Sunday Morning Leftovers with Anne

In Sunday’s gospel reading (Romans 12:1-2) Paul urged Christians to “not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, to discern what is the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect.” 

Paul’s use of conform is in the context of assuming a shape, specifically one that copies the world in thoughts, words or deeds. Molded originally in the likeness of God, humanity became flawed by original sin and yet through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ we Christians have the spiritual power to be non-conformists as well as imitators of Christ.  But as the enemy of God, the world won’t make that easy.  Inundated daily we are tempted to conform again. Drink that extra glass of wine if it makes you feel better, buy this or that because you deserve it, or participate in the latest Tik-Tok challenge because everyone else is.  The world’s creed is reflected by Aerosmith who sang, “Walk this way, talk this way,” and the world wants to hold us back.    

Paul could have stopped with “don’t conform” but he went further than this, he encouraged transformation.  This year I expanded my butterfly garden, and it was stunning to have so many butterflies swirling around my head!  The butterfly is a uniquely made creature because it begins as a caterpillar and then goes through a dramatic metamorphosis from a crawling fuzzy-footed thing to a colorful flying insect. This is the kind of transformation Paul is talking about.  All humans begin, metaphorically speaking, as caterpillars and remain as such unless they are transformed by God.  Humans were not meant to live and die as creepy crawlies but to transform into soaring bursts of color! 

Our transformation is not instantaneous; it requires a constant renewing of the mind, and renewing is an on-going restoration process until death.  This is where Paul’s chronic theme of perseverance comes into play. Once the transformation has begun, at baptism, it must continue throughout our life cycle. Yet Paul recognized that the burgeoning butterflies in Rome were still acting like caterpillars when they should be practicing flight.  Now the practice is our responsibility, but we are not left alone for God has provided us fuel to keep flying and that is the sweet nectar of God’s Word, for “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” 

In all this we will be able to discern the will of God and to please him, for we were reborn to fly! (Isaiah 40:31)