Tuesday, March 18, 2025
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God - what is good and acceptable and perfect. ~ Romans 12:1-2
Written by Rev. Dr. Mike Hegeman | Associate Pastor
This passage is rich with imagery and meaning. Paul startles us with the phrase “a living sacrifice.” Everyone who first heard Paul’s words would have known that a “sacrifice” by its very definition is not alive. It is in the slaying that a “sacrifice” becomes what it is. Paul calls the Roman Christians to reimagine what life is like as something condemned to death, having abandoned all…only to find itself alive and walking around…made alive again by a gracious act of God. Paul is saying, “Live your life so completely dedicated to God’s way that your every breath and deed, every interaction with others you have in this world, is an act of worship. And in doing this, you live a transformed existence.” And don’t put on airs when you live this way. Paul says in I Corinthians 13 that you could present your “body to be burned [as a sacrifice], but if you don’t have love, your sacrificial living comes to nothing.” Love is what is good and acceptable and perfect…through God’s grace.
Prayer: Make us alive in Christ each new day, that we might live your love in the world. Amen.