All Rise

Romans 6:1b-11

What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

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Introduction

At 31, I've yet to fulfill the privilege of jury duty. I know that jury duty does not rank high on people's list of things they want to do, but it is a privilege to participate in the justice system. Now just because I've never served as a juror, I'm still familiar with some of the processes involved as I have experience serving in what is called "church court." It's a body in place to hear complaints or instances of wrongdoing, and those listening work towards crafting a just and restorative resolution (which is not always the case in civil proceedings). Isn't that what we hear in Paul's letter to the Romans? Grace is our sentence, not death, and grace yields a new life and another opportunity to live out the love of God. (It takes on a lifelong journey of transformation and renewal.)

Not A “Get Out Of Jail” Card

For those who find themselves with the life-giving will of God, the forces of sin and death can no longer stand as an expected reality. For those who put on God's mantle, our lives take guidance from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That means the spheres of our public and private life are blurred. Daily we are challenged to live as people who the Spirit of God is transforming. As Paul says, "Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?" The amazing grace we received is not one of those Monopoly "Get Out of Jail Free" cards.

We are called to consider ourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. It is not a mere intellectual exercise but a profound shift in our identity and way of being. There is a physical shift in our identity, or I should say there is a physical raising up so that we all rise. We are no longer defined by sin and its consequences but by Christ's grace and life-giving power. Our lives should reflect this transformation as we seek to dwell and take to heart God's will and extend God’s love and grace to others. Again it is not simply a practice of faith we keep to ourselves but one that we live outwardly.

United With Christ

Believers would wait along the banks of a river and then be led down to the waters. They would remove their old clothes, and then after their baptism, they would climb out and receive a new set of clothes. These new clothes represented the new life they had received in Christ, and it was a visual sign that they would live their lives anew from that day onward. There are things that they promised to give up so that they could live as a reflection of the love and life of God. The old ways of living in sin and death no longer claim dominion over the people of God.

For as we were baptized like Christ, we experienced death like Christ, where the ways of sin were cast off, and we were brought to live in the light of God. Those of us who live as people unified with Christ find that our lives are now firmly rooted, shaped, guided, and molded by the profound impact of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. Put simply, the driving force behind this new existence is now centered on Jesus Christ. Every action, decision, and intention of a believer is defined by the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who redefines our sense of justice and directs us toward a path of overarching redemption and transformation.

Raised To New Life

There's an internet TV series titled "Jury Duty'' (it's on Amazon Freevee if you want to watch it). If I had to describe it, it would be a Truman-esque show; however, it isn't a prank program (think of something like "The Office," a mockumentary). We see the journey of Ronald, who signs up to be part of a series on what it's like to be a juror. However, Ronald doesn't know that it's a fake trial and everyone is a paid actor except him. Though, as I said, "Jury Duty '' is not a prank show, and instead of pranking Ronald, they take him through a hero's journey that lifts the better angels of his personality and strengths.

Christ takes us on a hero's journey to bring out the truth that has existed since our first breath. We are people created in the image of God (imago Dei), and as people created in God's image, we are not destined for damnation but for something new in the eyes of God. Paul opens a window for us to see how our lives are a part of the unfolding narrative God puts into play that centers on a redemptive history that takes us through a hero's journey and sets us up (not to prank us) but to bring out our better angels. We are called to rise, not to receive a verdict of condemnation, but the opportunity to try again and live as the people God created us to be.

Conclusion

There's a poem titled "Ithaka" by Greek poet C.P Cavafy that captures the meditation for today from a different angle. "Ithaka," if you aren't aware, is a Greek city and, in mythology, is often the destination for homeward-bound heroes:

As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.
Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.
Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,

Friends, as we remember the newness of life and the opportunity to rise again as people touched by the love of Christ, may we savor the journey of our transformation. May we take the metaphor for life's journey (overcoming monsters and vengeful forces and taking in the beauty of creation) as depicted by Cavafy as an invitation to extend ourselves grace in the moments where we stray from God's life way and celebrate with joy when we manifest the abundant life God gives in our daily living. For again, we were not sentenced to death but instead called to embark with our living God on a journey of grace.