On Saturday 5th May 2001, the unthinkable happened. After 34 unbroken years in the top flight of football’s Premier League, Coventry were relegated. What made it worse that this was confirmed with a 3-2 defeat against local rivals, Aston Villa – rubbing salt into wounds, already wide open in what had been a terrible season, with relegation looking likely for a few months. When the final whistle blew, a fan held up a sign that read, “We’ll be back”, little knowing that the wilderness years would last a quarter of a century during which the club would face administration and exile from their own home stadium, plummet to the depths of the lowest tier of professional football. It got to a point when many began to wonder whether the wilderness years would ever end. Until this glorious season, of course, and the last week in which the wilderness was confirmed to be over and, with victory against Portsmouth, the Sky Blues will enter the promised land of the Premier League as Championship Champions, and I for one, cannot wait to celebrate with them as I head to the match later.
As you will be aware, we have been journeying with Romans through much of our Sundays together this year. Through much of it there is a sense of Paul painting a picture of a wilderness for humanity – the wilderness of sin that hinders our relationships with each other – described so vividly in chapters 1 and 2, and our ability to live good lives. This condition affects all of us – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” – , and this has the direst consequences, much worse even than the plight of Coventry City when it had its darkest days – “The wages of sin is death”, Paul declares, and again, he laments, “Who will rescue me from this body of death?”
Coventry City’s rescue came through a new owner, Doug King, and the faithful management of first, Mark Robins, and then Frank Lampard, who together have been lauded as saviours of this club. But this story of redemption wasn’t instant – it needed hard graft and took time – it has been 7 years since the Sky Blues were in League 2 – and there were plenty of bumps along the road, and so many people have been involved. But this is a story human endeavour and achievement and plenty of money. Romans is a story of redemption even greater than Coventry’s because the stark reality is that no amount of our sweat, effort, toil or money can bring us out of the wilderness in which we find ourselves – a wilderness that would last forever and lead to our destruction. Paul’s heart’s cry, from a man who lived a good life – was about as holy of any of us could hope to be, has but one answer – who will rescue me? There is but one who can – and one who did. “Thanks be to God through our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
Romans is a story of the One who came to our rescue, who overcame the power of sin, and pronounced “No condemnation” over our sinful souls, destroyed the divisions between us, who ensured that there would be absolutely nothing that would and could separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, not even the ultimate enemy, death itself. It is the story of the One, Jesus who through the cross has the power to save – and this salvation will last forever. Much as I hate to say it, and while we rightly glory in the success our city and football club is enjoying, ongoing success is not guaranteed. All you need is a bad season, a few key injuries, a change of ownership and you can find yourself back in the wilderness – look at the stories of Leicester City, relegated to League One and possibly Tottenham Hotspur that faces its worst crisis in 50 years. The power of Jesus to save means that we are eternally secure in him – there will be no such fall from grace, for we rest on the certainty of his love for us, which is unfailing, unending. As Paul proclaims,
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Or, he might say, I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor success or failure, riches or poverty, pain or suffering, challenging relationships or those that bring us life, grief or joy – none of this can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
On Tuesday evening I watched the Coventry match against Portsmouth on TV. It was a game of contrasts. The first half was nervy, even after they scored the first goal. But then, in the first three minutes of the second half all changed – they went 3-0 up, admittedly with a slice of luck, and the rest of the match was completely different – the players played with a confidence and flair, uninhibited by nerves, the job done, they played like the champions they were, and the joy at the final whistle was palpable. This is a parable of the human life. In Romans Paul describes aptly our first half nerves – the struggles we have with sin, the heavy sentence of the law that weighs upon us. But in these final chapters of Romans, Paul calls us to look up. We have a champion, he says – that champion is Jesus, who has won the victory for us. He has broken every shackle that weighs us down, he has done all of this so we can live a life of victory. What does that life look like? Firstly, it looks like a life of worship and gratitude, with daily thanksgiving on our lips, celebrating God’s overwhelming, neverending reckless love, oh it chases me down, fights till I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine. I didn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still you give yourself to me, O the overwhelming, neverending reckless love of God. One of the things that has characterised the response of the city to the Sky Blues’ success is celebration. We have bunting and flags in the street, the terraces were full of cheers and songs of joy, the city was – and will be next week at the parade – thronged with people. I mean, I love football, but we have so much more than that to celebrate, for the Saviour has bought us our rescue, undeserving as we are. How much are our lives characterised by a sense of joy in response? I know mine isn’t enough, but it should be. If we take nothing else from our jourey through Romans let’s take this – a deeper sense of what God has done, and a response of thanksgiving and worship in response.
