(Gen 37:1-4, 12-28; Rom 12:1-2; Mtt 14:22-33) FBCA, J G White

I guess I am in training. Not for any marathon or race in particular. Just for the sake of being in shape and being able to run. At least once a week I run with the Amherst Striders, and about once a week on my own. Started with them in January. Last week I ran with them on Wednesday evening. I started out great and fast, with the front runners. I was pleased! But after about seven kms, I was losing steam. I really slowed down. The main pack circled back for me and the others pulling up the rear. I walked a bit. I ended running, but tired. I started too strong, too fast, I think.

So that’s good. Good if I learned something. In my mind, and in my muscles. It is all part of the training, and the transformation. I may not look transformed; I need to stop eating all the extra stuff I eat to change my appearance. But my renewal has restarted.

I’m going to talk about personal renewal today.

We had a little study group for the younger adults in Digby. One Sunday evening, when we were dining together before our lesson, a child in the household brought a toy to the table. We were trying to help mould a Transformer from a vehicle into a robot, and back. Little Sam was able to manipulate the toy better than the parents and other grown ups!

At that meeting, the Bible study group took on a new name: The Transformers. Is that not what the life of Faith is all about? Transformation? Is that not what a Church fellowship is for? Developing people; us being changed for the better?

I am taking us into Romans chapter 12 this month, spending four weeks here. We start with just the first two verses. There is so much packed in here. So much, that Marva Dawn’s book about this one Bible chapter has 31 chapters. You could take a month and read a chapter a day of her book, to learn how truly to be the community we call a local Church: First Baptist Amherst, Trinity-St. Stephen’s, First Baptist Moncton, Falmouth Baptist, any other.

As with any other improvement and development, it takes training, training to be disciples of Jesus Christ. There are practical activities that train us to do more and do better in our life with God. Many of them can be called spiritual disciplines, or focal practices.

My older step-daughter and family has a new member: a puppy. A golden retriever. Ellie is learning what it means to be with the Doucettes, and the Doucettes are learning how to live with Ellie. “It’s all in the training.”

If you are a Christian, Romans chapter twelve can influence your training, your being apprenticed to Jesus. Paul the apostle wrote: I appeal to you therefore, [dear siblings], on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship [service].

Nine pages into this letter, Paul turns to some practical things, with four pages to go. Give your body - really, your whole self - over to God. Be a living sacrifice, not a dead one like all the pigeons and goats and sacks of grain from their ancient worship tradition. Live for God, with God, in God, overflowing with God.

Sounds great, but it ain’t usually that easy. That’s why it takes training. It takes so many steps, so much practice, learning some practical lessons. And discipleship to Jesus is more like a trade school than a philosophy degree. It is whole-life discipleship. Apparently this is reasonable, a reasonable expectation from God, ‘your reasonable service.”

Years and years ago, author and pastor, Richard Foster, reported that he saw in the churches that people were trying, and trying hard, to follow the Bible and be successful Christians, but that was not working. Too much trying and not enough training, thought Foster.

Maybe Yoda was right, in The Empire Strikes Back. To Luke Skywalker he said, “Do, or do not, there is no try.” To grow and develop in all our skills we need to do many things, not just try to get the finished product.

2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. I believe that when Paul speaks of “renewing of the mind’ he means the whole person. We do get changed from the inside out - by the grace of God - yet we cooperate in this process by many day-to-day things we do with life.

I’m at work; what’s my next best thing to do today? I’m retired: what is the opportunity for me among people now? I’m sick, and getting some help from medical experts: how do I add prayer to the healing process? With Jesus we can learn all about these moments. We can learn all about our lives.

We have so much to learn about life, living the best life. This can sound like an accusation against us, and it is, but I like to receive it also as a joyful opportunity. There is so much to gain! So much development and improvement that can happen in us! So much progress available to me, to you! What Paul called the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect, is the actual potential in the rest of your days. There is some flourishing that is a gift from God, from the inside out. Instead of being moulded by the world.

In her book on Romans 12, Marva Dawn tells of the little boy who was trying to open up a flower bud and see the flower. It just crumpled and fell apart. “Why does the bud fall apart when I try to open it,” he asked his mother, “but when God opens it the flower is beautiful?” The mother was speechless. “Oh, I know!” said the little fellow. “When God opens it, he opens it up from the inside.” (Truly the Community, 1992, p. 29)

Perhaps we have learned all our lives, in Church, that this is what God is up to: renewing people from the inside out. Instead of being moulded by the world around us, conformed to this age, we get transformed by the Spirit of God, reaching inside us. And yet we have so many ways to cooperate with this personal renewal by God. There are many things we do on the outside.

