Ancient Promises: Belonging
The Rev. Dr. John Judson
May 1, 2011
Romans 1:1-7
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
We both noticed it. We had been at the Bealton Presbyterian Church for about a month while I served them as a student pastor. Each Sunday we would look out and notice that there were certain groups of people that sat on the right hand side and certain people that sat on the left hand side. Being somewhat of a novice to seating arrangements in a church I asked someone if there was a reason people sat on one side or the other, or was it simply preference. Interestingly enough, I was told, there was a reason. The reason was that the longtime members sat on one side and the new comers on the other. Being curious I asked, “well how long have the newcomers been here?” “Those folks,” was the reply, “They have only been here about 30 years or so. Belonging, I mean really belonging, is sometimes hard to come by.
What is fascinating about that is that belonging is one of the deepest imperatives of the human race. We are pack animals who have this drive to be connected to others and to belong to a group larger than ourselves. Whether it is a family, a clan, a team or a society we all have this need to belong. If you don’t believe me just go back and watch some of the March Madness games. Look into the stands and watch the students and adults who are not only dressed in school colors but have adorned themselves with paint to match. Those people may have never dribbled a basketball in their lives, but there desire to belong, has driven them to paint themselves like the hordes of barbarians who conquered the Roman Empire. Belonging is also theological. God created us to be in community…to be part of a larger group even than the family. Which is why I hope that the words from Paul’s opening of his letter to the Romans hits close to home.
As Paul is wrapping up his introductory words he reminds the Romans that they were called to belong to Jesus Christ. While these words may not surprise us, they would have still seemed a bit odd to first century ears. They would have seemed odd because everyone knew that the God of Israel was just that, the God of Israel. God had not called the world. God had called a particular people, all genetically related to be the chosen people of God. In addition Jesus was himself Jewish and was the messiah to the Jewish people. Therefore to be called to belong to God, or for that matter Jesus, was limited to Jews. Paul however had come to understand God’s promise differently. Paul understood that God had planned all along to not only call a particular people into belonging to God but that God had planned to call the entire world. This is what Paul meant when he referred to the good news that had come through the prophets. The good news was that God was going to call all people into belonging in order to restore all of creation.
While this may not come as earth shattering news to most of us here since we take it for granted that God so loved the entire world, I hope it will come as somewhat of a profound statement. I say this because at the heart of our Reformed tradition is the understanding that we are called to belong to Jesus Christ and thus to God. What this means is that God in Christ does not simply broadcast an invitation to all people to come if they want. God chooses us, both individually and collectively and calls us to belong. God reaches out into our lives and calls us with a personal invitation to belong to Jesus Christ and to the people of God. In other words, our belonging here is not some kind of cosmic accident. Our believing and following Jesus is not some lifestyle choice we made. Our belonging to God and being part of God’s universal community in Jesus is the result of the action of a loving God.
I realize that there are days when we don’t feel as if we really belong, as if we were part of the newcomers’ side of the church…but what Paul tells us is that not only do we belong…but that God has personally called us in Jesus Christ to be part of God’s community of faith and life. So this morning as we come to this table, I encourage you to see it as the table of belonging; the table which binds all of us together and binds us all to God in Christ. And as you do, I challenge you to ask this question, how does my being called to belong to Christ shape my understanding of who I am and how I am to live.
