I can still remember the first time I had the courage to take the elevator to the top floor of the Sears Tower. It’s over 1,400 ft. tall and rises up hundreds of stories. The elevator ride to the observation floor is even daunting. There are surveillance cameras everywhere, even before you get to the elevator. Signs are posted, warning people with medical conditions to consider twice before venturing to the top. All of this adds to the aura – you get the sense that this is going to be impressive.
Once at the top, the view is breath taking. You do literally “tower” over the Chicago skyline. The United Center is clearly visible – where Michael Jordan made basketball history -- Wrigley Field, home of the beloved Cubs, Soldier Field, the Chicago Harbor, the gothic-style Tribune building, (and somewhere off to the South – that’s where my family lives.) It’s quite a view!
St. Paul has a good view for us. It’s not from the top of a skyscraper. The window God’s Word gives us today looks out over the vast expanse of God’s compassion. And as we look out this window, we can exclaim with the apostle: WHAT A VIEW! 1) Of God’s Mercy and 2) Of Ourselves.
1) Of God’s Mercy
A view of God’s compassion and mercy – that’s what the apostle gives us. This view stretches as far as the eye can see. It goes way off into our future, over the precariously high peaks of unknown fears and worries. His mercy extends down to the serene valleys of our hopes and dreams. It stretches beyond our life here, and extends over the countless generations to come after us. It even goes beyond them, and on into eternity and the life to which the Lord has called us. What a view!
God had to lead us to such a view, though. He had to lead us by the hand to the observation deck, so we could see our lives rightly; to see back to when we were dead in sin, haters of God, condemned, destined for eternal hell. His mercy broke into full view on our past with the cross of Christ. There, his mercy—gloriously gory and superbly revolting mercy—God gave His own Son up for us all. That view of mercy goes back to cover the sins of the whole world, from that first offense of Adam, and pans out to offer forgiveness to every sinner who will ever live. That’s how vast God’s mercy and compassion reaches. And seeing that mercy in the past, opens up the vast view of God’s mercy that is upon us right now.
Our son Joseph enjoys looking out the sliding glass door at home. It’s not so much what he sees outside as it is what he sees in the glass. He sees his own reflection, and it makes him laugh because it looks as if he’s outside in the backyard playing in the sandbox or swinging in his swing. St. Paul has us look at a similar reflection, in this picture window of Romans 12. We’re looking out over the vast expanse of God’s mercy, and now, Paul has us see a little reflection of ourselves sitting, standing, living in and under that vast mercy outside the window.
Our view of ourselves, first and foremost, needs be a humble viewpoint. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
We must view ourselves under God’s MERCY here. Seeing ourselves under God’s mercy, we’ll remember what we are by nature: weak sinners, through and through. Looking at ourselves under God’s mercy is like looking at some of the old houses around here. To be honest, there are some houses in Abita Springs that just wouldn’t fit anywhere else. Take one of these old dilapidated shotgun homes and put it in the middle of Beau Chene. The Homeowners Association would be out there in a heartbeat nailing a condemned sign on it, and in the next, bulldozing it over. But for some reason, you take that same old house, and put it in the midst of the pines, surrounded by overgrown azaleas, rose bushes, magnolias, and people will come and insist they pay $100,000 for it. I suppose it’s because people have the sense that old shotgun house fits here. It belongs. For all its ruin, it makes the view. Yes, we’re sinners: but we belong in the view of God’s mercy! And in the wide-open expanse of his mercy, we bring out even more the glorious beauty that is there.
Paul says, Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. In other words, be that old, worn out shotgun house in the meadow of God’s mercy. Offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.
Paul says to be a living sacrifice, by offering our bodies to the Lord. We sing, “take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee.” Our bodies are made to be temples of the Holy Spirit. In Old Testament times, the sacrifices were the lives of something else; be it a sheep, a goat, an ox, a turtledove or pigeon. Those lives ended for the sake of someone else. Those were sacrifices under the Law of God. But what St. Paul describes is a sacrifice under the mercy of God.
