Becoming Wholly Holy

A sermon on Romans 12:1-8 by Christopher Page, 21 August 2005

© LaughingBird.net

 

 

Introduction:

I am always interested in the derivation of words and particularly the way words change in spelling, meaning and pronunciation over a period of time.  I have illustrated this with the words Humus, Human, Humble, Humiliation.  They each come from the root “hum” and draw their meaning from the earth and yet we use them very differently in common speech.  Another example is the word conversation.  What connection is there between the word conversation and conversion?  Could it be that in a good conversation we change each other?

 

In the sermon today I am interested in the connection between two words.  Holy and Whole.  The first Holy we use too much in worship and Christian thought.  The second wholly, we don’t use enough.  To be Holy is clearly a religious concept.  Sadly to be Wholly or to be whole is not – at least not the same degree.

 

Finding the Holy

I had a conversation with a fellow minister recently and he talked about where different Christians and Christian denominations find the “Holy”.  As a broadbrush approach, the Catholics and Anglicans (many but not all Anglicans) find the Holy in the Mass – Holy Communion as the Anglicans call it.  The evangelicals find the Holy in The Holy Bible.  If you are a charismatic Christian then your conversation will include many references to the Holy Spirit.  And if as Baptists we wanted ꗬÁ䁅ЉሀÁЀ㻪
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ੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳ[1]āBecoming Wholly Holy

A sermon on Romans 12:1-8 by Christopher Page, 21 August 2005

©  HYPERLINK "http://www.laughingbird.net%22%20TARGET=%22_top" LaughingBird.net

Introduction:

I am always interested in the derivation of words and particularly the way words change in spelling, meaning and pronunciation over a period of time.  I have illustrated this with the words Humus, Human, Humble, Humiliation.  They each come from the root “hum” and draw their meaning from the earth and yet we use them very differently in common speech.  Another example is the word conversation.  What connection is there between the word conversation and conversion?  Could it be that in a good conversation we change each other?

In the sermon today I am interested in the connection between two words.  Holy and Whole.  The first Holy we use too much in worship and Christian thought.  The second wholly, we don’t use enough.  To be Holy is clearly a religious concept.  Sadly to be Wholly or to be whole is not – at least not the same degree.

Finding the Holy

I had a conversation with a fellow minister recently and he talked about where different Christians and Christian denominations find the “Holy”.  As a broadbrush approach, the Catholics and Anglicans (many but not all Anglicans) fiꗬÁ䁅ЉሀÁЀ㻪
倀ᱫ            ˆֲֲֲֲֲ֞֞֞֞֞֞֞8ת؆$تٛƺتــــــــــــــࠕɒ੧نٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛــٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛٛـننننننن੧
ੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳੳ[1]āBecoming Wholly Holy

A sermon on Romans 12:1-8 by Christopher Page, 21 August 2005

©  HYPERLINK "http://www.laughingbird.net%22%20TARGET=%22_top" LaughingBird.net

Introduction:

I am always interested in the derivation of words and particularly the way words change in spelling, meaning and pronunciation over a period of time.  I have illustrated this with the words Humus, Human, Humble, Humiliation.  They each come from the root “hum” and draw their meaning from the earth and yet we use them very differently in common speech.  Another example is the word conversation.  What connection is there between the word conversation and conversion?  Could it be that in a good conversation we change each other?

In the sermon today I am interested in the connection between two words.  Holy and Whole.  The first Holy we use too much in worship and Christian thought.  The second wholly, we don’t use enough.  To be Holy is clearly a religious concept.  Sadly to be Wholly or to be whole is not – at least not the same degree.

Finding the Holy

I had a conversation with a fellow minister recently and he talked about where different Christians and Christian denominations find the “Holy”.  As a broadbrush approach, the Catholics and Anglicans (many but not all Anglicans) fiwholeness.  But I also need to say that modern life can be barren of the Holy.  Trite and superficial worship with little space for the sacred fails to nurture a wholistic life.  Pervasive consumerism promises us that our deepest needs will be met by our next purchase but if fails to even meet our basic needs.

 

Parker Palmer the American Quaker writer says in his latest book “A Life Lived Whole”

 

“The divided life is a wounded life and the soul keeps calling us to heal the wound.  Ignore that call and we find ourselves trying to numb our pain with the anaesthetic of choice, be it substance abuse, overwork, consumerism or mindless media noise.  Such anaesthetics are easy to come by in a society that wants to keep us divided and unaware of our pain”.

 

But it is not division that we want but wholeness.  In his whimsical way the theologian Sam Keen wrote these lines

 

A man riding on an ox, looking for an ox

Searching for something that is not missing.

Ascending a nonexistent mountain

Striving for contentment

Dividing the world in search of unity

Killing for peace

Running after happiness

Working for grace

Creating alienation so that we can be together

Questing for God when we are standing on sacred ground.

 

And surely that is the beginning of the journey to wholeness.

 

“questing for God when we are standing on sacred ground”

 

Becoming wholly, holy, begins with accepting and appreciating the sacred ground on which we stand.  I suppose becoming whole does not begin with us, but with the ground of our beginning.  It begins with a gift and grace, of which all we can do is accept it.  And the journey towards whole has begun.