Qualifications
At this past week’s Classis meeting our worship leader asked this question – “What does it mean to be set apart by God?”
Now, he asked this to a Zoom meeting full of ministers and church elders – officers of the church, who we traditionally think of as being “set apart,” or “called for a purpose.”
And at that question there was a wide variety of answers. Some attendees interpreted the question to mean that we’re called to be a prophetic voice for the church – discerning and interpreting God’s word for the faithful. No argument here.
Others suggested that to be set apart is to be an example. Not that we’re perfect, but that we try to live up to a higher standard. Which is laudable, but perhaps misses the mark, seeing as that we’re just as fallible and prone to temptation as anyone else.
For me… I heard that question and I bristled.
Those words, “set apart,” rubbed me the wrong way.
Not even necessarily as a minister, though some would say that I’m “set apart” for a purpose with God’s people.
Not even as a Christian – as any other member of Christ’s fellowship – though some would say that we are all “set apart” – chosen by God for his kingdom.
Because to answer that question – am I truly set apart? I have to answer no. That as much as my skills and my training equip me to do certain tasks within the church and within the broader community, nothing about me – not the degrees on my wall or the collar on my shirt or anything else – sets me above or apart from the people I live with, I work with, who I serve.
Paul runs into this question in his letter to the Philippians this morning. And he starts by rattling off all the things that should qualify him to be set apart. What makes Paul worthy?
He has the right pedigree – a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews.
He has the right qualifications – he was zealous in defense of the law, going so far as to persecute the Christians, who the temple considered to be heretics.
He was righteous – he lived a blameless life before the law. He followed the rules down to every jot and tittle.
If anyone should have been set apart, called by God, put on a pedestal, by virtue of their qualifications, it should have been Paul.
And yet… for all those things… Paul’s salvation came not from his qualifications… not from his work ethic or his background or his family history…
His salvation came through Jesus Christ.
In this way, Paul is not set apart from the many, but a part of the many.
And that’s a relief to me.
It’s a relief to me because, even though I’ve been a part of this church for four years, and I kinda-sorta know what I’m doing at this point, I have a long ways to go before I meet Paul’s qualifications.
There are still days when I get dressed on a Sunday, put on the collar, and see myself in the mirror and think, “that doesn’t make sense.”
When I get up here in the pulpit and I hear God’s words come out of my mouth and I think, “that should be somebody else up there.”
Unlike Paul, I’m not a Hebrew, born of Hebrews. Like most of us here, I was born an ocean and a continent away from the Holy Land. So I don’t have that going for me.
I can’t claim to be zealous, really. There were huge chunks of my life when I barely stepped foot inside a church. I’ve come around since then, but I’d still be hard-pressed to call myself a zealot. Not in the way Paul talks about.
So that’s strike two.
As for righteousness? I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – there’s no part of me that’s more immune to temptation than anyone else. I’ll sometimes like the things I shouldn’t and don’t like the things I should. If you look at the traditional seven deadly sins (which, by the way, are not biblical, but were listed by Pope Gregory in the 5th century)… Envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, wrath… I’ve indulged in them to at least some extent. So my righteousness by the law is certainly questionable.
By Paul’s reckoning, I don’t have the qualifications to be set apart. I don’t have what it takes to be chosen by God. I don’t have the stuff. None of us do.
But also by Paul’s reckoning, even if we lived perfect, blameless lives. Even if we had the right family history, the right pedigree, the right beliefs, the right faith, the right job, the right connections… none of that would matter.
Because in the end, what happens to us is out of our hands. And in the hands of Jesus Christ. And in that knowledge, we can all take a world of comfort. Because Christ Jesus saw us, loved us, and made us his own.
Are we set apart?
I wouldn’t say that.
We still live in the world. We are still a part of it. We still work and live and love and interact with the world in all its goodness and brokenness. So we’re not apart from the world in that sense.
But we do have a hope, that maybe other people don’t have. We do have a wellspring of love that we can tap into. We do have knowledge of God’s goodness and God’s mercy in our lives. And maybe that makes us a little bit different. Not that we’re better. Not that we sin less. Not that we’re inherently more righteous or holier-than-thou. But that we know God’s grace. That we know forgiveness. That we know eternal love. And that we are blessed.
We know all of this in the name of Jesus Christ; to him be all glory, praise, and honor. Amen.
Let us pray.
Gracious God,
We give our thanks to you that you are with us in all times and in all places. That it is not up to us to secure our future with you, but that you love us without condition. We pray in heartfelt thanksgiving for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, who claims us in your name. Through Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.
