all things work together for good

from my sermon on 7/31 from Romans 8:28-30

The most important thing is how you look at things, your frame of reference. Christians have unique way of looking at things. Therefore, we can say with Paul, "We know that all things work together for good with those who love God who are called according to his purpose."

Now this sounds a bit crazy.....all things? Really? I am sure that the church in Rome didn't have it easy. They were trying to move beyond being just a minor sect of Judaism and establish their own identity. They could be accused of being atheists by the other citizens who worshiped the emperor. Finally, they were trying to make community out of disparate groups, men and women, slave and free, all classes of society. All things work together for good?

It's not easy today. Something is happening here in the USA in 2 days....oh yeah, our government is going to be in default mode. You can pick up any media and pick the crisis du jour...this week, how about the famine in Somalia. We can't bear to see the images of the little children with bloated bellies. Can you see how all things work together for good?

It's not easy in your personal lives. I have a friend who is going through a divorce. How hard that is! I know someone else struggling with depression. Lest we make light of depression, at our Stephen Ministry training, I heard a story of a woman who had had cancer and then depression. When asked to pick which she would rather have had, she said the cancer was easier than the depression. How can we see that all things work together for good?

I have good news for you today. It is more than pablum. It is more than pollyanna optimism. You need more than trite phrases, "If life gives you lemons....make lemonade. Behind every cloud is a .....silver lining." As Christians, we have more than simplistic answers.

Part of the way we look at things is that we take the long view. Here I need to tell you the story of the lucky farmer from the book, Zen Shorts, by Jon J Muth.

There once was an old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day, his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. Such bad luck, they said sympathetically. Maybe, said the farmer. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it 2 other wild horses. Such good luck, the neighbors exclaimed. Maybe, replied the farmer. The following day, his son tried to ride 1 of the untamed horses, was thrown off, and broke his leg. Again, the neighbors came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. Such bad luck, they said. Maybe, answered the farmer. The day after that, the military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army to fight in a war. Seeing that the son's leg was broken, they passed him by. Such good luck, cried the neighbors. Maybe, said the farmer.

Maybe, we Christians say. Who we are, what we feel, what we are to do is not determined by the latest crisis or victory. We see that governments come and go, wars come and go, crises come and go. We take the long view. We see that the God of Creation is at work in all things, and is drawing all things to God's culmination as it says in Revelation to a point where there are n more tears or pain or crying anymore. We Christians see God as Sovereign. We may act for good or bad, but God is always acting for our good. As we said in the creed this morning, "his will is ever directed to his children's good."

I know that the NRSV says all things work together for good. But I would like to reframe the verse. It can also be better translated, We know that in all things, God works together for good with those who love him who are called according to his purpose. God is the subject, not all things. God is the actor who can make all things work together for our good.

I have an illustration. Each week our worship team gets together to plan what happens for this hour together. Frank, who leads the 9 a.m. contemporary service is a part of this team. He has 2 little children, Sophie and Jamison. This past Tuesday, Frank was late to our morning meeting, because he was trying to get them dressed and out the door. On the way over, big sister Sophie was trying to explain to Jamison where they were going. Now Frank teaches English and film at Keeling Middle School, so Sophie said, "We are going to church. We are going to see Pastor Lynn. Now remember Pastor Lynn? He's a main character."

And so I am a main character...and you are too. But really the most main character is the Lord God of the Universe. Now this leads into how we are predestined. We are not Presbyterians. by predestined, I take it to mean that God is fulfilling God's plan for us in spite of us. We are still free to pursue our little scripts, but God will ultimately bring the drama to unfold in God's own way and time. We are not pre-determined, but God is determined to invite us into his plan of redemption for all creation. That is the big picture.

The more precise picture is that God is drawing us into the image of his son; he is conforming us to his icon, literally. We are being shaped into the image of Christ. We...not a solo effort...the whole Christian community is being transformed. We are taking on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in our community. That is God's desire, destiny for us.

Therefore, we can see God working in all things for our good. Even the debt crisis. As Christians, we are being called to take up the banner for the most vulnerable. Our solutions should not be upon the backs of the poor. As we talked last week, God has a preferential bias for the poor, the widow, the orphan, the sojourner in the land.

The famine and hunger crisis in Somalia has galvanized the world's attention. We as believers can work together across denominational lines. Hungry people don't care what denominational label is on the bag of food. We can even work across interfaith lines. It doesn't matter if it is a cross or a crescent or a Star of David on the bag of food. Even secular governments can work together for good.

God can work together for good in all things. Can you see this? Tom Bridges could. He was the District Attorney in San Patricio county where I formerly served. He served in the military, got out and got his law degree, met his wife Mary. They never had any kids...biologically. But he often served as mentor for confirmands and helped in children's Sunday School. He was a member of my church and trusted friend. When I had a problem or issue, I would go to Tom for advice. You would think he might become cold and heartless, but he was a genuine, loving man. He often was in Bible study with me. His favorite verse was this one, We know that in all things God works together for good with those who love him who are called according to his purpose. It is a good way for you to memorize and orient you life around too.

I was wondering why this passage was so important to me this week. For one, God is the great Reframer. God takes the cross which the world looks upon as a sign of persecution and makes it a symbol of empathy for our pain, takes the cross which the world looks upon as a sign of defeat and makes it a symbold of victory, and takes the cross which the world looks upon as a sign of death and makes it a symbol for life.

This passage is important to me because I see that following Jesus is better than not following Him, that being part of Christian community is better than not, and that God's purposes are for our good, not our harm. That's the good news I have today.