Getting In Alignment

• Second Sunday in Kingdomtide

with Romans 5:1-8

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• I had “dad jokes” on the church sign for Father’s Day, but when I knew that Bville was hosting a soccer tournament I changed the message to welcome soccer families. Part of witness.

(tells a few "dad jokes")

But my family’s favorite joke… There was a fellow in the UK, standing by the side of the road, hoping for a ride. He had a sign around his neck that said “London.” This guy only had one leg, and he had no arms, and he had a third eye smack in the middle of his forehead. Well, a driver pulled over, opened the door [and you gotta say this part out loud] and said “ay, ay, ay, you look (h)armless, (h)op in!”

One time my mom told the joke and she forgot the punchline and said “Hey, you don’t look dangerous, get in!”

• Romans 5 begins with “Therefore…” First four chapters Paul’s been setting the scene, laying the foundation: 

Jesus is perfectly sufficient for salvation. 

There is nothing we must or even can add
to what Jesus has done for us. 

God is interested in relationship
and it’s all possible because of Jesus.

• Therefore since we have been made righteous…
     1, this is a thing that has already happened, a door that has been opened and is now open.
     2, righteous. In line with intent, perfectly. [visual illustration of righteousness: two items not lined up with each other – that’s sin, that’s us out of line. Jesus, however, is perfectly aligned with the goal, the intent – Jesus is righteous – and Jesus lines us up properly, brings us into righteousness.]

• …through his faithfulness…
     3, the door has been opened, we have been properly aligned
         because Jesus did it first. And Jesus did it perfectly.

• …and the result is peace with God.

• Verse 3, we take pride in our problems…

A few weeks ago I asked about blessing, and asked for thumbs up / down about various situations. “So-and-so blessed with addiction” got a thumbs down.

But I’ll tell you as one who has personally glimpsed the power of alcohol addiction I count it a blessing because my experience drove me to rely on God & took me where I could not take myself. The door has been opened and I am in closer alignment with God’s intent, and had I not faced my own shortcomings I would not know that peace.

• And this is the gift of God.

• Recall the hitchhiker joke… the man is not on the road, is not in alignment, and lacks the ability to get the peace, get the result of alignment and a vehicle.
The driver gives the gift, has the power, is interested in relationship.

God sees us in our helpless state and says Hop in.

• Aside, that’s sort of like the book The Pursuing God (still time to join us)

• The goal and purpose of our church
is to encourage others in the journey,
to position ourselves and others
to receive the blessings of God.

•  Hymn 338 Where He Leads Me I Will Follow

Romans 5:1-8 (CEB)

5 Therefore, since we have been made righteous through his faithfulness, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. ² We have access by faith into this grace in which we stand through him, and we boast in the hope of God’s glory. ³ But not only that! We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, ⁴ endurance produces character, and character produces hope. ⁵ This hope doesn’t put us to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

⁶ While we were still weak, at the right moment, Christ died for ungodly people. ⁷ It isn’t often that someone will die for a righteous person, though maybe someone might dare to die for a good person. ⁸ But God shows his love for us, because while we were still sinners Christ died for us. ò