May 26, 2024
Indianola Presbyterian Church, Columbus
" Cousins in Christ"
Sermon by Rev. Trip Porch
May 26, 2024 Based on Romans 8:9-17
My Father-in-law, Joe, grew up on the west side of Philadelphia on a street with a bunch of folks descended from Irish Catholic immigrants. When I was doing an internship at a church in Philly, Brittany came up to visit, and she brought me over to this street to go to a block party happening there.
We showed up and I started meeting all these people,
Hi, I’m Mary, I’m Joe’s cousin.
Hey, I’m Charlie, I’m Joe’s Cousin.
Brittany worked the room with me and it became quickly obvious that everyone at this party was a cousin of some sort.
Afterwards, I asked her about it, Does Joe really have all of these cousins who still live here on the street?
And she said, well some of them are definitely related to us, but we’re not exactly sure how for everyone, so we just use the term cousin as a catch-all.
I loved this idea. No family trees or genograms needed. It’s just assumed, if you are on the street and invited to the party, you are a cousin of some sort. Even if you aren’t related and are just a really good family friend, you are a part of the family. You are welcomed, and included, even if you didn’t have the bloodline or paperwork to prove it. You are a cousin in some way, shape, or form.
Maybe this idea sounds familiar, because, Christians it seems have been doing this for millennia. Paul writes to the church in Rome and what does he call them? Sisters and brothers. Now are they actually siblings? No, not at all.
But as we learn in our scripture today, Paul uses family language for fellow Christians because, he says, in our baptism into this faith, we believe we receive the same Spirit that Christ had, so it’s like we are united with Christ, and with God, but also united with one another. And so adopted through God’s spirit, we are cousins. We are sisters and brothers, we are a part of God’s family.
A chosen family, which is to say, quite different than the family you are born into by default. Because chosen family has intention to it. You get to choose to be born into this family, this community. You get to choose to show up for one another, to be there through good and through bad. And that is no small thing, in fact, for anyone who has chosen to enter a new family, you know how it’s a decision that makes all the difference.
A friend of mine was sharing how she recently got to go to a citizenship ceremony for another one of her friends who was finally getting to become a US citizen after something like 15 long years of living here after immigrating here from Ghana.
She shared that she went to pick her up and she was wearing star-spangled clothing, with red and white striped pants and a blue blouse with white stars on it. She was beaming from ear to ear with excitement that this day had finally arrived.
They arrived in the room for the ceremony and her friend took her place among the group of soon to be new Americans, from so many different countries, all from different origins, different homes, different backgrounds.
She stood with nervous anticipation and as they raised their right hands, faces lit up with pure joy. And as she watched her friend say the words of the pledge of allegiance, she could see the tears starting to flow.
Now, I’ve said this pledge for as long as I can remember, but I don’t think I’ve ever once cried while saying it.
These new Americans know something that those of us born here do not. That they aren't just getting a piece of paper; they were choosing to belong to something bigger, To a new country, to a new family, and I think this group better understands the full weight and meaning of that choice, all of the rights and responsibilities it entails in ways that those of who didn’t choose to be here don’t fully get.
Another story, about a year ago I was chairing the search committee to find the new campus minister at OSU. We took each of the candidates on a driving tour to show them Columbus and help them get a sense of the area. I was along on the first ride and apart from the candidate, I was the only other person in the car who wasn’t born and raised in Columbus.
We drove down through German village and downtown then drove around campus. As someone still relatively new to Columbus, I was excited to play tour guide and point out all the cool and unique things I love about this city. And just as we were about to wrap up, the driver asked, anything else we should show them? And immediately my heart stirred. “The Ravines! We have got to drive through some of the ravines, they are such a special place and I think the most hidden gem of this city”
The Columbus natives all laughed at my enthusiasm. One of them said “wow, it is amazing to see this city through your eyes. All of this stuff that you are eager and excited about, I just take for granted. Like the ravines? I grew up walking those, I never thought of them being special. It’s really refreshing to hear why you love this city so much!”
There's a parallel here with our faith. In Romans, Paul talks about the Holy Spirit living within us, making us into children of God. This isn't an automatic thing, it's a conscious choice we make again and again. We choose each day to accept the gift of God's love, we choose each day to be part of God’s family.
This should never be something we take for granted, because it is life changing.
