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 22nd September 2024
Who’s the GOAT?
That question is guaranteed to provoke endless argument, the claimed candidate being dependent on personal allegiances, age, culture and experience.
Praying Together 15th September 2024
Jesus makes it very clear that following him appears costly – if you measure it in human terms.
Praying Together 8th September 2024
And this is the time of the year when many young people are stepping out into a new chapter of life – first day at school or college, perhaps a first job – and as parents, we try to disguise our feelings of concern as we realise that we have to trust them to the Lord and let go.
Praying Together 25th August 2024
Violence achieves nothing towards bringing in the Kingdom of God. All it does is engender more violence.
Praying Together 18th August 2024
No ifs or buts. We are all one. Whoever, wherever. One family in Christ, even those who are not of the sheepfold.
Praying Together 11th August 2024
Trinity 11 Collect O God, you demonstrate your almighty power most clearly in showing mercy and pity: Mercifully grant to us such a measure of your grace, that we, seeking to obey your commandments, may receive your gracious promises, and be allowed to share your...
Praying Together 4th August 2024
“Therefore, I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you by the laying on of my hands.” 2 Timothy 1:6
Praying Together 28th July 2024
Trinity 9CollectAlmighty God, who sent your Holy Spirit to be the life and light of your Church: Open our hearts to the riches of his grace, that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in love and joy and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephesians 3:...
Praying Together 21st July 2024
It is all too easy to look at the speck in another’s eye while ignoring the plank in our own. We live in God’s created world with many different people; but when it comes down to it, we are all His children, brothers and sisters.
Praying Together 14th July 2024
If there is no laughter, Jesus has gone somewhere else. If there is no joy and freedom, it is not a church.
Praying Together 7th July 2024
Be blessed to (and be prepared for) whatever you are called this day, in His name, however unexpected!
Praying Together 30th June 2024
Jesus’ healing is a signpost pointing to the culmination of His divine mission, that encompasses His suffering and torture, His death, His triumph over sin through His cross, and the defeat of evil in His resurrection.