Rector’s Update: Jesus, who took on our mortal flesh to reveal his glory.

Romans 9-11

For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. (Romans 9:6b-8)

I try to plan Restoration’s sermons about a year in advance. Right before the first part of my sabbatical in 2023, I put together the series on the book of Romans that we have been preaching since last Easter. I knew a year ago that I wanted to take on chapters 9-11 during the season of Epiphany 2024.

I DIDN’T KNOW that there would be a horrendous invasion of Israel and the taking of civilian hostages by Hamas. I didn’t know that Israel would respond with such force in the region of Gaza. I didn’t know that the eyes of the world would be focused on this part of the world, praying for peace, and feeling such deep grief for the people of this region. I didn’t know that awful anti-semitism would break out on university campuses and in neighborhoods all over our nation. I didn’t know that the ‘simple’ morality that genocide is wrong and threats of genocide constitute the establishment of an ‘unsafe’ living environment would be contested, hard to affirm, and nuanced by university presidents.

But now I do. All of that has happened since I made my humble preaching plan.

I knew that chapters 9-11 would be a challenge to preach, but I didn’t know how the circumstances of life in this broken world would heat up the environment in which these sermons will be preached. But here we are and so it is. 

In my opinion, Romans 9-11 are three of the most difficult chapters in all of the New Testament. In his book, The Climax of the Covenant: Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology, Bishop and Professor, Dr. N.T. Wright succinctly explains our dilemma: 

“Romans 9-11 is as full of problems as a hedgehog is full of prickles. Many have given it up as a bad job, leaving Romans as a book with eight chapters of ‘gospel’ at the beginning, four chapters of ‘application’ at the end, and three chapters of puzzle in the middle.” 

Ouch.

I was happy to have Romans 9-11 fall during Epiphany because chapter 10 holds out the hope of inspiration that this gospel we cherish must be proclaimed, for ‘how beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’ (Romans 10:15) That’s a beautiful Epiphany theme of light shining in the darkness!

But we will also be reading, preaching, and studying verses that talk about the Jewish people, about God’s election, about who truly ‘belongs to Israel’, and about God’s ability to keep His promises to those from both Gentile and Jewish heritage. I am confident that you will have questions that I will not be able to answer. I am also confident that God will use these 6 weeks to increase the fervency of our prayers for evangelism, for peace, for light to shine and for heat to decrease. 

Plan on joining a small group. Registration opens on Sunday. 
Show up tomorrow night for ‘How to study the Bible’.
Consider listening to Romans 9-11 repeatedly (as I have) on walks around your neighborhood, as you think about those who need to hear Good News. 

We have an opportunity to give our best effort to some very challenging texts.
God will use it to grow us and to change us, for His word bears fruit. It does not come back empty.

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11-12)