Sermons

Standing In Between

BY THERESA MCCONNELL | DECEMBER 2 , 2007 (First Sunday in Advent)
Romans 13:11-14

We’ve all been at those “in-between" places in life. All ready ... Not yet. In fact, we are in the middle of one of those times now: Already celebrated Thanksgiving but not yet arrived at celebration of Christmas.

There are lots of times like that in life: engaged but not married; in love, but not yet declared; contender for the Super Bowl, but not yet there; pregnant with child, but not yet birthed; tapped for promotion, but not yet made the move; separated but waiting for the court to finalize the divorce; completed boot camp but not yet received the next assignment; having a serious illness, but not knowing what to expect in the “next steps;” making a commitment to change and not knowing what next steps are required. We’ve all be standing in-between.”

The people in Rome were struggling to figure out how to live in harmony with one another while they waited for the return of Christ. New Testament scholar Bill Loader reminds us that:

“Both in early Christianity and beyond the image of waking up from sleep or coming from death to life or from darkness to light and of changing one's clothes was well known and used. It expressed major change, re-orientation, repentance, but with a strong sense that one is turning to something which is far better than what is left behind”. (http://wwwstaff.murdoch.edu.au/~loader/AEpAdvent1.htm)

A time of transition … a time in-between what was and what is to come. We see the tension of transition very concretely when we look at our Growth Giving Challenge. Like the personal changes we want to make in our lives, similar principles prevail.

1) Keep focused on what God would have you to do. Being prayerful about God’s will for us and others helps us to more easily have an attitude of love in our relationships with others. Keep one’s eyes focused on the light of God’s love.

focused on the light leads us to have that light reflect off of us…
focused on the light brings us warmth…our cold-heartedness melts…
focused on the light keeps us on course…

If we imagine that the world is darkness and there is but the light of Christ to lead us, we have a visual image which helps us understand how focusing on the light keeps us on the right path.

2) Take one step at a time. It is seldom the care that an alcoholic simply stops drinking one day. It does happen; but it is the exception. Most persons who have addiction to alcohol or other addictive behaviors require the help of a step-by-step program that includes a mentor. We all need someone who has been on the journey to help us know what set is next. Taking one step at a time helps us during times of making dreams of new life become reality … one day at a time.

Whether the challenge before us is addictive behavior, whether it is prioritizing our financial gifts to reflect the mercy and love God has give us, or whether it is making difficult decisions in life, we need to keep focused on what God would have us do and we need to take one step at a time.

That’s what living in-between things is like. We have to keep focused on God and we have to avoid getting over-whelmed by taking on too much at one time. Seems simple enough! Then why do we fail following through, so often?

3) Paul tells us to put on Christ Jesus. It’s an issue of trust, isn’t it? We don’t put Christ on like a new coat or jacket. As we focus on the light of the world, we see ourselves as we are. We face our panic, our vulnerability, our repetitive destructive behavior and ask Christ to take control. We trust the power and love of God with our lives, with our finances, with our loved-ones, with all that we have and are. It is truly conversion, isn’t it? Each day we re-commit our lives to him.

We know what standing in-between looks like:

We are standing in-between who God seeks to make us and who we are in this moment.
We are standing in-between being a small-family church and moving towards God’s vision for us.

Standing in-between … that is our life as Christians. As Christians we stand between the darkness of the world and the light of Christ.

As we keep focused on what God would have us do, taking one step at a time, and clothing ourselves in Christ Jesus, the light of Christ can reflect from us and draw others to him.

The problem with standing in-between is that we sometimes get stuck. We are neither “hot nor cold” — we don’t move forward into the goodness that God has for us. We become paralyzed by our fear and mistrust or simply complacence and stay just as we are — in-between. We don’t allow God to grow us spiritually by what we do financially.

God is calling us to move toward him and offer new opportunities for this community to grow spiritually. Will you commit yourself to focusing on him as you make the decisions about your ability to give to KUMC? Will you commit yourself to taking one step at a time as you reflect on where God is calling your on your journey? Will you honestly examine what you have & what you need as you determine what you will give to God’s ministry through this church? Will you trust that God will make a way for you to do what is on your heart?

Ephesians 3:19-21
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

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