truth about our incessant need to categorize people into camps and factions; the never-ending competition to see who will be eliminated.
We hear it every day:
the “Who’s In, Who’s Out,” “Who Stays, Who Leaves.”
It’s so easily pronounced in entertainment catchphrases like:
- “You’re out! Auf Wiedersehen!”
- “You’re the Weakest Link.”
- “You’ve been evicted.”
- “The tribe has spoken.”
- “Please pack your knives and go.”
- “Your tour ends here.”
- And the worst: “You’re Fired! “Now get out!” [iv]
The categories that divide us today may be different than in Paul’s day, but divisions persist and are signs we are not seasoned with Christ; that we are immature; that we have forgotten Christ’s coming abolishes any camp or faction, category or label.
Because in our Lord divisions are pulverized and crushed. A life lived in Jesus is a life where we are accepted solely by what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.[v]
Will we be seasoned? Are we teachable?
For me, there are four phrases, four things I have learned to say over and over again. They are a spiritual discipline that each day I hold onto, as needed, to help me stay teachable. The four phrases are these:
“I don’t know.”
“I need help.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I was wrong.” [vi]
Some of you may recognize these phrases from the writer Louise Penny and her Inspector Armand Gamache. Louise Penny is for me, a kind of pastor and her four phrases are meant to cultivate humility, vulnerability, accountability, and courage – essential for the seasoned person; the teachable Christian. I’ll say them again:
“I don’t know.”
“I need help.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I was wrong.”
For Paul and his beloved Galatians, it’s all about being a seasoned, teachable spirit in Christ. Teachable at any age – we all grow, all progress, all reform.
And this is one of the things I love most about Paul: his unrelenting quest for us to grow-up; his dogged way of kicking us in the pants; his overwhelming, in-your-face evangelism.
Paul tracks us down, haunts us until we listen, and rummages around our heart of hearts until we get it right. He’s a terrier for the gospel, a doggedly, unrelenting presence God puts in our lives.
This Paul, that puts Christ crucified front and center; puts font and table right out there for all to see; gifts from God for the people of God. Gifts of grace meant for each and every person. Paul knows who we must be and that living in the joy of our Lord is the central most important part of life and faith. Nothing will stop Paul from getting this Word across.
And why?
Because when we learn to grow-up in Jesus, we learn of a love that does for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
Hear the Good News:
You are sealed by the Holy Spirit and belong to Christ Jesus forever.
Like holding a child and whispering all of the dreams and possibilities for that child’s future, Paul picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us on the path of Christian maturity and growth.
Like a parent who brings their child to the Baptismal Font, encouraging and cheering all the way, Paul wakes us up, splashes us in the waters of baptism, just as the Spirit makes us one in Christ.
Because we are heirs according to the promise.
And that is Good News.
What better news could there be? [vii]
ENDNOTES
[ii] C.K. Robertson. A Dangerous Dozen: Twelve Christians Who Threatened the Status Quo but Taught Us to Live Like Jesus, Woodstock, Vermont: SkyLight Paths Publishing, 2011.
[iii] Adapted from Eugene Petersen’s The Message. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 1993, 394.
[iv] Project Runway: “You’re out. Auf Wiedersehen.” The Weakest Link: “You are the Weakest Link.” Big Brother House: “You’ve been evicted.” Survivor: “The tribe has spoken.” Top Chef: “Please pack your knives and go.” Rock of Love: “Your tour ends here.” The Apprentice: “You’re fired! “Now get out!”
[v] Elisabeth Johnson. Commentary on Galatians 3:23-29, Workingpreacher.org, June 20, 2010.
[vi] Louise Penny. Still Life. New York: Minotaur Books, 2008.
[vii] Billy D. Strayhorn. “Heirs According to the Promise,” found in A Hope That Does Not Disappoint: Second Lesson Sermons for Sundays after Pentecost (First Third) Cycle C. Lima, Ohio: CSS Publishing Co., 2000.