2) Of Ourselves
Giving ourselves to God means that his mercy will grow on us. God’s mercy is like kudzu. What’s kudzu? It’s that leafy vine you often see climbing up telephone poles, covering entire valleys, even engulfing buildings. They say the best way to grow kudzu is to throw it over your shoulder and run. A lot of people don’t like kudzu because it’s so tenacious and they’ve tried many ways to get rid of it. St. Paul, however, talks about letting God’s mercy grow on you, just like kudzu: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
The pattern of the world is this: to turn it’s back on God and his Word. To have God’s Word, and then to say, “Oh! that…I don’t need it, don’t want it, had enough of it. That’s old news. I’ve read the Bible before. I used to go to Bible study, but now that’s not my bag anymore.” That’s the pattern of this world, and it will not let God’s mercy grow on it. And so it will always be under God’s judgment.
Christians, who conform to the pattern of this world, are like an old shotgun shack in the city. While the old cabin in the woods seems to fit the view, the shack in the city is just another eyesore, just a stopping place for drug addicts, gangs sharpening their knives, drunks, and prostitutes. When you close your eyes to the view of yourself as a sinner under God’s mercy, and you don’t let that mercy grow on you, you become a sad sight indeed.
Letting God’s mercy grow on us does us good. That’s how our minds are renewed day by day, so we know and love God’s will. but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Through His Word, the Holy Spirit renews our minds and sets our thinking straight, so we can figure out and happily enjoy God’s will. It takes God’s mercy to grow on us and in us, before we look at “thou shalt have no other gods before me,” and actually appreciate that God does not want us to be without him, our only Savior. It takes awhile for God’s mercy to grow on us, before we truly appreciate his will, “thou shalt not commit adultery,” and realize that he wants us to have a close, intimate relationship with one member of the opposite sex for longer than ten minutes, ten days, ten months, ten years, spring break, summer vacation, senior prom; one that actually lasts a lifetime, as long as both shall live. It takes a whole lot of God’s mercy to grow on you, before you can rejoice when you suffer persecution, because you were counted worthy to suffer for the name of Christ. It takes a whole lot of God’s mercy to grow on you before you can delight in the fact that the Lord disciplines those he loves, and sends hardships on everyone whom he accepts as his child. It’s his way of helping us focus on him.
This panorama of God’s mercy is a view that is so vast and wonderful, that it can’t just be for one: it is to be shared and enjoyed … together. It is not just God’s mercy on ME, not just God’s mercy on YOU, but God’s mercy on US. He is not just MY Father who art in heaven, not only YOUR Father who art in heaven, but OUR Father who art in heaven.
This congregation is a body. It is part of the body of Christ – the Holy Christian Church. Paul uses the picture of the human body to teach us this truth. God gives us our physical bodies and arranges them as he sees fit. When someone seeks to improve his body, he’ll do it either through exercise or diet and the like. He won’t go making improvements to his body by having a surgeon cut off his arms and sew huge tentacles in their place. Or taking out one kidney, to make room for another stomach. In fact, no one removes anything from his or her body, unless it is a last resort to preserve the rest of the body.
This applies well to each and every congregation that God has brought together; each part in its place, each part as he sees fit. Now, you may get frustrated with parts of your church, but we don’t cut those parts off for that reason. We do not dare deny God’s mercy to one another. The Almighty God has put each one of us here. Each one of us has a part in this little body. We are to grow together, and work together. God gives each of us different gifts by his grace. We are to use them for each other, because we belong to each other. What good does it do, if someone has the gift to teach, but no one shares with him the gift to learn? What good does it do, if someone has the gift to sing bass, if no one shares with them the gift to sing tenor? You can sing the part alone, but you can only sing the song together. You can and should be Christian on your own: but you can only be a church, and do the work of the church, together.
Look thankfully on God’s vast mercy. Look carefully at yourself under that mercy. And look at each other as brothers and sisters in Christ, fellow members of the same body, forgiven, restored, and gifted with all the measure of God’s limitless grace. What a view! May God’s mercy and compassion bring out the best in you, for you, from you, and may we all work together to bring the best of his mercy to others. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
