“Participating in the Body” on Romans 12:1-8 by Joe Ellis — February 9, 2025

When you read the New Testament, it's obvious that people were committed and accountable to the church in which they belonged. For this part of the service I would like to reflect with you on living into this reality. There is a lot in Romans 12:1-8 that helps us see how God calls the whole congregation to live out its membership in the particular church to which you and I are called.

Before diving into Romans 12, let’s take a moment to look at what has come before. Paul is writing this letter to the local church in Rome. Paul’s letter explains to the church that God has been faithful to His promises that we see throughout the Old Testament. God has fulfilled His promises in his offer of salvation through Jesus Christ by grace alone. This salvation is received through faith in Jesus and brought into reality by the power of the Holy Spirit. Having thoroughly and completely explained that it is by God’s mercy and grace that all of us are saved, Paul then shifts gears and begins to talk about how we respond.

That’s where Romans 12:1 comes in “So, my dear family, this is my appeal to you by the mercies of God: offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God.” In response to God’s inexhaustible mercy and grace, we offer ourselves completely and totally to God as a living sacrifice.

Now remember, Paul is talking to the whole church together. Every time you see the word ‘you’, think ‘all of you,’ or as Americans might say ‘y’all.’ What Paul says in this passage is for the church together. Paul is not talking to a bunch of individuals, he is talking to the congregation. It's the congregation that Paul challenges to offer themselves as a living sacrifice. Paul says in 12:2, “Don’t let yourselves be squeezed into the shape dictated by the present age. Instead, be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can work out what God’s will is—what is good, acceptable and complete.” Because Paul is talking to the whole church, let me suggest that this is the job for the whole church to do together. That’s why we come together as a church. Together we move from having a mind darkened by sin, to the place of understanding God’s will and living into God’s will. Through participating in the church community, our minds become transformed together, and together we learn to live into that which is good, acceptable and complete. We die to the old self (the old self which is sacrificed on the altar), and we learn how to live the life of Jesus.

In a moment we will ordain Mike and Andreas to the position of Elders. The Elders in the Reformed Tradition have a unique role in helping the congregation move in this direction. You will hear me say “Elders must provide for the true preaching of the Word, instruction for faith formation for both youth and adults, regular celebration of the sacraments, and faithful counsel and discipline while keeping in confidence those matters entrusted to them. And they must promote fellowship and hospitality among believers, ensure good order in the church, and stimulate witness to all people.” Now, let me make clear that they are not to do all this by themselves. That is the responsibility of the whole congregation!! — but that they are to oversee these aspects that are so essential for transformation into Christ’s likeness.

Now, let me take a moment to say how our church’s Reformed Identity fits into this role of transformation of the Christian at Telkwa Community Church. Most of you probably know that our church is a part of the Christian Reformed Church of North America, which has its roots in the theology of John Calvin. There are a number of theological markers of a Reformed church that you can read about in the Heidelberg Catechism or in the contemporary testimony, “Our World Belongs to God”. If you are new here, take a look at those documents, they’re good — and they’ll give you an idea of this church’s framework of belief and discipleship.

Now, having the label “Reformed”, and these confessional documents we point to is our way of laying our cards on the table. It's our way of saying, these are the guidelines that will shape how we go about transforming minds in this congregation. You can read our Creeds and Confessions and see how you will be discipled in this congregation. When you read the Reformed Creeds and Confessions you will see that we are Christian through and through.

This is a guarantee for those of you who have recently joined our community. You can be guaranteed that our church is committed to having our discipleship shaped by traditional Christian doctrine. You will never hear the divinity of Christ questioned, you will always hear the strong affirmation of the Trinity, you will always hear the Holy Scriptures preached with the conviction that they are the Authoritative Word of God. Of course, the Reformed tradition does have some perspectives that differ from other Christians. While you don’t need to label yourself “Reformed" to be a member of this particular church, just be aware that our Reformed identity guides us in our shaping of minds and hearts within our community. Ultimately, this means that the most important parts of the Christian faith will never be deviated from in this church. This is important, because if teaching is a big part of the renewal of the mind, you need to know that this local expression of Christ’s body will be faithful to the Word of God. That transparency helps us trust one another in this project of being transformed together, so that we can know as a church what is good, acceptable and complete. Together, as we are shaped by the Word of God, the Spirit will shape our lives so that we resemble less and less the world around us, and more and more the body of Christ.

Now, we ask our Elders and Deacons to commit to oversee that discipleship happens in this congregation in a way that is congruent with our Reformed Identity… with what we profess to believe as a church. Now this is sometimes like walking a line. As you know, a while back, we changed our name from Telkwa Christian Reformed Church to Telkwa Community Church. The council and congregation wanted to change our name so as to convey that there is space here to follow Christ without being pressured to squeeze into having a Reformed Identity — although there is plenty of good in that identity.

