but did you imagine it

in a different way

A sermon on the beginning of Paul's Galatian epistle:

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to realize that St. Paul isn’t happy with the folks at Faith Lutheran in Galatia. After a brief introduction containing his credentials and succinct greeting praising the liberating work of God in Christ Jesus, Paul turns his attention to the Galatians. And he doesn’t beat around the bush with them, either.

“I am astonished,” St. Paul says. And before you can wonder if he’s astonished in a good way, he lets you know what’s got him so flabbergasted. “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ…,” Paul says. 

What’s got St. Paul, a man whose nearly seen it all before, so taken aback, is that he’s never met such a group of fast turncoats before! “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting,” breathes Paul.

And do you know what the Galatians have gone and done that has provoked St. Paul’s ire so? Well, they went and got religion. That’s right, religion.

Listen, I know after all these years of trying to balance the church budget, you’ve been led to believe that Christianity is nothing more than one more religious program. But, at risk to my pension, I must tell you, or rather St. Paul demands I tell you, that Christianity is not more religion. On the contrary, Christianity is the end of religion. 

Let me say that again, Christianity is not more religion. No, it’s the end of it. Christ hasn’t come to give you a religious program to try and manage this present evil age. No, he’s come to set you free from it!

…Now, when Paul first came preaching to the folks in Galatia, he didn’t need to make these qualifications. When Paul first came along preaching Christ and him crucified, this message did what it always does, it swept the Galatians off their feet! As usual, the trouble didn’t start until after that word of assurance started to take root. 

As Luther is quick to remind us, the devil leaves the wicked alone. It’s the gospel that old cuss can’t stand. So it’s never long after the Word of God has been preached that the cruel oppressor starts making trouble for those who have heard the promise! And the Galatians were no exception. 

After Paul got those churches on their feet, he left to start another congregation. And it wasn’t long after that, that some other so-called preachers horned in. And when they got a load of what Paul had set in motion, they put on the breaks. 

“Listen,” they said, “Paul’s fine and all. But he’s only given you a good start.” They told the Galatians that if they really wanted to get cooking with the whole worship thing, they needed to apply the heat of religion. And to do that, they advised adopting a few of the most historic ordinances of the chosen people’s religion.

This all sounded reasonable enough. So the folks at Trinity Lutheran in Galatia went along with the program. Although a few of them weren’t so sure…

To make heads from tails of this latest development, some of the Galatians took the news to St. Paul to see what he made of them. But if they weren’t sure, Paul had no doubts! After learning about the situation, Paul fired off this letter with a vigor that must have even surprised those who brought the situation to him!

Conceding no ground whatsoever, St. Paul told those well-meaning folks in Galatia that if they went along with the religious program those alleged preachers were advocating, they’d be doing nothing more than stepping out on Jesus Christ! Paul told them that rather than developing their relationship with the Son of God, they would really be abandoning everything he brought to their union. They would be, in essence, turning from everything that made the relationship work!

Now let’s admit it, on the face of it, it seems as though Paul’s the one who’s being bullheaded, and it’s those other preachers who are being reasonable. After all, what harm could come from observing some of the most storied practices of the people of God?

St. Paul, though, says that to do so would be nothing less than walking away from everything Christ accomplished! And the truth is, Paul is telling the truth. But the truth is, this is the kind of truth you only learn the hard way. The hard way.

In Luther’s day, as in ours, Luther was told that he just had to do what was in him. God would do the rest, he was assured. And these words sounded comforting. But only at first. Because it wasn’t long before these words came back on Luther. And with a vengeance, too.

When life went sideways, Luther could never really be sure if the problem was that God was holding back on him or if he just hadn’t done what was in him yet. Before long, Luther has no time for God. And the reason wasn’t that he wasn’t trying to be faithful anymore. On the contrary, Luther had no patience for God because he had to be sure he had given it his all before he went to God for assistance.

You catching how this works?!?