I don’t know about the United Church of Canada, but in Baptist life, I find that most of us learned about three things to do, only three spiritual disciplines: Bible reading, praying, and worshipping together. Come into Church on Sundays, and as you go, take a little book with you, like ‘Christ in Our Home,’ with its Bible reading, short story, a tiny prayer and a prayer request for each day of the month. Good. Great. Yet there are many other activities that are the training ground for our mind, heart and body. Maybe we heard about fasting, to go with prayer. Dallas Willard suggested these other approaches to transformation, such as solitude, silence, frugality, secrecy, sacrifice, study, celebration, fellowship, confession, submission.

Some of you heard me mention, in the spring, the conference Sharon and I attended in St. Andrews, NB. There, Dr. Amy Sherman inspired us to notice that where people work and volunteer is a big part of life, and where God does transforming work. So the administrator going into the office for the day, the farmer ‘out standing in her field,’ the retiree out at the cottage for the summer, in those places are in the place to be trained by the Master, Jesus. That is your training ground.

As is our families and social lives. Family dynamics are complex and challenging. Experiences like that of Joseph and his brothers repeat themselves in every culture and age. There is a great deal of learning from Jesus that can happen in families. I believe His Spirit keeps speaking to me about letting go of correcting others, of telling them what to do and how to do it, and trying to keep the peace when it is not my job to do so. But, as an old children’s hymn said,

He’s still workin’ on me, to make me what I ought to be.

As the little boy suggested, there is an opening and blossoming that happens from the inside out, thanks to the Creator. Our part is the faithful watering and living in the sunshine and all. Let us be disciplined and devoted to our training. ‘Do or do not; there is no try.’ ;)

PRAYERS Today, with a nod to the 50th anniversary of hip hop: Let us pray, let us say

God we bow, right now, to Thou,

to the presence of Your grace,

in the glory of Your face,

as we run the Christian race we can’t make it

take it, fake it or shake it:

all the trouble that we’re seeing,

all the sin the world’s not fleeing,

and the climate’s not agreeing,

and the Church is just not being

what our Jesus was decreeing.

Help our seeing.

So we pray here to confess, that our world is a pure mess,

wars and battles keep on raging,

nations, powers, keep on staging

all the violence that’s deranging

and we claim it's there and them

but it's still us, we’re just repeatin’

in our hood and fam and nation

what our prayers for peace berate on.

God, we bow, right now, to Thou:

to the presence of Your grace,

in the glory of Your face,

as we run the Christian race we can’t make it

take it, fake it or shake it:

Now there’s fires in Hawaii,

there’s too many people dyin,

there’s too much news got folks cryin;

Now the floodings in Korea, it’s in every land we see, ah,

and our praying… do You hear, draw near, and bear,

and clear, and rear up to help?

Here at home, where we roam, there’s always mourning.

But we trust that You are just and will just

comfort those who cry for those who die.

Harriet we thank You for; Gracious God she was so sure

of You, what’s true, & all the things she liked to do.

Bless the friends who are sick and in pain,

or energy drained, relationships strained,

reputation stained, or trauma gained.

Holy Spirit, set them free, just one more step,

one move, one hope, one door, one restful moment.

God, we bow, right now, to Thou:

to the presence of Your grace,

in the glory of Your face,

as we run the Christian race we can’t make it

take it, fake it or shake it.

Oh, we thank You, Jesus, Jesus, for the good things

that have pleased us.

You have opened up a door to pray, a sabbath day,

ways to confess, and bless, de-stress and reassess,

would You help us to fast, and to last,

and to get past our apathetic traditions?

Yours is the mission! And we are deployed.

This world won’t be destroyed!

Master, the Baptists just met: we decided, reported,

rejoiced and restarted as we meeted.

God, be with our new Executive Minister, Renee

MacVicar, she’s the one You have picked for, us.

Guide now us, First Baptist, we insist, we persist,

as we search for our next Minister

of family and outreach -

to teach and preach & repair the breach.

And Trinity-St. Stephen, bless for every reason

in this season, for pleasing You, Lord.

That's our word of prayer; You, God, are there.

You’re ahead, there’s no dread, now we’re fed, led,

You’ve sped to the needy and shed glory:

Our lives are Your story.

Praise You! Raise You! We’re amazed with You!

Now You will DO; and we’ll follow too.

That’s the en’, till we talk again:

Amen & AMEN.

That’s a ‘rap.