At this past week’s Classis meeting our worship leader asked this question – “What does it mean to be set apart by God?”
Now, he asked this to a Zoom meeting full of ministers and church elders – officers of the church, who we traditionally think of as being “set apart,” or “called for a purpose.”
And at that question there was a wide variety of answers. Some attendees interpreted the question to mean that we’re called to be a prophetic voice for the church – discerning and interpreting God’s word for the faithful. No argument here.
Others suggested that to be set apart is to be an example. Not that we’re perfect, but that we try to live up to a higher standard. Which is laudable, but perhaps misses the mark, seeing as that we’re just as fallible and prone to temptation as anyone else.
For me… I heard that question and I bristled.
Those words, “set apart,” rubbed me the wrong way.
Not even necessarily as a minister, though some would say that I’m “set apart” for a purpose with God’s people.
Not even as a Christian – as any other member of Christ’s fellowship – though some would say that we are all “set apart” – chosen by God for his kingdom.
Because to answer that question – am I truly set apart? I have to answer no. That as much as my skills and my training equip me to do certain tasks within the church and within the broader community, nothing about me – not the degrees on my wall or the collar on my shirt or anything else – sets me above or apart from the people I live with, I work with, who I serve.
Paul runs into this question in his letter to the Philippians this morning. And he starts by rattling off all the things that should qualify him to be set apart. What makes Paul worthy?
He has the right pedigree – a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews.
He has the right qualifications – he was zealous in defense of the law, going so far as to persecute the Christians, who the temple considered to be heretics.
He was righteous – he lived a blameless life before the law. He followed the rules down to every jot and tittle.
If anyone should have been set apart, called by God, put on a pedestal, by virtue of their qualifications, it should have been Paul.
And yet… for all those things… Paul’s salvation came not from his qualifications… not from his work ethic or his background or his family history…
His salvation came through Jesus Christ.
In this way, Paul is not set apart from the many, but a part of the many.
And that’s a relief to me.
It’s a relief to me because, even though I’ve been a part of this church for four years, and I kinda-sorta know what I’m doing at this point, I have a long ways to go before I meet Paul’s qualifications.
There are still days when I get dressed on a Sunday, put on the collar, and see myself in the mirror and think, “that doesn’t make sense.”
When I get up here in the pulpit and I hear God’s words come out of my mouth and I think, “that should be somebody else up there.”
Unlike Paul, I’m not a Hebrew, born of Hebrews. Like most of us here, I was born an ocean and a continent away from the Holy Land. So I don’t have that going for me.
I can’t claim to be zealous, really. There were huge chunks of my life when I barely stepped foot inside a church. I’ve come around since then, but I’d still be hard-pressed to call myself a zealot. Not in the way Paul talks about.
So that’s strike two.
As for righteousness? I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – there’s no part of me that’s more immune to temptation than anyone else. I’ll sometimes like the things I shouldn’t and don’t like the things I should. If you look at the traditional seven deadly sins (which, by the way, are not biblical, but were listed by Pope Gregory in the 5th century)… Envy, gluttony, greed, lust, pride, sloth, wrath… I’ve indulged in them to at least some extent. So my righteousness by the law is certainly questionable.
By Paul’s reckoning, I don’t have the qualifications to be set apart. I don’t have what it takes to be chosen by God. I don’t have the stuff. None of us do.
But also by Paul’s reckoning, even if we lived perfect, blameless lives. Even if we had the right family history, the right pedigree, the right beliefs, the right faith, the right job, the right connections… none of that would matter.
Because in the end, what happens to us is out of our hands. And in the hands of Jesus Christ. And in that knowledge, we can all take a world of comfort. Because Christ Jesus saw us, loved us, and made us his own.
Are we set apart?
I wouldn’t say that.
We still live in the world. We are still a part of it. We still work and live and love and interact with the world in all its goodness and brokenness. So we’re not apart from the world in that sense.
But we do have a hope, that maybe other people don’t have. We do have a wellspring of love that we can tap into. We do have knowledge of God’s goodness and God’s mercy in our lives. And maybe that makes us a little bit different. Not that we’re better. Not that we sin less. Not that we’re inherently more righteous or holier-than-thou. But that we know God’s grace. That we know forgiveness. That we know eternal love. And that we are blessed.
We know all of this in the name of Jesus Christ; to him be all glory, praise, and honor. Amen.
Let us pray.
Gracious God,
We give our thanks to you that you are with us in all times and in all places. That it is not up to us to secure our future with you, but that you love us without condition. We pray in heartfelt thanksgiving for the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ, who claims us in your name. Through Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.