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. (Romans 12:1-2)
What does it mean to be a Christian? What does it mean to be the church or a
congregation of the Church in 2015? These are questions that (I hope) we wrestle with
on a frequent, if not daily, basis. For a long time the answer of what it means to be a
Christian was easy. All you had to do, it seemed, was to be a good citizen of the the
United States. You went to worship on Sunday morning with most of your neighbors;
you lived according to the laws of society and all was well. Somewhere along the way,
life changed. Blue laws disappeared; options for Sunday mornings increased; the
church was no longer the center of the community; society became much more diverse;
communication via electronic media increasingly took the place of face to face
relationships for many people. In addition the basis of our economy shifted from
manufacturing to service. Jobs disappeared from our small communities and young
people left to find work. Being a member of a congregation (or the right congregation)
was no longer necessary to advance in business. Congregations lost members.
Experts began to tell us we live in a post Christian era. When congregations say but
weve always done it this way, they are crying out in frustration because they do not
understand why things have changed. Unfortunately, the more we try to do things the
way we always have, the worse it seems to get. So, what does it mean to be the church,
to be a Christian in 2015?
First of all, the situation is not as dire as it seems, although if we do nothing differently,
nothing will change and we will continue to get the same results we have now. Second,
it is time to return to scripture and determine what God is calling us to do and be today.
Paul wrote to the Roman church, Do 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 This is true for us as individuals and as a congregation. Remember that we are
called to be people of faith, trusting in our Lord and Savior. Jesus taught his disciples
that if they wanted to live that had to give up life as they knew it and instead seek to
serve God. Belief in Jesus as savior and Lord was said, in the first century, to turn the
world upside down. Following Jesus, being a Christian or a Christian community, will
always turn the world as we have known it upside down. Admittedly, it is always easier
to be conformed to this world, to do what weve always done, than it is to be
transformed by the renewing of our minds in and through the Holy Spirit of God. Later
in Romans 12, Paul wrote to the church, 12Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering,
persevere in prayer. Remember the promise of Jesus when he sent the disciples into
the word to make other disciples, I am with you to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
God is with us, always. May we be transformed in God, not conformed to this world.
Blessings, Pastor Kathy