God's Masterpiece: A Sermon based on Galatians 6:15

Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation.

If  we had a time machine and brought William Shakespeare here to preach I am guessing he might begin his sermon with the words- To be circumcised or not to be circumcised that is the question.   

Well at least that is the question facing the Galatian church.

Paul spends a lot of time in his letter to the Galatians unpacking this question to be circumcised or not to be circumcised- unpacking whether or not early followers needed to be circumcised to be in a right relationship with God?

Remember that in Judaism, circumcision is a sign of the covenant, a sign of the relationship that the people of Israel have with God. So all Jewish males would have been circumcised to show that they were in a covenantal relationship with God.  Also remember that the early church came out of Judaism so  in the early days of the church as it spread out from Jerusalem and  its Jewish origins into non Jewish areas to non-Jewish people-many of its converts were unsure how to proceed with traditions like circumcision. To be circumcised or not to be circumcised?  

In the Galatians case there were members adamantly say yes indeed new followers need to be circumcised?   Paul though takes a different bend he counters saying that circumcision is not necessary and for about 6 and a half chapters in the letter to the Galatians he lays out that argument , but then in verse 15 of the lesson we read this morning Paul reach his boiling point  In verse 15 of today’s lesson he finally just gives up and he writes  “For neither circumcision or uncircumcision is anything; but- but a new creation is everything.”  I imagine Paul throwing up his arms and saying you know what-- it doesn't matter circumcision or not. 

A new creation is what matters!

In a few moments,  I will scoop three beautiful little babies into my arms and baptize them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. And in that moment as water is poured onto their little heads- God’s spirit will sweep into this room and will begin painting a masterpiece on the canvas of each of their lives of Avery, and Scarlett and Laura.    God will begin a new creation in each of their lives.  New creation begins today.

On Friday evening, I found myself over at Barnes and Noble at the McKinley mall while Chrishelle was shopping next store at Old Navy.  While I was perusing the books I came across a bestselling book from a few years back you may have heard it-- the Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell.  In the book, Gladwell discusses some of the factors that make folks successful. 

One of the funny things I found out is that successful Canadian hockey players are often born during the first three months of the year. Though when I looked up Sidney Crosby- perhaps the best hockey player on the plane and from Nova Scotia he was born August 7^th—my anniversary.   

But what I was most fascinated by was Gladwell’s chapter on the rule of 10,000 hours. What the rules states is that it takes about 10,000 hours of practicing a skill or task before one really masters of that particular skill. 10,000 hours is 416 days that’s more than a year of practicing something 24 hours a day 7 days a week. 

I’ve got a long way to go on mastering this preaching thing.    

Mastering a skill takes a long time, masterpieces take a long time – it took Michelangelo four years to paint the Sistine Chapel.  By the time he was finishing the Sistine Chapel- Michelangelo was painting whole scenes in one day. 

I tell you this because the masterpiece, the new creation that God will begin in Avery and Scarlett and Laura in baptism will take a long time---[and maybe we should check back in 80 or 90 years to see how the paintings going.]    

Today they are by no means finished products of faith--like you and I they are far from being finished products.

The new creation,the masterpiece that God began in us the day the priest leaned us over the font and poured water on our heads is by no means  complete.  God is still at work.

So then how do we continue to open the canvas of our lives and allow God the opportunity to paint, to work on this new creation, to work on the masterpiece that God began in us at the font.  

I think it begins by availing ourselves to what goes on back there in Holy Eucharist.  Opening our lives to God at the table saying come in, nourish me, strengthen me, feed me, give me your life giving spirit.

I think we open our lives when we discover a practice of prayer that works for us.  Whether that is quietly meditating or using one of the daily prayer offices in the book or one of the many other ways people can pray.  Prayer cracks open our lives to God and gives God the opportunity to sweep in and take part- to bring a peace that passes understanding, to bring moments of joy that supersede our circumstances, to bring calm or maybe direction.   What are your practices of prayer?  How do you connect with God apart from Sunday morning?

I think God has opportunities to paint on our canvas- to make new creation when we express generosity- when we give something that we have to the other--when we let go of whatever that is and say here it’s yours.  That may be time we give to someone else, that may be giving away the green stuff in our wallets.  Generosity changes us.

I know that God works in time of forgiveness both when we seek out forgiveness  from someone we've damaged, we’ve hurt and also when offer forgiveness to someone who’s hurt us. These are just a few ways that open ourselves to God. 

Paul reminded the Galatians that New Creation is everything- what are we doing to open our lives so that God may continue the masterpiece he began at the water’s edge of baptism? 

You are God’s masterpiece. You are God’s masterpiece. God’s just not done quite with you yet.

AMEN