Grace Incarnate Ministries - Video Sermons, 3700 Cottage Grove, Des Moines, IA (2026)

Neal, United Methodist Pastor and Theologian. On his website you can view or listen to his Sermons and his Bible Studies; you can read his articles and papers or view his photos taken all over the world. He is the Senior Pastor of Lakewood United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas.

11/06/2023

It must have been 1999 and I had just boarded a plane for a flight from Pittsburgh to Dallas. Even before 9/11, they used to pack us so tightly into those planes that empty seats were rare. I was seated in the aisle seat, and there was a man in the window seat, but between us the center seat was empty. Indeed, as the plane started to fill-up with passengers, that center seat remained empty! I watched as first class filled up; I watched as the seats around me filled up; and, still, our center seat remained empty!

It was about then that I prayed: “God, please let the center seat stay empty.”

And, indeed, it was beginning to look like that was what was going to happen! But alas … we weren’t going to be that lucky. Just before the flight crew was going to close the door, the flight attendant announced: “Hold for a final passenger!” and my heart sank; while there were a few empty seats let on the plane, I knew in my gut that whoever was about to come down that aisle would be taking our center seat. I watched, wondering who it might be, and it was then that I saw none other than Mr. Rogers – yes, THE Mr. Fred Rogers of “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” – coming around the corner and down the aisle toward me.

My prayer instantly became: “Oh God, please let him be sitting next to me!” And, sure enough, Mr. Rogers came down the aisle, past the full first class and into coach, and stopped at my row. I looked up at him, and he looked down at me while pointing to the center seat and saying: “I think that's my seat.” I remember jumping up and saying, “Oh yes, please won’t you be my neighbor?” And, for two and a half hours, I got to sit next to my childhood hero, Mr. Fred Rogers.

Now, I was going to be nice; I promise that I wasn’t going to talk his head off for two and a half hours. But Mr. Rogers wouldn’t have it. As we began to taxi for takeoff, he struck up a conversation with me, and we ended up talking for the whole flight to Dallas about life and ministry – its challenges, its joys, its pains, and its celebrations.

As I was growing up, Fred Rogers and his “Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood,” along with “Sesame Street” and “The Electric Company,” all taught me about the importance of love and accepting others … even others who might not be like me … in fact, especially others who aren’t like me. I remember when I first learned that Fred Rogers had been a Presbyterian minister: it was not a surprise. His kindness was very much a huge part of who and what he was, and what I had come to know as the essential character of a pastor. Indeed, as I had told him on that flight, he was a large part of the reason why I became a pastor: his care and concern for others, and especially for the least of us all, for children, touched me deeply and taught me that I was loved. It was from Mr. Rogers, while growing up, that I learned about loving my neighbor as myself. His life expressed and exemplified it; his care for children, for the least of these, demonstrated the importance of loving one’s neighbor as oneself. We even touched on these two greatest Commandments of Jesus while we were on that flight.

Jesus was asked which was the greatest or first or primary commandment; he responded not by quoting one of the Big Ten, like one might expect. No, Jesus quoted the “Shema” found in Deuteronomy 6:

“Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.”

Jesus didn't stop there. He added: “And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

The second commandment comes from Leviticus 19:18:

“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

Sadly, many Christians will jump to the first and primary commandment and forget the second, which flows from the first, embodies the first, is enabled by the first, and is an expression of the first commandment. We love the LORD our God by loving our neighbor as ourselves. That’s how Jesus did it. By loving others, Jesus expressed supreme, eternal, divine love for God. That’s what Mr. Rogers told me on that flight. The importance of loving God is crucial, but the importance of loving one’s neighbor as oneself is just as crucial. Some will try to wiggle out by define one’s neighbor too narrowly or by asking, “Who is my neighbor?” Over in Luke’s gospel, that question is actually put to Jesus. Mr. Rogers made it even more direct and proactive by singing:

“Let's make the most of this beautiful day. Since we're together, we might as well say, ‘Would you be mine? Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?’”

