Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Bear One Another’s Burdens
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Bear One Another’s Burdens
Sunday, June 7, 2019. Rev. Scott Ramsey, preaching.Scripture Readings: Luke 10:1-11; Galatians 6:1-6
To access the Bulletin, click on SAVE PDF to download or open in a new window.
SERMON TEXT
When the staff was planning for the summer worship theme for this year, we were reflecting on the deep and profound polarization that we are living through these days. More and more, we sort ourselves into our various tribes, and we mainly affiliate with, and click through to read, people who reinforce our own views. We face significant challenges as a society and a world, yet we are deeply divided about how to respond to those challenges. We can feel the tension between feeling called to cross lines to embrace those with whom we disagree, and feeling called to draw lines to be clear about what we believe.
As we were thinking about how God might be calling us to respond to this, we noticed that the lectionary epistle readings for July begin with our remarkable little passage from Galatians 6 this morning, in which we find the phrase, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” “Bearing each other’s burdens” struck us as a thread worth pulling on, as we try to find our way forward. We’ll be exploring other texts through the month, but Galatians 6 is our launching pad.
The letter of Galatians, as a
whole, is a full-throated defense of the freedom
to which the gospel of grace releases us. Freedom is always a good place to
start. “For freedom Christ has set us free,” Paul says in chapter 5; “Stand
firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” On the cross, Jesus set people free from all
the evils of every age. We are no longer
bound or subject to any imperial or coercive regime. We have been set free. As we like to say here at Lewinsville, “We do
not need to be afraid, of anyone, or anything, anymore.”
But in chapter 5 and 6 of this letter, Paul makes it clear that the freedom to which we belong has a particular shape to it. We need to be clear about this, because Christian freedom is distinct from what the world often means by freedom. Christian freedom is not some kind of unbridled, unrestrained autonomy, as if we are free to do whatever our tiny, self-absorbed egos might want to do.
Some years ago, I was on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic with a group of adults from another church. During that week, as our group was reflecting on the beautiful work we were doing alongside families and children who were living in profound poverty, I shared with the group how embarrassed I was to realize that there was a big part of me that just wanted to get away from other people. In that context, I had the horrible realization that there was a part of me that dreamed of living in a great big air-conditioned house, all by myself, with TV on all the time and an endless supply of Dr. Pepper – never having to interact with other people. My seminary-trained, but deeply un-reformed, self thought that sounded like a great way to live! That part of me wanted freedom from other people, but Christian freedom, freedom that is shaped by the cross of Jesus, is the freedom to be for other people. Christian freedom is freedom to pursue the common good.
According to Galatians 6:2, those in the church are to bear one another’s burdens, which suggests that we have responsibilities for each other. Disciples of Jesus are not radical individualists. Our love for Jesus binds us to our neighbor, whether it is our neighbor in need or our neighbor with whom we disagree. When another person is broken, we are to step in. When another person has been sinned against and hurt, we are to walk alongside them, and not to abandon them. When another person has committed the sin, we are to walk alongside them, and not abandon them. When another is weak, we are to help carry the load. Christian freedom is not freedom from other people, but is the freedom to be for other people.
But t
View all episodes
By Lewinsville Presbyterian Church
5
11 ratings
Sunday, June 7, 2019. Rev. Scott Ramsey, preaching.Scripture Readings: Luke 10:1-11; Galatians 6:1-6
To access the Bulletin, click on SAVE PDF to download or open in a new window.
SERMON TEXT
When the staff was planning for the summer worship theme for this year, we were reflecting on the deep and profound polarization that we are living through these days. More and more, we sort ourselves into our various tribes, and we mainly affiliate with, and click through to read, people who reinforce our own views. We face significant challenges as a society and a world, yet we are deeply divided about how to respond to those challenges. We can feel the tension between feeling called to cross lines to embrace those with whom we disagree, and feeling called to draw lines to be clear about what we believe.
As we were thinking about how God might be calling us to respond to this, we noticed that the lectionary epistle readings for July begin with our remarkable little passage from Galatians 6 this morning, in which we find the phrase, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” “Bearing each other’s burdens” struck us as a thread worth pulling on, as we try to find our way forward. We’ll be exploring other texts through the month, but Galatians 6 is our launching pad.
The letter of Galatians, as a
whole, is a full-throated defense of the freedom
to which the gospel of grace releases us. Freedom is always a good place to
start. “For freedom Christ has set us free,” Paul says in chapter 5; “Stand
firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” On the cross, Jesus set people free from all
the evils of every age. We are no longer
bound or subject to any imperial or coercive regime. We have been set free. As we like to say here at Lewinsville, “We do
not need to be afraid, of anyone, or anything, anymore.”
But in chapter 5 and 6 of this letter, Paul makes it clear that the freedom to which we belong has a particular shape to it. We need to be clear about this, because Christian freedom is distinct from what the world often means by freedom. Christian freedom is not some kind of unbridled, unrestrained autonomy, as if we are free to do whatever our tiny, self-absorbed egos might want to do.
Some years ago, I was on a mission trip in the Dominican Republic with a group of adults from another church. During that week, as our group was reflecting on the beautiful work we were doing alongside families and children who were living in profound poverty, I shared with the group how embarrassed I was to realize that there was a big part of me that just wanted to get away from other people. In that context, I had the horrible realization that there was a part of me that dreamed of living in a great big air-conditioned house, all by myself, with TV on all the time and an endless supply of Dr. Pepper – never having to interact with other people. My seminary-trained, but deeply un-reformed, self thought that sounded like a great way to live! That part of me wanted freedom from other people, but Christian freedom, freedom that is shaped by the cross of Jesus, is the freedom to be for other people. Christian freedom is freedom to pursue the common good.
According to Galatians 6:2, those in the church are to bear one another’s burdens, which suggests that we have responsibilities for each other. Disciples of Jesus are not radical individualists. Our love for Jesus binds us to our neighbor, whether it is our neighbor in need or our neighbor with whom we disagree. When another person is broken, we are to step in. When another person has been sinned against and hurt, we are to walk alongside them, and not to abandon them. When another person has committed the sin, we are to walk alongside them, and not abandon them. When another is weak, we are to help carry the load. Christian freedom is not freedom from other people, but is the freedom to be for other people.
But t