|
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 NRSV Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with complete frankness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, the same veil is still there; it is not unveiled since in Christ it is set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds, but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. Once again, we have celebrated the 4th of July. I hope it was more than picnics and family gatherings. It is a time for us to remember the founding of our country – the ideals upon which we are founded, and the people who had the vision to lead us in freedom from distant rule, England. We can surely say that their vision has brought a full way of life to the people of this country. “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. Are we perfect? No! But we have the foundation upon which every generation needs to build.
The concern of Jesus’ day was not much different, though it was against a much more powerful and violent distant rule. The oppression of Rome was at times unbearable. That constraint on life gave rise to the zealots, who sought to overthrow Roman oppression. Paul, however, has a different kind of oppression in mind. Rome was still oppressive, but Paul was more concerned by the internal life being oppressed by “Law.” He wanted for every one of God’s children to have internal freedom to live for Christ. In 2 Co. 3:17 Paul says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” As we listen to Paul’s writings today, we have to ask ourselves, ‘freedom from what?’ And then I would ask a further question, freedom for what purpose? In verse 12, Paul begins a new section with the connecting word “Since,” tying it back to what has been said before. The “ministry of the Spirit” is a powerful presence for daily living. Now as then, we are a people who needed hope. The Holy Spirit brings that hope. D. Moody Smith says, “All Christians have a hope which frees them from the fear of death and condemnation, and which enables them to share in the splendor that is permanent. Hope gives boldness.” This leads us to the rather odd scripture Paul chooses to use in his argument about freedom. Remember, in that day there was no scripture except the Old Testament. That’s where Paul goes. He uses Exodus 34:29- 35. The scripture centers around Moses and his conversations with God. The veil image in this scripture speaks of the glory that showed on Moses’ face. The people were afraid of him, of the radiance they saw, so Moses covered his face with a veil. Paul modifies the “veil” image. There was a boldness of Moses to face God, to hear what God wanted to say. Law came in that kind of glory, but the glory faded as people stressed about following it exactly. We could say that the “Law” lacked permanent validity. Now watch it pastor! Don’t be taking away from the scriptures. So, I ask, do we still abstain from eating pork, or do we still offer blood sacrifices. Law has to constantly change to meet the circumstances of the day for one. In addition, following the las is a work “we” have to do. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were so fixed on following the Law that they missed Jesus as the fulfilment of that law. They were so concerned about doing it themselves that they forgot that God is the one who can enable us to live the spirit of the law. So, Paul is trying to help us see that we can have freedom from “Law guided” living and freedom for “Spirit guided” living. “A written code which we are supposed to keep brings the danger that our attention is taken up with our success or failure in keeping it.” Have you ever struggled with your own perfectionism. ‘If I can’t do it right I won’t do it at all.’ I struggle with that in my piano and organ playing. Even with as long as I have been playing, I still make mistakes – sometimes rather big ones! If I listen to perfection in my mind, I would quit playing in church all together. Yet, I am not called to perfection, but rather to playing for the right reason. I am called to offer my God given talent to God to bring praise to God. I am called to let God use me. So, Law guided living is tentative – what if I do it wrong? What if I fail to do what is needed? As a pastor, it always seemed to be lurking in the background of my mind, trying to keep me from stepping out for the Gospel. We could easily say that this is what drove “Saul” before his conversion. It seemed to Saul that the followers of Jesus, and Jesus himself, were not doing it “right.” Look at how many times Jesus healed on the Sabbath for starters! The Law says, ‘The seventh day you shall do no labor.’ Here is Jesus doing labor on the Sabbath – healing the suffering of an individual. Hmmmm. Let’s go back to a verse before our passage. 1 Corinthians 3:6 and its context – in saying that his competence is from God and not from himself, Paul says “ … the letter kills but the Spirit gives life.” Saul, now Paul, realized that it was only the grace and power of Jesus Christ that saved him and gave him a life of purpose. Jesus said it this way, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” [John 8:12] We are free to walk in the light with Jesus as our guide. We have freedom from tentative living, and freedom for boldness in our living. Be Bold in the Spirit. We should not attempt to veil God’s glory in our lives but be bold to confess Christ by allowing his glory to be seen in us. This freedom from and Freedom for comes, for Paul, through his conversion, not through his following the Law to the letter. Just so for us. “God is not hidden from us by any veil on our faces or hearts; we see his unutterable glory. We see it in Christ when he is preached to us, when we read of him in Scripture, when we meet him in the Eucharist [communion]. We see it also in our fellow Christians, in their love to us and to all men and women. When we see that glory, when we see Christ, we ourselves are changed.” We have Freedom From – tentative living, success driven living, perfectionist limitations, earning our salvation … and Freedom For – bold living, bold witness, bold confidence in the love of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Are there places in your life today where you need to find and claim Gods freedom? Name where you see it for yourself. And ask for that freedom. Additionally, ask yourself the question, ‘what is God freeing me for?’ How do I see God wanting to use me today? Tomorrow? Keep watching for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, leading you to be a beacon of faith for others. Amen.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
|