Mr. Rogers invited everyone, children, adults, everyone, to be his neighbor. I believe that is part of what it means to love your neighbor as yourself – to be open and proactive about identifying everyone as your neighbor, not trying to find loopholes to wiggle out of it but to accept that everyone is your neighbor, even people you don't like, even people that don’t look like you or act like you or talk like you or smell like you or probably even taste like you. Everyone is our neighbor. That’s what Jesus said and did. That's how Jesus lived his life.

Right here, in this teaching, that’s what Jesus proclaimed. That’s what Jesus did in his life and ministry. And that’s what Jesus calls all of us to do. It’s what Mr. Rogers did throughout his long ministry on TV with children. And, it’s what he did with me. Indeed, it was on that flight, in the midst of our long conversations on that flight, that I first came out to someone … not with fear, not with self-loathing, but with joy, sharing with him that I was gay. And Mr. Rogers’ love and his acceptance and compassion towards me, right there from his center seat, was truly affirming.

I’ll never forget how sad I was when the flight to Dallas was coming to an end. I’d never before been sad at the end of a flight, but I was that day. As we walked up the jet bridge, we had a few final words while other people were wanting to meet with him and talk with him. Mr. Rogers asked me for my contact information, and I gave him my card; he said he would write, and he did, a couple of times before he passed nearly ten years later. And then he added, “Thank you for being my neighbor.” With tears in my eyes, we hugged.

Loving God and loving neighbor – we cannot do one without the other. Indeed, by loving God we are loving our neighbor. In a world that is torn asunder by hatred and bitterness, in a world that is exploding around us with war and murder, with division and disaffiliation, we are called to love: love God and love neighbor. That is our challenge. That is our calling. That is our privilege. That is our joy. That is the gospel within the gospel … the heart and the soul of our faith. There are lots of theological intricacies and ideas, lots of mysteries and spiritual truths, lots of profound teachings of our faith. But, in its very heart and soul – in the midst of the gospel within the gospel – we proclaim in this affirmation, this thought, this idea, this affirmation that is so simple that children get it implicitly.

We are called to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. And on these two commandments, Jesus said, “Hang all the law and the prophets.” He doesn't limit that statement, by the way. Jesus doesn't say, “Some of the law and the prophets.” Jesus doesn't say, “This little bit of the law over here and this little bit of the prophets over here, but not this stuff out here … you’ve gotta do that too.” No, he says, “All the law and the prophets.” That last line nails it down.

We try to create rules and regulations. We try to fashion statements of faith and creeds in the church, and those are fine and good. But the gospel within the gospel is all about loving God and loving neighbor because right here, on these two commandments, hangs everything else - the Big Ten, all the other rules, all the teachings of the prophets. Everything comes down to loving God and loving neighbor.

Matthew 22:34-40By: Dr. Gregory S. NealSenior Pastor: Grace United Methodist Church of Des Moines, IowaOctober 29, 2023

10/09/2023

From early on in my study of the Christian faith and theology, especially when I got into undergraduate school at Southern Methodist University, I was fascinated by the Gospels, especially the Synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke. They are called “synoptic” because they are synonymous with each other. They tell us about the life and ministry of Jesus in pretty much the same way, drawing from many of the same resources, including the Saying Source of the teachings of Jesus. In the Synoptic Gospels, you get an idea of who Jesus was, how Jesus taught, what Jesus taught, how Jesus viewed himself, and how others who were around him at the time viewed him.

The Synoptic Gospels were written starting in the very late 60s or in the early 70s AD, with the last of them being finished by the late 80s. As such, they come to us from several decades after Jesus’ life and ministry. On the other hand, the letters of Paul were of great fascination to me because they were written starting about 10 years after the life and ministry of Jesus, all the way up until the early 60s AD. In them we have an early-stage interpretation of how Jesus was understood, who Jesus was, how Jesus was experienced, and how his message was understood and applied in Christian life during those first few decades.