Just like those new citizens who have chosen a new home. We too become part of something bigger when we join God’s family. We know what makes this family special and different from the rest of the world. In this family, We gain access to a love that transcends human limitations, a community that supports us through thick and thin. We become part of God’s movement working towards justice, peace, and love until this world reflects God’s world.
Being part of a chosen family like this church requires intentionality. It's not a passive thing but a lifelong choice. We show up, we listen, we offer support. We wrestle with difficult questions together, knowing that we don't have to have all the answers. We celebrate each other's victories and hold each other up in times of struggle.
Our new members, by taking this step today, have chosen to be part of something special here. They've chosen to join us, a family that embraces questions, doubts, and a constantly evolving faith. They've chosen a family that believes in the power of love and justice. They have a perspective that is different from us who grew up here, that is different from us who take this place and this family for granted. May we listen to them and allow their presence here to shape us in new ways.
To our new members, Our brother and sister in Christ welcome home. We're so excited you're here.
And to the rest of us, my cousins in Christ let's remember the power of chosen family. Let's continue to nurture this community, to show up for each other with open hearts and open minds. Together, let's build a family that reflects God's boundless love in the world.
Amen
WE GATHER IN AWE AND PRAISE
PRELUDE
INTROIT “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee” Ludwig van Beethoven
WELCOME Rev. Trip Porch
One: This is the day that the Lord has made
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it
*CALL TO WORSHIP
One: Holy, holy, holy is our God;
All: Heaven and earth are filled with God’s glory.
One: The God of glory thunders;
All: God’s voice shakes the wilderness.
One: No one knows from where it comes, or to where it goes,
All: and all in God’s temple say, “Glory!”
One: Will we hear that voice saying: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”
All: O God, we are here, send us!
One: Let us worship God in holy splendor.
* HYMN 1 “Holy, Holy, Holy” NICAEA
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION Richard Wires
All: Faithful God, We grieve with those who feel abandoned and lonely,
One: marginalized because of who they are, poverty-stricken or unhoused,
left behind by systems of privilege and power.
All: We lament our attempts to make you in our image
rather than seeking to reflect your love.
One: We confess forgetting that we are all your beloved children.
All: We confess looking elsewhere for the security that can come only from you,
One: and in so doing, causing others to face physical, spiritual, and emotional violence.
All: We confess maintaining structures and systems because they are convenient or we are tired.
One: May we find our identity in you,
All: and in that identity, find solidarity with all those you love, O God. Amen
*ASSURANCE OF PARDON
*RESPONSE OF PRAISE 286 “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” (vs. 1) TRENTHAM
*PASSING OF THE PEACE
One: The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all,
All: And also with you.
WE LISTEN FOR GOD’S WORD
ANTHEM “There’s a Wideness In God’s Mercy” David Ashley White
PRAYAER FOR ILLUMINATION
SCRIPTURE Romans 8:12-17
But you aren’t self-centered. Instead you are in the Spirit, if in fact God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t belong to him. If Christ is in you, the Spirit is your life because of God’s righteousness, but the body is dead because of sin. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your human bodies also, through his Spirit that lives in you.
So then, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation, but it isn’t an obligation to ourselves to live our lives on the basis of selfishness. If you live on the basis of selfishness, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the actions of the body, you will live. All who are led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as his children. With this Spirit, we cry, “Abba, Father.” The same Spirit agrees with our spirit, that we are God’s children. But if we are children, we are also heirs. We are God’s heirs and fellow heirs with Christ, if we really suffer with him so that we can also be glorified with him.
Holy Wisdom, Holy Word Thanks be to God
CHILDREN’S MESSAGE Sharon Renkes
SERMON Rev. Trip Porch
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD
HYMN 322 “We Are One in Christ Jesus” SOMOS UNO
WELCOME OF NEW MEMBERS Carol Legg and Garrick Bryan
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE followed by The Lord’s Prayer
TIME OF OFFERING online giving is available at www. indianolapres.org/give
OFFERTORY
*OFFERTORY RESPONSE 609 “Praise God, from Whom All Blessing Flow” LASSST UNS ERFREUEN
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
As we offer our treasure, our hearts, and our lives to you, O God, may they be used to pass on the promise of hope, of peace, of justice, of community to all in need of your gifts and presence in their lives. Amen.
*HYMN 317 “In Christ There Is No East or West” MCKEE
TIME OF COMMUNITY SHARING
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION
POSTLUDE
Acknowledgments: Unless otherwise indicated, all texts and music are printed and broadcast under OneLicense.net license #A-702452