“MAKING SACRIFICES” – A COVENANT SUNDAY sermon
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A sermon preached at Readings: |
“Therefore, I urge you …
in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…”
(Rom 12:1).
When you
think about it, the word “sacrifice” is a complicated one.
1.
In
the OT it normally refers to a whole system of offerings to God,
including burnt offerings – animals slaughtered on a fiery altar.
2.
In
the NT, Christ’s death on the cross is seen
as the culmination of the sacrificial system.
But Christians are also called (in our text today)
to make their lives a living sacrifice to God.
3.
In
modern usage we still talk a lot about sacrifice –
but now it usually refers to giving things up –
“She had to sacrifice an awful lot of
free time
when she started piano lessons” or whatever.
And if we ever talk about burnt offerings,
it is usually a reference to the fate of the Sunday lunch
when the sermon goes on too long or we forget to turn the oven down….
So in
Biblical terms,
what is the real meaning of sacrifice –
Christ’s sacrifice and ours -
what
is its purpose,
and how does it relate to our salvation?
Let me begin with what is actually
a very unhelpful way of looking at things.
There is a traditional line of argument
which goes something like this:
¨
God
is righteous and just and requires placating or propitiating
for the sins of the world which offend his holiness.
¨
The
offering of sacrificial blood in the OT
was a part of an attempt to appease or buy off this angry God.
¨
But
the OT sacrificial offerings were inadequate
¨
So
Christ offered himself as the one true sacrifice
to take the place of the sacrificial animals –
the lamb to the slaughter
¨
In
so doing he satisfied or propitiated an angry God
who needed payment for the sins of the world.
Those knowledgeable about such things will recognize
something called the substitutionary theory of the
atonement.
Never mind the name –
Most Methodists would say that this line of argument –
(though still propounded by some Christians) –
is deeply flawed, if not positively repugnant –
it makes God the Father into a vindictive and loveless God,
and turns our salvation on some primitive satisfying
of an evil ogre’s demand for blood.
So put that to one side, and instead hear the heart of the
true Gospel –
our God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit in unity) is love –
and his whole being epitomises and reveals love in its very essence.
So when Christ goes to the cross, he does so
not because of God’s anger and hated for us
but because of God’s love and solidarity with us.
God saw his children ensnared in sin and death –
using their God given freedom to hide from him
in the darkness of their brutal and selfish world.
How could he love them, be with them, keep them safe?
Only by coming to share with them their sin and sorrow –
This is the true nature of Christ’s sacrifice -
the supreme act of God’s self-giving love .
Do you recall the old legend about a man
who was entirely careless of spiritual things.
When he died, he went to hell.
He was much missed on earth by his old friends.
His business partner went down to
the gates of hell
to see if there was any chance of bringing him back.
But, though he pleaded for the gates to be opened,
the iron bars never yielded.
Then some members of his Church
went and argued -
he was not really such a bad fellow -
won't you let him out?
The gates of hell remained stubbornly shut
against all their voices.
Finally his mother came.
She did not beg for his release.
Quietly, and with a catch in her voice,
she said to Satan "Please let me in"
Immediately the great doors swung open on their hinges.
Such is
God’s sacrificial love for you and me –
from cradle to cross -
giving up all and being willing to suffer all,
to be with me in my hour of need.
And
against the power of such sacrificial love,
the very gates of hell shall not stand.
For evil can do many things, but it cannot quench love.
So, if
this is Christ’s loving sacrifice, what is ours?
In the
words of our scripture today, Paul says (Rom 12:1).
“I urge you … in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…”
Today is
Covenant Sunday here at the Mint.
In the OT covenant stories, Abraham and Noah and Moses and
others
receive God’s loving promises and respond
by making covenant sacrifices -
often involving the slaughter of animals on altars –
These sacrificial offerings were essentially symbolic –
symbolic of human desire to love God,
to thank him and respond to
him.
symbolic
of life given back to God.
As the prophets (Hos 6:6 etc)
frequently reminded the Israelites,
what really mattered was not the external ritual or symbol
but what it stood for –
what God really wanted was justice and mercy, love and a pure heart –
and if the Israelites’ sacrifices were actually nothing more
than mere loveless religious rituals, then they were worthless.
So we
come to our covenant service –
God asks us for our covenant sacrifice -
to offer our bodies as living sacrifices –
and again – what matters is not the outer ritual
but the working of our heart
As Paul reminds us
“I may give my body to be burned,
but I have not love, it is nothing”
You know sometimes people think of Christianity
as a set of miserable commands which we would much rather ignore,
but we know we have to do as we are told
in order to make sure we get to heaven.
