Prædiken på engelsk i den lutherske kirke Kiskopus i Copça Mic ă i Rumænien

I read from Roman chapter 12 verse 1 to 2 and from 9 to 18

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.
Practice hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.
Live in harmony with one another.
Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
Do not be conceited.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil.
Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Amen

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

In Romans 12, Paul calls us to be transformed from the inside out. He encourages us to shift our focus from the object we want to change to ourselves as subjects.

We must change the way we think, the way we behave, the way we believe this world is evolving.

To understand God's will for our lives, Paul encourages us to allow our minds to be transformed and renewed. It may sound easy – but anyone who has tried – knows it's hard.

As a bishop of the Lutheran-Evangelical church of Denmark I often felt like the man, who God asked to move a big and heavy stone.

He spent all his energy trying to move the stone. He huffed and puffed and pushed the stone as hard as he could – but it didn't move even one centimeter.

Then, frustrated and angry, he turned his face toward God and complained:

“Why did you ask me to move the heavy stone when you knew I couldn't move it even one centimeter?”

God kindly replied:

“My dear child, it was not the stone I want to move – it is you!”

Isn’t it the way God moves the world - not by moving big heavy stones, but by moving people's stone hearts?

Life is filled with big and heavy stones that we cannot move. The stone blocks our path and changes our direction in life. A different career or job, or a different partner or spouse, or a different family constellation, or a different home, maybe even a different home country than you dreamed of.

But it makes a world of difference if we are willing to be transformed by renewing our minds by God - and in God.

After serving as bishop for 7 years, I have huffed and puffed and tried to push the church in a direction that I thought would be good for the church, but I have had to recognize that I cannot move the church even one centimeter –

but I have been moved.

Perhaps you've had a similar experience of unsuccessfully trying to move something that feels like a big and heavy stone on your path through life. It could be people, organizations or patterns of your society.

Maybe you've had a boss at work, a colleague, an employee or maybe there's an unhealthy structure at your job that you've tried to move – without success?

Maybe it's the structure of your church, community or an organization that you've been trying to move – without success?

Maybe you've struggled to move your children or your parents' direction in life, or even your partner's or spouse's bad habits - without success?

And after a while, you realize that you must give up and throw in the towel because you can't move the heavy stone even one millimeter – but then you find yourself being moved!

The pattern of this world is being transformed by God's renewing of our minds, and you just need to accept and even welcome God's work in you by saying:

“Yes - I offer my body, my energy and my life as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to you, dear God!”

Then we will be able to understand what God's will is. And God's will for us is – like for the man who tried to move the stone – that:

- Our love will be sincere.
- We will hate what is evil and hold fast to what is good.
- We will be devoted to one another in love. Honor each other more than ourselves.
- We will never lack zeal, but keep our spiritual fervor and serve the Lord.
- We will be joyful in hope, patient in tribulation, faithful in prayer.
- We will share with the Lord's people who are in need.
- We will practice hospitality.
- We will bless those who persecute us; bless and not curse.
- We will rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn.
- We will live in harmony with one another.
- We will not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.
- We will not be conceited.
- We will not return evil for evil.
- We will be careful to do what is right in the eyes of all.
- And we will, if possible, so far as it depends on us, live at peace with all.

As Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” That is the way this world is changed. So dear sisters and brothers in Christ – let us be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

Amen