The life of victory also looks like a people who can stand tall as those free of condemnation. When the enemy reminds us of our failure, we point to the victory of Jesus, when he would rub our faces in the dirt of sin, we show him our clothing washed clean in the blood of Jesus. It looks like a life of active and wholehearted service, living as living sacrifices, fully given over to the glory of God. It looks like, much like a successful football team, being part of a community in which everyone knows their unique gifts and plays their part beautifully so that the whole benefits. And here, in our final couple of chapters, it means love and service, and unity of purpose over the long haul –
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, 6 so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.
So, what does this look like? Isn’t the picture painted here rather wonderful? A picture of a community having “one heart and one mind” – this paints a picture of clear purpose. For us here, this is captured in our vision statement of a church community called to be “God’s family; loving like Jesus through “Growing in God, Loving each other, Serving our Community, Sharing Good news.” This is who we are and what we’re for. Paul addresses the upward and inward aspects of these as he encourages us to glorify God and live in unity and acceptance. This is such a countercultural thing. We don’t deny our differences, but we see beyond them, because we know that what unites us – our faith in Jesus, is far greater than what would seek to divide. I see this embodied here, and it’s beautiful. But he also exhorts us to lift our eyes beyond the horizon. Paul is a man on a mission – he wants to get to Spain in order to proclaim the good news to those who have not yet had the opportunity to receive the saving grace of Jesus. For us, this means praying for opportunities togrther and individually to share the good news withj those outside the community of faith, praying for courage to speak of Jesus in our families, workplaces, among our friends and neighbours. As a church it means making sure that we have enough activities that are set up to attract those who don’t yet know Jesus. It’s why we have Serving our Community as part of our vision, it’s why we do Hope Café, Messy Church, Christopher Robin, Together at 2, so that they might experience the love of Jesus and eventually know that love for themselves.
The final chapter of Romans is filled with a whole host of names. We didn’t have all of them read out today, but each is precious to Paul. We know some of their roles –
Pheobe (v1), who served as a deacon and who brough the letter to the people of Rome, who is noted for the blessing she has been for others.
Priscilla and Aquilla, Paul’s fellow workers in Christ Jesus who “risked their lives for me” (v.4) and hosted a church community, so shared their gifts of hospitality. Rufus and his mother, who gave Paul pastoral care and motherly love. We don’t know about the others – the vast majority of them are those whose existence we know nothing about except their names here, recorded and saved for eternity. This is a collection of the unsung heroes without whom no church could function. This church is full of them – those who pray, visit, call, drop off food, put out chairs, who live out the love of Jesus in unassuming but essential ways. Going back to Coventry City, it’s easy to celebrate the likes of Frank Lampard and Doug King who have the public profiles, but there will be many others without whom the club couldn’t hope to be successful. You know – the kit man, cleaners, physios, cooks, many of whom would be long serving staff members who outlast the playing and coaching staff and carry a club’s true DNA. Like many of you who tell me which vicar was around when you first came to the church – in the case of Barbara, that would be all of them! Paul celebrates people like you – for your love, faithfulness, which may not grab the headlines, but brings glory to God.
And finally, we come to Paul’s conclusion to this extraordinary journey – and, of course, he ends by focusing our attention on the God whom we worship
25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[m]faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Paul reminds us that whatever happens in our lives, whatever storms come, God is able to establish us, and we will never be relegated, for the Gospel holds true as does its purpose – to lead all people, Jew and Gentiles – to lives of love and obedience. These are the lives we are called to live. Characterised by love for God and for each other – by this will people know that we are disciples of Jesus – and by ambition for the Gospel, that others might know the saving love of God through Jesus – just as people have rushed to celebrate and tell each other the good news of Coventry City’s promotion, we have something even more wonderful to share, and this will last forever. And in all we do and think and say, may we live lives that glorify God.
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