That sort
of Christianity involves making sacrifices
in the worst sense of the word -
Giving up
what we would much rather do
out of a sense of calculating necessity.
But true
Christian sacrifice is very different -
it is what I gladly give from a full heart –
it is a bit of my life I rejoice to offer,
And when
I give it, I find that
far from my life being diminished in the giving,
it is enriched.
Let me
offer you two final cameos:
1.
A
man gives his girlfriend a very expensive birthday present.
He says “Here is what you wanted – I hope you like it –
I would really much rather have spent the money
on a new computer games console
and going on a fishing trip with my mates -
but I’ve decided I should make this big sacrifice
and buy you the present because you wanted it”
2.
Another
man also gives his girlfriend a very expensive birthday present.
She says “You shouldn’t have done that”
He says “What could possibly mean as much to me as making you happy?
There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you if you only let me”
The same
present, but such a different gift.
So let us again make our Covenant with God,
Let us thank God for his gift to us -
nothing less than the Blood of the
Lamb,
his sacrifice of his very life to be
with us.
Then may we,
“in view of God’s mercy”
and with joy in our hearts,
and in the power of his Spirit,
“offer our bodes as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God”
Order of Service
Annual Service of Covenant Renewal with Holy
Communion led by Rev Andrew Sails
Organ: Fugue & Intermezzo from Sonata No 8 in E
minor - Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901)
Hymn 505 “O Worship the
Lord”
Prayers
(Methodist Worship Book p.282)
Lord’s Prayer
Readings: Romans 12:1-2
(p.1139)
Mark
12:28-34 (p.1018)
Hymn
804 “The
Church of Christ, in every age”
Sermon: “Making Sacrifices”
Hymn 801 “O God, what offering shall I
give”
The Covenant Renewal
Introduction to the Covenant (MWB p.285)
Prayers of Confession (MWB p.285)
Covenant Renewal (MWB p. 289, “B”)
Silence (congregation sits)
Prayers of Intercession (MWB p.290)
Peace (MWB p.291)
[Young people
enter]
Hymn SOF 120 “The Servant King”
[During which the collection
is taken and the offertory brought forward)
Holy Communion (congregation remains standing)
Minister: Lift up your Hearts.
All: We lift them up to the Lord.
Minister: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
Minister: Father we give you
thanks for all your love for us throughout history, for the gift of your Son,
living our life from stable to cross, walking alongside us in our pain and
sorrow, even unto death. So with the
heavenly choir we join the song of praise:
All (sing): Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,
holy is the Lord God almighty!
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord,
holy is the Lord God almighty!
Who was, and is, and is to come!
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord!
Minister: On the night he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus
took bread,
he gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying “Take, eat, this
is my body. Do this in remembrance of
me.”
In the same way he took the
cup;
he gave thanks and gave it to them saying:
“Drink of it, all of you; this is my blood of the new Covenant which is poured
out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
Hear us, O Christ, and breathe your Spirit
upon us
and upon this bread and wine.
May they become for us your body, vibrant with your life, healing, renewing and
making us whole.
And as the bread and wine which we now eat and drink are changed into us, may
we be changed again into you, bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh, loving
and caring in the world.
The Breaking of the Bread
Minister: Look, the Body of Christ is broken for the
life of the world.
[The congregation is
seated]
Distribution of Bread and Wine
Minister: Jesus said, “I am the bread of life”. Those who come to me shall not hunger and
those who believe in me shall never thirst.
Draw near with faith.
[All are invited to receive bread & wine. Please come forward to the rail when the
steward indicates.
Please fill up the rail from the centre and return to your seats via the side
aisles.
Should you wish to receive a blessing only, simply come forward to the rail,
but do not hold out your hand for bread & wine.]
Prayer after Communion:
All: God
of power,
may the boldness of your Spirit transform us,
may the gentleness of your Spirit lead us,
and may the gifts of your Spirit equip us
to serve and worship you
now and always. Amen.
Hymn 745 “O
Thou who camest from above”
Blessing and Dismissal
All: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all,
now and for evermore. Amen.
Minister: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
All: In the name of Christ, Amen.
Passacaglia from Sonata No 8 in E minor – Josef Rheinberger
(The Communion
Liturgy this morning includes material
from the Iona Worship Book and the
Methodist Worship Book)