Series: Traveling Light (Galatians)

 

Free To Change

(A Communion Meditation)

Galatians 1:13-16, 20-24

September 01, 2002

 Once upon a time…  Perhaps four of the most famous words ever spoken or written.  When we hear those words, “Once Upon a time”, we immediately perk up.  Our attention focuses and our imaginations turn on.  For when we hear, “once upon a time”, we know that a story is beginning, and we like stories.

 Stories take us places.  For some, stories remind us that there are other worlds out there; places where good battles evil, where goodhearted Hobbits battle the dark forces of Sauron.  Sometimes stories bridge generations.  I recently heard a World War II veteran describing the battle of Dieppe to a Canadian high school student.  In rapt attention, the student took in every detail of the battle as told by this nearly forgotten hero.

 I love stories when they are used to tell of someone’s journey. 

 Take the Apostle Paul’s story, for example.  Paul’s story is about change—transformation at the hands of a sovereign, grace-giving, merciful God.  Paul’s story was one of radical, wholehearted transformation. 

 We began a journey through the book of Galatians from the Bible. Galatians was written because there were false teachers out to wreck the story of the Gospel message, wreak havoc on the freedom that comes from the Cross and Spirit.  I can imagine Paul as he sat down to write his letter to the Galatian church.  Pen in hand, parchment rolled out before him.  Desperate, righteous anger fuelling his thoughts, and then his mind goes back to that day…

 “(For you have heard of my previous way of life…) Once Upon a time, while I was living a life so far away from God, so sin-encrusted, so hate filled, I met Jesus.  He came to me one afternoon while I was riding my horse to Damascus .  There was all of a sudden blinding light, and I was thrown to the ground.  As I scrambled to right myself, I cried out, ‘Who is this?’

 ‘It is I, the Lord Jesus, the one you’ve committed your whole life to persecuting.  I want you, Paul.  I love you, I forgive you, and you are about to be changed.  You are no longer bound to the life you’ve always lived.  Hate will no longer be your motive, grace will.  I want to transform your life; I want to set you free.  Free from sin, free from lies, free from legalism, free from performance orientation, free to change!  Now get up, and follow me!’

 At one time, I was wrapped so tightly, bound by the cords of slavery that I could barely breathe.  But when I encountered the freedom of the Gospel message—that Jesus died on the cross for my sin and he’s given me his Holy Spirit as my guide for living—life was different.  I was free!  This is what I preached to you about.  This is what you heard and accepted.  This is what you are in the process of rejecting.  Don’t!  Whatever you do, remember my story, remember your story, and remember Jesus’ story!”

 Remember Jesus’ story.  And we do.  This morning we remember Jesus’ story.  We recall that Jesus gathered his closest friends together the night before he died.  In a musty, cramped room they gathered for one last meal.  He took bread and broke it saying, “this represents my body that is given as a sacrifice for you.  My body that will pay the penalty for your sin so that you don’t have to.”  And then he took a cup of wine and said, “This wine represents my blood which washes away the stain of sin.  Because of my body and blood, you will forever be free from the bonds of sin and death.  You will always be free to change!  But you’ll struggle.  There will be days when you feel like there is no hope, no victory, and no point.  That is why you must continue to tell my story.  Every time you get together for a meal, remember this night, remember what is about to happen, and remember that because of what is going to happen—the cross and resurrection—you are free!”

 I can imagine the disciples, years later, picking up a piece of bread or bringing the rim of a wine glass to their lips and remembering…  Once Upon a Time, Jesus died and rose again to give me freedom from slavery to sin.  I can imagine them telling their stories of how they’d been changed as a result of the truth of the gospel.

 In fact, in Galatians, Paul himself went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and some of the other disciples.  Over dinner—including bread and wine—Paul and Peter shared their stories of how Jesus set them free.

 Peter, who once upon a time, denied ever knowing Jesus, and Paul the one who once upon time, hated Jesus, sitting round in wonder telling about the change Jesus had made.

 Today we are apt to hear words like, He’ll never change.  She’s been like that as long as I can remember.  Oh, that’s just him.  They’ll never change. 

 Phrases like these are frequently heard in a church congregation.  There is a sort of playfulness—a humorous resignation—associated with them.  But the truth is, suggesting that one will never change, tells us something about our recollection of Jesus.  To suggest someone is bound to be the same for life is to forget Paul’s story, and worse, to forget the Cross, to forget Jesus’ story.

 If we forget that God seeks transformation, we forget who God is.  A lie about God is a lie about life. 

 What do we do?

 I want to suggest two things.  If you’ve ever made the decision to be a disciple of Jesus, then yours is a story of transformation.  You, like Paul, were once living as Christ-hater, but because of God’s mercy, you became a Christ follower.  Now tell your story.  If you’ve forgotten it, ask God to remind you of it.  “Once upon a time, there was a man named…a woman named…”

 Secondly, come to the table today.  Eat the bread and drink from the cup.  For Jesus knew our memories would be hazy, so he created the communion meal so that we’d have a focal point to recall when God’s story of Grace and mercy became ours.

 “Once upon a time there was a man who came from God, who was God.  He came to earth because he’d had enough of the people he loved missing the truth about who he was.  For hundreds of years people lived bound by sin’s cords, and he’d had enough.  After he’d taught them all he could about living free, living grace-filled, he had to make his final journey.  His work was not finished until he yielded his body to be a sacrifice for the sin of the world.  And so, on the cross his body was beaten and pierced, his blood spilled, and he died.  But three days later, the miracle of miracles occurred.  This man was raised to life.  Because of what he did, mankind would forever have a way out of the dungeon of sin.  Mankind could always choose freedom.  People were forever set free from the old way of life, they were free to change.”  Let’s pray.

 If you’ve never chosen to follow Jesus for your life, and you’ve felt the tug of the Holy Spirit on you this morning, I want to invite you to pray with me…

 If you chose Jesus years ago but have become bored, bitter, performance oriented, and hopeless, I want to invite you to pray with me…

 --Amen

 This table is open to all who have chosen to follow Jesus.  You are welcome here if you have made that choice.  In fact, if you have made that choice, you must come!  This is the place of remembrance.  So come.

 

Copyright

Shaun Dyer

Zion Baptist Church

Edmonton, Alberta