In our reading today (Philippians 2:1-13), we find a snapshot of how Jesus was understood by at least some of the early Christian communities. New Testament Scholars call it the “Christ Hymn” because they have discerned, through form and redaction criticism, that Paul is quoting from an ancient hymn of the church. This hymn would have been a popular and well-known song of the early church in Philippi, as well as in other churches throughout the region. It’s a hymn about Christ, about who Christ is, was, and will be. It expresses the faith of the church in those early years, and so Paul used it to help the community in Philippi understand what they were called to do, who they were called to be, and how they were called to live.

In the introduction to the Christ Hymn, Paul tells us what he wants:

“If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4)

These words are easily applicable to us in the 21st-century church. Indeed, Christians have struggled across the millennia to have the same mind, the same love, and to be in full accord, and yet we often fall short. If Paul is imploring one of the most beloved and “best” churches of the New Testament world in this way, then things really haven’t changed much.

Then, Paul starts to meddle a little bit, as most preachers do today … like I do when I encourage us to “Be like Jesus.” If you go back and review some of my sermons over the past five months that I've been your pastor, you'll see that I’m guilty of trying to manipulate you in the exact same way. I’ve called us to: “Be like Jesus” and “live like Jesus.” Imagine that!

Paul continues:

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

This hymn was sung in Christian communities as early as 20 years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. It illustrates how they perceived and followed Jesus, highlighting God’s act of emptying Godself into Jesus of Nazareth. The Greek word used for this emptying is “kenosis,” and contains within it the idea of pouring the content of one container into another, as one might pour the wine from the communion flagon into the communion chalice. The message here is that God emptied Godself into the form of a simple human, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was a humble carpenter and rabbi, not a worldly ruler, aristocrat, or powerful general; Jesus was a simple human being, just like us. And, because of this emptying of Godself into Jesus, we are called to be open to God pouring Godself into us.

In Methodist-Wesleyan theology, when God’s grace has a transformative effect upon us, we say that it is Sanctifying. By this we mean we receive God’s grace, are transformed by it, and are enabled to extend it to others. This last step is critical – while the Prevenient and Justifying steps of Grace are certainly about God’s love in our lives us, calling us and forgiving us, grace’s Sanctifying step is equally about our becoming instruments and expressions of God’s grace, love, and presence to and for all. And that’s what the sacrament of Holy Communion is about.

In Communion we talk about receiving the real presence of Jesus through partaking of the bread and the cup. When we receive it with faith, it fills us and transforms us into conduits of God’s love, grace, and peace for others. This visualizes for us the outpouring of God into Christ, which is now extended to the emptying of God’s grace into us. When we partake of the bread and cup, we share in this profound experience, joined in and through Christ, as we become means of grace for others. It is an image of outpoured grace: God in Christ, pouring God’s self out for us in his life, teachings, ministry, healings, feedings, and self-giving. And then, Christ as our sacrament pouring Christ’s self out and into us so that we might become means of grace for others.

You may have noticed that, thus far, I've stayed away from the very end of the Christ hymn and the doxology that comes after this affirmation of the outpoured grace of God emptying into Christ. It’s a triumphant doxology, giving glory to God in Jesus, and that’s a very good and necessary affirmation; but it’s not where we are as the church right now. We need to do a better job of being open to Christ as God empties God’s self into us. We need to do a better job of embodying God’s grace for others … of giving God’s grace to others.

This congregation has a very long and fruitful history of giving grace to others – of being a grace-giving people, expressing the love of God to all in words and deeds. It has been a lighthouse of grace, proclaiming the love of God among those who have been marginalized, those who have been shoved to the sidelines, those who have been ignored. Will we continue to be a grace-giving people, sharing the love of God with all? “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus,” and let the mind of Christ flow from us as a means of grace for all.

