I begin this sermon with an advisory notice, in the style of a TV continuity announcer. This sermon contains rather a lot of references to flesh.
Jesus fleshed it out – his compassion for people; as he placed himself before great crowds by Galilee, received, taught and healed them.
Paul fleshed it out – his belief in a God for all people; as he journeyed through the towns and villages of the Mediterranean preaching a gospel of inclusion to the Gentiles.
And we flesh it out – our faith; by what we do with our bodies – where we place ourselves, who we spend our time with, what we do and say to those people.
What we do expresses who we are; it demonstrates what we really believe. Christianity is a physical religion – we embody God, we flesh out our faith, just as Jesus did. On reading scripture we perceive the character of God by what we see Jesus doing; on observing our behaviour people perceive the character of God by what they see Christians doing.
To other people, God isn’t who we say he is – God is who we show he is. Think about it. The old Jesus People anthem ‘We are one in the Spirit, We are one in the Lord’ doesn’t say, ‘And they’ll know we are Christians by our creeds, by our creeds’. It says, ‘And they’ll know we are Christians by our love’. And love is something which we embody.
What a responsibility – bearing the beauty of God in our bodies.
What a tiring task – carrying God’s compassion to others in our mortal frame.
What a wonderful privilege – bringing God’s embrace to others through our flesh and bones.
From today's talk, Flesh it out with Jesus.
It says, ‘And they’ll know we are Christians by our love’. And love is something which we embody.