August 3, 2025

“Dying Before You Die” by Rev. T. Michael Rock
Based on Colossians 3:1-11 and Luke 12:13-21

Introduction:
Dying before you die.
Buddhism: Self-Emptiness
Tao: All being or self comes from non-being or (no-self)
Ritual – Symbol – Making Meaning – Mystagogia

Corinthians 3:1-11

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth, ³ for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Christ in glory.

⁵ Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. ⁷ These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life. ⁸ But now you must get rid of all such things: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. ¹¹ In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, enslaved and free, but Christ is all and in all!

Luke 12:13-21

 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” ¹⁴ But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵ And he said to them, “Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.” ¹⁶ Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. ¹⁷ And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ ¹⁸ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ ²⁰ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ ²¹ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

(PRAYER)

Let’s play with these two linked stories as both Paul and Jesus are making meaning about things that matter. I have had a theological discussion with Paul for several decades now. I try to imagine the letter from the Colossians to Paul when I read his response. What are the people concerned about. What were they trying to figure out when they asked Paul a question. I spend a lot of silent time pondering these questions in between the readings of Paul’s words. I am pretty sure here that Paul is already assuming that the church of Colossus is full of humans who have already died to their old ways of being. Paul’s first line is a reminder that these folks have already risen in Christ.

One of the great tools of the Evangelist to remind people that they are church. You have been learning and praying and contemplating for years. You have heard the invitation to rise in Christ. Y’all have been through how many Easter’s together? You have recited the liturgies and you have taken countless communion feast, maybe not as many as the Lutherans and the DOC folks upstairs, but many many times you have come to the table remembering that it is in our vulnerability and brokenness that Christ is revealed to us. We are one in Christ when each of our ego desires is invited to die. Paul is acting for that church and our church as the great reminder of the Christ conscious. He is basically saying, hello everyone. I got your letter. I hear that you very concerned about your pastor or the choice of the song your musician played. I hear that you are all concerned with your neighbors morality and you want to tell me about someone else’s mistakes and misdeeds. But I want to remind you that you have a gift of understanding Christ in a new way. You are blessed beyond measure because you have made commitments to honor yourself and others. You have let go of sexual purity laws that some in the culture have espoused. You understand that God is not a God of binaries and dichotomies. You have named commitments to care for the earth, to bring healing to the broken, and to welcome the stranger and immigrant. These commitments have brought you a new life in Christ. You are no longer a citizen of the United States, but a member of every nation on this precious planet earth and every being and non-being is your relative. That is the freedom Christ brings. That is the freedom you are invited to be part of. Do you remember who you are? If you are newer to the church, do you realize that this invitation is for you as well? This work we are doing is revolutionary and counter cultural to be One in Christ.

AMEN? Christ is in all. Or the All in All. Too many churches have turned Paul into morality codes, but he is saying the opposite of that. Humans can be self-centered and focused only on their own needs, all the time. Being born in Christ and dying to the ego driven persona is what freedom in Christ is all about. AMEN?

And then Jesus answers the question about exercising spiritual authority with a story about spiritual authority. The crowd is asking about an inheritance and how to deal with wealth and Jesus invites us to that same sense of freedom. Just like Obi Wan says to the stormtroopers, “These are not the droids you are looking for.” Jesus says to the crowd, “This is not the questions you seek an answer to.”  Where and How you store your wealth does not actually matter. God is demanding your life and your commitment to carry out God’s will. Period.

This is the work I have been doing in spiritual formation classes and leading congregations through conflict to become mission and values centered. Remember who you are and what is most important. Center yourselves on this invitation to freedom in Christ and everything else will follow. In the United Church of Christ, our center is covenantal theology. We are relationship centered. This keeps us always accountable and always expanding our hearts to new ways of Christ’s revelation in the world. Covenantal theology says that we don’t build giant store houses for our excess stuff, but we create spaces of sharing and learning how to love each other. We are movement builders. Justice seekers. The people that leave our centered place of being in white bodies or people with wealth, or male bodied people, or cisgender people and we head to the margins where the invitation always resides.

This is our covenant responsibility with each other. I will use these sermon times to remind you who you are as this band of Jesus followers at Lyndale UCC and hopefully you keep me focused on my call to serve you and this congregation in deep relationship with Rebecca and the other Springhouse clergy. We are on this freedom train and in this fight for collective liberation together.

And this is and always has been the GOOD NEWS!!