Philippians 2:1-13By: Dr. Gregory S. NealSenior Pastor: Grace United Methodist Church, Des Moines IowaOctober 1, 2023

10/02/2023

[This is the sermon from Sunday, September 24th]

My brother, Chuck, is a hard worker. He’s never been afraid of work. He went straight to work after graduating from high school, earning money and getting ready to get married. Oh, he flirted around with going to college, and even completed a semester of those required basic courses at a junior college nearby. But he had always hated school; he couldn't wait to graduate and get out of High School and get to work. It’s not that he wasn’t smart or that he was stupid – he’s not. My brother is actually a very intelligent man. Over the years he has applied himself hard in his work, rising through the ranks of the various companies that he’s worked for, learning the job and growing with it over the years. With hands-on labor and attention to detail, Chuck eventually rose to a managerial position in the company he now works for, running their warehousing division. Indeed, in terms of his career, my brother has been very successful. But that doesn’t change the fact that my brother has long been jealous of me.

I went to college. I went to graduate school. I earned degrees. I entered a profession. I became respected by my peers. I've traveled the world. I've met all sorts of fascinating people. And now I'm married to a man that I love, and I'm in a place serving in ministry that loves and accepts us both. He should be very happy for me, and in a sense, I think he is, even though he doesn't support me in my marriage. He is proud of me as a pastor. My brother and I are simply very different people and have always been different. He's about five years older than I am, and we've always argued and disagreed. We've rarely seen eye to eye on religion, politics, music, or sports. We're just different, and that's OK. But, to be quite honest, my brother quickly became jealous of me.

Early on, Chuck voiced his unhappiness to our parents. They told him that he could have gone to college if he really wanted to. They were ready and willing to pay for it. They were going to make it possible for him to go, and indeed, even a decade later, they were willing to pay for him to go to college if he really wanted to. But that's not what Chuck wanted, and he knew it. He just didn't think life had been fair.

My brother's jealousy reminds me a little bit of the laborers in the vineyard. Like them, my brother views himself as working long and hard all day long, and so he should get a bigger daily wage than someone like me who didn't start to work until later, who wasn't in the field from sun up, who went to school for nine years beyond high school rather than straight into the workforce. Indeed, that's all of us, actually. Those of us who are churchgoers and have been all of our lives, we like to think of ourselves as those who've been in the vineyard all day long working hard. We may have been part of a church for decades, serving, working, building, giving, witnessing, praying, and that's good. But in truth, as painful as it is to hear, we are all latecomers to God's vineyard.

We've all newly arrived, at almost sundown, in God's vineyard to work. "Huh? What do you mean? I've been here for ten, twenty, thirthy, even seventy years. I'm not a latecomer." Well, perhaps in our minds, that's the case. But, in the grand scope of eternal life, against the two thousand years of the history of the church, we are latecomers. We stand on the shoulders of those who went before us, and they stood on the shoulders of those who went before them. We stand on the shoulders of those who built this amazing sanctuary and church - in worship and celebration and service, in giving and praying and praising, we stand on their shoulders. We've come to God's vineyard very late. We're all blessed by God's generosity to us, to receive a wage we never really earned; God's grace which is beyond our imagination, God's grace given to us because of our need.

I'm sometimes asked about the differences between Justice, Mercy, and Grace. All of these are important concepts within the religious life - within the Christian life - and they are related, but they're not identical. Justice, Mercy, and Grace. We struggle for justice, for everyone to be treated equally, to be treated properly and in accordance with what's right. But, we also want mercy ... and we really need grace. So what's the difference?

What's Justice? Justice is like speeding down the highway, going 70 mph in a 55 mph zone. Remember that Sammy Hagar song, "I Can't Drive 55"? Yep, that's us. And a cop pulls us over and gives us a ticket. That's justice: getting what you deserve.

What's Mercy? Mercy is like speeding down the highway, going 70 mph in a 60 mph zone, and a cop pulls you over and gives you a warning. That's mercy: not getting what we deserve; getting a break; getting a chance to clean up our act and do things the right way. That's mercy. And yes, that's what we when we get caught ... we want mercy.

