Over the past several weeks we have been journeying through the season of Epiphany, a time when we grow into the reality of God’s kingdom among us. You may remember that in the season of Advent we waited with hopeful expectation for the birth of Emmanuel, God with us—as the book of Revelation alludes—God’s presence among mortals. We prepared our lives to receive the Christ Child, who brought light into the darkness of our existence. During that season of preparation, we said that our goal was not to clear out some limited space for Christ, as if he was a visitor, but to open our whole heart and life for Christ to find home within us. Now, the season of Epiphany helps to begin living into this reality. We continue to grow in our awareness that Christ is here with us. Christ’s presence in the world changes our reality. It frees us from the bondage of fear and oppression that once held us captive. It gives us new life—abundant life. It causes something within us to stir with excitement so we can’t contain ourselves and we move beyond the world of me and mine to a reality of we and ours. A reality that calls us to journey beyond ourselves and do all things for the sake of Gospel.

I confess, that it can be hard to imagine oneself doing “ALL THINGS” for the sake of the Gospel. All things when we are awake or sleeping. All things in study and play. All things in work and leisure. All things in public and private. All things alone and in community. That’s a tall order. But the reality of Christ within us calls to move towards that goal. Last week we heard Pastor Sarah preach on what I call the ethics of love—found in 1 Corinthians 13. There we encounter Paul’s exhortation on what it means to truly be the body of Christ—journeying in love with one another. As Pastor Sarah pointed out, God created us for deep love and living out our faith means that we cannot separate our love for God with love for one another. Though this task may be hard we are invited to grow in this reality. Even the Apostle Paul matured in his understanding of love—thus telling us that the journey of faith is a journey that should bring growth and new understanding. We will miss a lot if we remain static in our understanding of the Scriptures and our experience with God. Growth is an integral part of the journey.

Paul knew this reality very well. For if he had chosen to remain the same his effectiveness as bearer of the good news of Jesus Christ would have been diminished. This may sound like a controversial statement. But the life and witness of this apostle tells us those who are open to the leading of the Spirit will travel to unexpected places, will encounter strange people, and find themselves having to discern how to best communicate the message of salvation to people whose beliefs and understanding may be very different. Paul understood something and his willingness to live it out brought the good news of Jesus to lands far and wide. Paul knew that he was called to love people and share a gospel that was not his possession. The gospel is a gift God offers us. (And) this same God who offered this gift invites us to go forward in His name to share good news with others. Paul sums it up by saying that his calling is to be a partner with the Gospel. I think that when we understand partnership to be our goal, we reorient ourselves and like Paul become more attentive to our surroundings for we know that wherever we are God is already at work. Our invitation is to seek understanding so we may effectively share the good news of Christ with others.

When I first moved to the United States, twenty years ago this month, a friend who had lived here shared some very wise words. He said, “people who move abroad most often do not fail because of language barriers. They fail because they refuse to understand the culture.” Paul sought to understand the cultural realities of those around him so he could effectively preach the good news. As expressed in the Message, Paul tells