Take note; you never really learn the wisdom of what Paul’s saying until after that little extra turns out to be nothing more than the rope you hung yourself with. You’ll never learn the simple math of the cross until you can’t quit worrying about what you thought was just going to be a little oomph to your life. You won’t learn the painful lesson of what Paul’s talking about, at least not with any conviction, until after you’ve learned that it all always ends up hanging on whatever you try and add to the faith. No matter how little.

And if that awareness isn’t harrowing enough, here’s another one for you: Each one of us has a lot more experience with this than we care to admit. I know I do. 

We, too, have no shortage of religion, activities that tempts us to turn away from what Christ has accomplished. The difference for us, though, is that our religion nowadays is more subtle. Modern religion doesn’t wear the garb of religion. But it still speaks the same language. 

And if you don’t believe me, just see how religiously your zeal is piqued when something meddles with your politics, your diet, your plans, your bank account, your family life, your health, or any other ancillary you’ve come to believe will secure your future.

…The really shocking thing about Christianity is not that Christ hasn’t come to start a new religion. And it’s not that he’s come to bring the entire enterprise to an end, either. No, the really shocking thing about Christianity is that Christ has given himself for our sins. 

Our sins. Not our improvement. Not the world’s betterment. But our sins.

I know, in the heat of the moment, it always seems like the most reasonable thing in the world to do. But all those ways we try and put as much daylight between ourselves and the chaos of life is just one more way we too turn to a different gospel—not that there is another gospel.

We’re all here, and for the most part, we all look pretty put together. If I do say so myself. And yet. And yet, underneath the surface, we all have areas of our lives that are coming apart at the seams. Don’t we? I know I do.

And that’s why Paul says there is no other gospel! Because all those ways we try and hold it together don’t work. Not really, anyway!

All those other gospels can’t keep their promises; they can’t deliver. That’s why Paul calls them accursed! So let’s just go ahead and say it with him, because experience is everywhere else confirming it anyway; let all those other things that present themselves as our deliverance be accursed! They can’t save, so let them be accursed.

But, and here’s the blessing; the promise of Christianity is that Christ has come with his cross! And he’s erected it, not where we have it together, but where it’s all coming apart! The reason all those ways we try and shore up our lives are nothing more than deserting the one who called us in the grace of Christ is that it’s precisely in those places that Christ comes with his blessed ties that bind us to him! 

You want to improve your faith? Then turn to where it’s all gone to pot! That’s right, where it’s all gone to pot! Because it’s right there that Christ comes to plant his cross in the middle of your life! It’s in those places where you can’t save yourself that Christ comes to really be your savior!

We’re all here with all manner of wins and losses under our belt. We each have places where it’s all coming together and spots where everything is falling apart. And amidst the tumult of it all, we’re all trying to capitalize on the victories and minimize the disappointments—with varying degrees of success.

Today, though, right here, right now, Christ storms into your midst and renders it all irrelevant! Christ comes to deliver you! Really deliver you! Christ comes to save you! Save you from your wins and your losses alike! Christ has come to actually be your all-in-all! To be fully sufficient for you!

You don’t have to work some religious program before Christ’s going to notice you! In fact, for once, you can finally let your guard down. Christ already has to have you! 

Go ahead and leave your losses, and your wins too, at the foot of the cross! That’s why Jesus has brought it to bear on your life! So he can be the one who delivers you! Delivers you from their power. And their powerlessness, too!

When Christ looks at you, he doesn’t see a work in progress. No, he sees the fulfillment of everything his salvation has accomplished! When Jesus sees you, he doesn’t see a project. No, he sees a recipient of the fullness of God’s love. God's love that transforms the least of these into the most precious of God’s children!

In Christ, you, yes you, have been set free! Really set free! There’s nothing more you need to do. And there isn’t anything else you need to lose, either! For Christ has set you free from all that once and for all by the fullness of his love for you! And don’t you ever lose sight of that!