What's Grace? Grace is like speeding through a school zone, going 50 mph in that 20 mph zone, and a cop pulls you over and gives you $100! That's Grace: getting what we don't deserve; getting what we don't merit, what we can't possibly ever earn because we need it. That's grace: unearned and unlearnable, unmerited and unmeritable love, favor, largess, acceptance, welcome, embrace. Love, with a capital L.

It's what the latecomers to the vineyard recieve from God. In the parable, it's what those laborers who came later in the day received: they received grace. And, sadly, those who came to work in the morning didn't like it.

"Now, when the first came, they thought they were going to receive more in terms of a wage. But each of them also received the usual daily wage, that denarius that we talked about last week. And when they received it, they grumbled against the owner, saying, "These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.""

That word "grumbles" sounds like what it is, isn't it? "Rumble, rumble, grumble, rumble." And when it comes out, it comes out more like a whine.

I love the vineyard owner's response: "Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to these last the same as I gave to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?"

It doesn't seem fair, does it? Those late-coming laborers had need, and the vineyard owner met their need out of the vineyard owner's generosity. And we are no different from those latecomers. We have need, and nothing we could ever do or merit can earn God's love.

The wonderful, amazing news of the gospel is that God's love is for us and with us, regardless. God's grace is never-ending and always there, regardless. God wants to give us a beautiful gift: the gift of grace. We're called to treat others with justice and to grant mercy, and God gives us grace to share with others.

We dare not be like the day-long workers in the vineyard, jealous and angry at the generosity of the vineyard owner. We all receive God's grace and promises, given to us not because of our efforts but because of our need. That's what grace is. And sometimes, it's hard to understand and accept.

In Methodism, we talk about prevenient grace, the grace of God that moves ahead of us, preparing the way for us. We talk about justifying grace, God's grace that forgives us, accepts us, and welcomes us in. And we talk about sanctifying grace, God's grace present in our lives to transform us, to move us toward perfection in love. There is only one grace: God's unearned, unmerited favor which moves ahead of us, forgiving us and transforming us, including us, welcoming us, wooing us, living within us, living through us toward others.

Next week, when we come to the table of the Lord, we'll hear about God's grace poured into us, into Christ Jesus, into the form of a human as a means of grace for us and others. That is what we are called to do. That is who we are called to be as latecomers to God's vineyard. Receive the beautiful grace of God and share it with others.

Matthew 20:1-16By: Dr. Gregory S. NealSenior Pastor: Grace United Methodist Church of Des Moines, IowaSeptember 24, 2023

09/15/2023

"The one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Romans 13:8b)

We know that we live in sad, strange, and weird times when a statement like this is labeled as radical. Yet, it has been recently - as in yesterday - said to me that this is a radical affirmation:

"The one who loves another has fulfilled the law."

I try to make my social media presence very uplifting, very positive, very educational, and very supportive. There's so much toxicity out there on the Internet, and especially on social media, so I try to bring a positive approach to my presence in the cyber-world.

However, on Twitter (or whatever it's actually supposed to be called these days), I will get into what sometimes becomes heated “conversations.” Most recently, I have been criticized for being someone who is a Christian, a minister, gay, and married. Many so-called Christians just don't understand how all of that can be possible.

As you can imagine, the name-calling, finger-pointing, judgmental pronouncements, and condemnations tend to fly pretty hard at me from the conservative wing of Christianity. To say that Jesus calls us to love God and to love our neighbor, and that this fulfills the whole law, and to be gay while saying it … well, that can trigger a frenzy of agitation from those who just can’t accept that the Biblical period had a very different understanding of the nature of human sexuality than we do in the 21st Century, and that much of what they believed, then, we know simply isn't true. This past week I've even had someone pray that I would be “put to death” and receive “a quick journey to hell” just for being gay. This kind of viciousness illustrates why Christianity has effectively surrendered its brand, its message, and its identity to judgmental condemnation monsters like these.