So, as we install Mike and Andreas into this role of overseeing the congregation’s ‘transformation of the renewing of its mind”, we anticipate they will do that in a way that is congruent with our Reformed Identity. Yet, as a council, we have named that we do not need to force Mike or Andreas to squeeze themselves into fully embracing all aspects of the Reformed Identity. For example, I know for both of them that there are aspects of being Reformed that they don’t agree with — like infant baptism. So, in asking them to serve as Elder, we are asking them to serve in a manner that is both congruent with our Reformed Identity, while acknowledging that they will have personal tensions with that identity. We are not asking them to flip a switch and now love infant baptism, but we also trust they aren’t going to lead a Sunday service in which the main point is that infant baptism stinks. In their role as Elders, they will serve congruently within the Reformed Tradition, while also honouring their own personal convictions. This is how we are living out this tension in this church — recognizing that there is a diversity of theological perspectives here, but expecting that as people live out their roles of discipling others within this church, they will do so within the bounds of our Reformed Identity. The Reformed Identity is not perfect, but in a lot of ways it's good enough.

Now, in a moment I am going to read the form of installation of Elders, and it will sound like they have a lot of responsibilities. This does not for a moment mean they carry out all these responsibilities themselves. Paul nips the idea of a one person show in the bud when he says in 12:4-5: “As in one body we have many limbs and organs, you see, and all the parts have different functions, so we, many as we are, are one body in the Messiah, and individually we belong together.”  Once again, the church is not a one limb show. When it functions that way, the limb that’s over-functioning will probably get an overuse injury and other limbs will atrophy. Each part of the body has a role, as Paul says in 12:6-8: “We have gifts that differ in accordance accordance with the grace that has been given to us, and we must use them appropriately. If it is prophecy, we must prophecy according to the pattern of the faith. If it is serving, we must work at our serving; if teaching, at our teaching; if exhorting, at our exhortation; if giving, with generosity; if leading, with energy; if doing acts of kindness, with cheerfulness.”  Paul has an expectation that each part of the body will use their particular gift to build the whole body up.

When we become a member of a local body, we are committing to being discipled in that local body, we commit to submitting to its leadership, we commit to offering our gifts, we commit to caring for one another, sitting under teaching, engaging in dialogue, having difficult conversations… We commit to helping with the dishes, listening to each other, attending meetings, caring for and teaching our little ones, tithing, forgiving, making coffee, studying Scripture, celebrating, growing. Let me invite you to wonder what role you might play in this church… and then do it!

Now, Michelle and I have sensed a call to step back from the particular role that we have in this community. This could create a sense of crisis for the church — we have had a particular role in shaping this church during the past 12 years, and our role may seem significant enough that our stepping back may feel like a crisis in the life of the church. I don’t think it is a crisis, I think that this church and its leadership are more than capable. But say you imagine it is a crisis — the definition of crisis I like is that a crisis is the intersection between danger and opportunity. Here is my read of the danger facing the church. In the last while, Michelle and I have had people say to us: “You are the reason why we’re at this church.” While those comments are nice, those comments have always made Michelle and I a bit nervous. For one, we know that we will soon disappoint expectations — those who have been here a long time know what flawed individuals we are (I’m not being falsely humble, we have some areas that need growth). Which means, that if we are the reason you are here, we’ll probably be the reason you will leave, because let’s face it, you will be disillusioned with us before long. So, the danger for the church is a mindset that if Michelle and I are not here, some parts of the body might say, ‘Well, I’m leaving too’… and then the church would fall apart in a heap of limbs. I deeply hope and pray that doesn’t happen.

But I would not be upset if our leaving created a different sort of crisis response — a crisis of opportunity in which the church must become a more deeply integrated body. My hope is that as this local body becomes more thoroughly integrated — no one body part will have an overuse injury, but rather each limb carry’s out God’s simple, manageable call on their life. My hope is limbs which have been dormant, or newly attached to this body might leap into new life and action. My hope and prayer is that maybe this body will find new ways of growing, new ways of being, new ways of life, new ways of living into the transformation of the mind Paul speaks of in Romans 12.

If you wonder if that can happen, look at the Coffee House last night. Michelle and I had absolutely nothing to do with it. It was new members and old collaborating to offer the community something beautiful, and raising money for an accessible bathroom in our church community.

My hope is that the story after our leaving will be, ‘Yes, our pastors blessed us for a season, but we have really grown since they left.’ So, if you find yourself thinking about leaving anytime soon — please put that thought on the shelf for at least a year… preferably much longer. Instead, commit to live into becoming an active part of this body, using your gift in accord with the grace that God has given you.

This expression of the body of Christ is beautiful. This is the gift of Telkwa Community Church — I believe that in this community God has created a space for people to come and be truly human with each other and before God. I believe that this church community provides a space for people to come and be nurtured, rested and healed. I believe that this church community provides a reprieve from other places where you become squeezed into something you are not. Instead, this is a church community that creates a special space in which through gentle, loving care, the Spirit comes into our hearts. Through this community of people, the Spirit brings about the transforming renewal of your mind into discovering God’s good, pleasing and perfect will.