Sermon Notes 4-20-08

Be who you are are!

--Michelangelo said that the beautiful sculptures he created were already there, inside the stones. He simply removed the excess to reveal the precious essence. “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it.”

--Stephen sees Jesus, but the crowds see stones.
The crowd was blind to the reality that was staring them in the face.
--1 Peter reminds us; “What you can become is what you already are”
Through our baptism 1Peter reminds us that we have a new identity and that it is up to us to make that visible for all to see.
--John: Identity of Jesus: who Jesus says he is

--Sarah Dylan writes; “The God who created the universe is at work in Christ, the Christ in whom we abide. God's kingdom, God's dream, is no fantasy; it's the most fundamental of realities.”
If we believe Jesus, then we can stop saying "no way!" and live into the reality of Jesus the Way, until everyone God made and loves can tell the story of God's people as their own:
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
--The question for us; “Who do you say we are?”

--God has already created us to be who we are…now we are being given the opportunity to reveal the “precious essence” for all to see.

--We have acknowledge that the sculpting will be difficult, at times painful, take a lot of dedication and work, yet we haven’t talked about the joy that comes with discovery.

--The King James’ Version and Tyndale’s Version of the Bible use the word, “mansions,” whereas the Revised Standard uses dwelling places or “living spaces.” It is a “living space,” not a dying space, where life is experienced at its fullest.

--Jesus said; “in my father’s house, there are many dwelling places.” As we begin to unveil who God has created us to be, it is important to remember that here in this house of God there is room for all. Those who agree and those who disagree, those who are excited and those who are disappointed, those who hold onto the familiar and those who are excited about a new adventure. Here in this house, all have a place at the table, and we must learn to be okay with differences. “For in my father’s house, there are many dwelling places.”


--How often I would prefer in my own life to make all happy and like one another. Yet, Jesus says we must love one another, and that doesn’t always mean we will be of the same mind. But, we must be of the same heart.

--Yes, being in different places can be strenuous but by the very act of living into that tension, we are revealing the kingdom of God for all to see.

--“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
God is at work chiseling away at you and me, and right here in our parish; it’s not always comfortable, yet what is slowly being revealed is more precious and beautiful than we can ask or imagine. Let us be open and willing to see what lies underneath! Amen.