In a recent survey, 66% of young people indicated that they had stopped attending church. Most of them still identified as believing in God, Jesus, and being "spiritual," but they no longer considered themselves “religious,” and they certainly weren’t church-going. Among their reasons for quitting church were disagreements with the official positions of many Christian Denominations on a host of social matters, especially the acceptance of LGBTQ+ persons. These amazing young people have so completely learned the ethic of Jesus that they are adamantly opposed judgmental and hypocritical words and deeds wherever they find them ... and especially in religious institutions. Indeed, they put most of us church-going Christians to shame.

Does the fledgling Global Methodist Church really think that splitting off from The United Methodist Church to form a denomination based almost entirely on excluding a specific group of already marginalized people will attract the young people of today? It won't. Today's young people are open, accepting, affirming, and inclusive of others … of all those for whom Jesus died. No expections.

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’...”

Those are from the “Big 10,” folks. When it comes to the Law, you can’t get any more unambiguous than the 10 Commandments!

“… and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” (Romans 13:8-10)

What does it mean to fulfill the law? The Greek word is “pleroma,” and it means fullness, completeness, and overflowing. Love completes, fulfills, brings to total reality, brings to complete fruition, the law. Nothing more is needed because it is already full, completed, accomplished, and satisfied. Love - not works, not adherence to cultural norms and conditions, not behaviors that other people deem to be important, not circumcision, not abstaining from certain kinds of food, not being straight or not being gay. None of this fulfills the Law, for even if you manage in one particular, we fail in so many others. Love fulfills the law. Love - “agape,” which means considering the needs of others as being essential to your own needs - fulfills the law.

Sadly, many Christians and churches do an awful job of communicating this message. Some demand conformity to rules and regulations, while others talk about love and acceptance but quickly grow weary and waver when it comes to well-doing. But grace never wavers. God’s grace NEVER wavers in loving our neighbor, which fulfills the law. May Grace United Methodist Church never waver in giving grace, in giving acceptance, in giving love to, and for, and with ALL. May we never waver in fulfilling the law by loving our neighbor and giving grace to all.

Romans 13:8-10By: Dr. Gregory S. NealSenior Pastor: Grace United Methodist Church of Des Moines, IowaSeptember 10, 2023

09/07/2023

Paul’s letters in the New Testament are what is known as occasional literature. Paul wrote them, or more likely dictated them, for specific reasons to address specific problems that those churches were going through at the time. Unique among his letters, the Epistle to the Romans was written to a church that he did not found. All the other letters were written to churches or individuals that Paul knew and to churches that he had founded, but not the letter to the Romans. It was a church he did not know, he had not been to, and he had not founded. He knew some of its members and others who were related to that church, but he had never been there. So, he wrote the letter to introduce himself to the congregation; he wrote to describe his way of thinking, his faith, and his articulation of the gospel. Hence, Romans is unique among Paul's letters in trying to address a broad range of theological themes with at least some degree of organization.

In this section of our reading today from Romans, Paul is basically giving us some good advice and encouragement. These are, indeed, among some of the most uplifting and powerful words that Paul wrote to the church in Rome. But, do any of us ever really hear, listen, internalize, believe, and live these words?

Take, for example, Paul’s final remark: "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." This might catch us by surprise, but it shouldn't if we've been paying attention. It's easy to repay evil for evil, but we're called to a higher calling. We're called to treat others as Christ treated others, not with anger or hatred, not with retribution for wrong, not with judgment and condemnation, but with love. "Let love be genuine," Paul wrote. "Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good."

Some might stop right there and say, "See, he said 'hate what is evil.' Yes, he did. We're not supposed to love evil. Evil is understood as being “harmful, destructive, unhealthy, and that which promotes harm, destruction, and unhealthiness.” We're called to oppose it. Indeed, it's part of our membership and baptismal vows: we commit ourselves to “resisting evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.” However, we must not that it’s all about rejecting and resisting evil, not people. People may do evil and stupid things, but we're called to realize that people are not fundamentally evil. Fallen, yes; imperfect, absolutely; but we still have the Imago Dei, the image of God, within us. That's why Jesus prayed to God for those who were crucifying him, while they were crucifying him, saying: “Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing.” This is the ultimate expression of genuine love, the very exemplar of love that Christ embodied and which we are called to share.

