Trinity 12
Romans 12: 1-18
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgement, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.
Do not be conformed to this world – it’s in a whole lotta trouble
Be a transformer instead
Reflection
Cambridge dictionary definition: ‘Conform’ – to behave according to the usual standards of behaviour that are expected by a group or society.
So what are the world’s standards of behaviour? Perhaps we should look to the current behaviour of our world and its leaders, and measure them against the will of God as illustrated and expected by the Commandments, summarised by Jesus as ‘Love God and Love your neighbour.’ If God sent a team of angels to do an audit on current world leadership, what would they find?
- Billionaires using social media to maximise profit by targeting children.
- Reckless destruction of the environment – fossil fuels, deforestation, overfishing.
- Ongoing economic and physical violence against any ‘tribes’ whose values/ traditions/ cultures/ religions differ.
- Fundamentalist and/or populist political leadership telling barefaced lies without shame.
- Deployment of technologies without assessing consequence – weaponised AI, ultra-processed food, uncontrollable Internet.
- Increasing domestic and gender-based violence exacerbated by childhood exposure to adult examples.
So in rejecting these, what would the angelic report offer as alternative non-conforming and positive transformations?
You.
Yes you, with all the baggage you brought and left at the foot of the cross, as you accepted forgiveness and resolved to start again with The Holy Spirit as your guide. All that is needed to put the Commandment to love God and Neighbour into daily practice is for you to commit to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with Him in your life, and the Victory is sure.
Walking with you, He has overcome the World.
Open your eyes but don’t let go of His hand…
Praying Together 29th June 2025
Jesus is looking for commitment. Absolute, unconditional, commitment. When I think of what that means, I’m always minded of Martina Navratilova’s remark: “The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.”
Praying Together 22nd June 2025
As Christians, may we never regard mercy and compassion towards others as weakness, naivety or gullibility, but display the traits which demonstrate that we follow a Saviour who came to rescue those left behind.
Praying Together 15th June 2025
You couldn’t fly a kite inside a church building –for the Kite to fly you’d have to go into the windy street outside. Where does that place the need for the Spirit to act?
Praying Together 8 June 2025
Of all the strange things happening on the Day of Pentecost, perhaps the most puzzling is when God appears to have second thoughts. In Genesis 11, He makes it difficult for people to understand each other’s language
Praying Together 1st June 2025
The song by Mary Black, ‘Bless the Road’, while written as from a parent whose child is leaving home alone for the first time – maybe first day at primary school, going to college, beginning an independent life – always puts me in mind of the thoughts and blessing of Jesus as He prays for His disciples before His Ascension.
Praying Together 25th May 2025
‘Peace I give to you… do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.’
His peace is not remote and only there at the end of things – His Peace is with us now.
Praying Together 18th May 2025
So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.
Praying Together 11th May 2025
Wherever there are people who have no freedom to make choices about their lives, where there is inequality and injustice, slavery exists.
Praying Together 4th May 2025
But difficult as it is to forgive, it is even harder to be forgiven – even though words of forgiveness have been offered, there will be times during early sleepless hours of wondering whether it will ever be possible to forgive oneself.
Praying Together April 27th 2025
The passage from Matthew’s Gospel gives a warning and example against which every Christian teacher and leader must be tested. As fallen humans, everyone will fall short of perfection– but we can measure lives against it.
Praying Together 20th April 2025
So together, morning, noon and night, we shout Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Praying Together 13th April 2025
He is sinless, we were not – but He takes our sin unto Himself, allowing us the freedom to choose to serve His purpose rather than our own