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Sermon:
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We hear in Hebrews that "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit".
Scripture is not there to give us all the answers or to be used as a reference tool for life. It is there to change us deeply. It is there not to confirm our own worldview, but to alter our view of the world. It is there to help us turn away from ourselves and back to God. It is there to point us to the means of grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is meant to be life altering, life changing.
It works on us and in us to bring about this change. The Word of God is not some stagnant thing, but a living breathing thing that is working on us now, just as it has in the past and just as it will in the future.
That is why it is described as a sword. A sword is a tool to change. It is a tool to divide us from those things that separate us from God so that we can then be made whole.
Like any sword, the Word of God needs to be used. Otherwise it will not have this life changing, and really life-giving, affect on us.
Swords are things that need to be used. This happens to be an area in which I know something about.
I have been fencing since I was 11 years old, so quite a long time. When you've been fencing for some time, most fencing clubs will suggest you get a starter kit. It includes things you need like a helmet, a jacket, and a bag to carry everything in. It also includes a practice blade.
A practice blade is basically a non-electric blade. In other words, you can't use it for competition. I was pretty serious about my fencing, so soon after I started, I began fencing in tournaments, which meant I started using the electric gear we use for scoring more. That meant I needed to get used to the weight of an electric blade so I could have more control over my blade work. So over time, my practice blade got used less and less.
Several years ago, I found that blade in an old bag. It was rusted over from not having been used. There are ways to clean the rust off, but you have to be careful so it doesn't break.
If I were to pick that blade up now, it wouldn't matter how well I cleaned it. The sword would break, possibly from the mere act of bending it with my finger. Because I haven't used this blade in so long, it is now useless. That is the case with all blades. For them to have any use, an ability to do their task, you actually have to use them.
While the Word of God does not rust over, we ourselves can. We can lose our ability to open to hearing it and to being affected by it. Our connection to God Himself becomes stale.
When it comes to the sword of the Word of God, that perfect blade, we need to use it. Otherwise, it won't be able to work on us. If we don't use it, we can't be changed by it. We can't have the rust cleaved from our lives. We can't change our lives and turn back around to God. We can't receive that life-giving Grace.
That is why our continued Formation is so important. It is the way we continue to hear the Word of God in our lives. It is the way we allow that Word to change us. It is the way in which we are formed to become that which God always intended us to be, to be that which God wants us to be, and to be that which, if we are really deeply and truly honest with ourselves, we want to be too.
Formation happens in a variety of ways. It happens through hearing the Word and remembering Jesus' love for us each week in the Eucharist. It happens by reflecting on how to live our lives filled with the Love of Christ in everything that we do: at home, at work, at church, and in the world. It happens through our personal reading of Scripture and in those practices that we do each and every day to draw us closer to Jesus Christ. And, of course, it also happens by continuing our learning, whether through our Christian Formation sessions or through other books and resources out there.
Don't stop letting the Word of God change you. Continue to stop and listen. Actively engage with it because it is trying to actively engage with you. Don't stop growing, and certainly don't stop being formed as one of Christ's own. Put the Word of God to good use. Let this glorious double-edged sword change you.