Paul continued: "Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers." All of this is good and powerful advice, advice that we should all heed. We're called to extend the hospitality that has been extended to us; we’re called to share it with strangers, the unknown, those who come in from the outside, those who pass us by. We're called to be patient in suffering, and that's hard.

Paul keeps going: "Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them." Now that ain't easy, is it? I don't want to bless those who curse me. I want to tell them off to their face. That's what we wan’t do if we're honest. We don't want to bless them! But, it doesn't do any good to curse them; it makes things worse, and we know that's true.

"Bless and do not curse them, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, live in harmony with one another, do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly, not claiming to be wiser than you are." Some of us can be insufferable know-it-alls, to be very honest with you. I mean, that's true for me. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Take thought for what is noble in the sight of all, if it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” That's all superior advice, and much of it is hard to do.

“If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Ouch! I don’t want to do that! There's just some people that I don't want to be around! Sorry … we’ve got no choice in the matter! Paul, you’re meddling! Why are you doing this to me? I don't want to have anything to do with these people. No. “Live peaceably with all.” Well, maybe I can get out of this: “So far as it depends on you…” What helps! But it means that you have to be willing to live peaceably.

Paul keeps on meddling: "But love never avenges itself.”

I want to quit right now. Paul, this is too hard!

“Never avenge yourselves but leave room for the wrath of God.”

Okay, God's going to get them, right?

“For it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay,' says the Lord.”

Well, can't I be the instrument to do that? No, you can't. Well, I want to. Sorry, that’s not in your job description. No.

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink. For by doing this, you will heap burning coals on their heads.”

Yeah! I love that part! Make them feel bad by treating them good! Yeah, there's some reverse psychology in here, Paul; you may have lived in the first century, but you got that down pat! You know how to manipulate. I'll take it.

"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." That's good.

All of this reflects the Wesleyan simple rules, the rules for the United Societies of Methodism. We've got lots of rules and regulations about what not to do, how not to act. It all boils down to “Doing No Harm.” Wesley understood that one can't just have an admonition to do no harm; there also has to be an encouragement to “Do Good.” Here's how Wesley put it in his own words:

“It is therefore expected of all who continue in Methodist societies and classes that they should continue to evidence their desire for salvation….by doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, as far as possible, to all….”

Remember that classic Wesleyan quote:

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”

Finally, there's the last of Wesley’s three simple rules: “Staying Close to God,” or “Staying in love with God.” The actual Wesleyan phrase is, "Attend upon all the ordinances of God," which is an 18th-century Wesleyan term for “partaking in the means of grace.” The means of grace are those instruments, those things, those tools that help us come into a closer relationship with God: the reading of Scripture, prayer, fellowshipping together, partaking of Holy Communion, serving others, and many other things. The means of grace are those spiritual practices that connect us to God and to each other, through which we receive God's love and God's favor.

One of the most important means of grace is giving. We give of ourselves, our time, our talents, our gifts, our service, and our witness. We give our understanding, our love, our willingness to serve. We give not just the dollars in our wallets but our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, our talents, our witness. We're called to be givers. And when we give, we receive the wonderful grace, the wonderful love, of God. This is what it means to stay in love with God, to stay close to God, to be engaged in the life of God, having genuine love for God and for others. This is the calling we have as Christians. If we don't engage in the means of grace, if we do not partake of the wonderful gifts of God's love for us, if we do not share those gifts with others, then we will find ourselves not doing any good and, indeed, doing great harm to ourselves and to others.

By partaking in the means of grace, by staying close to God, by staying in love with God, we are nourished by the wonderful love, the grace and peace, of God to Do No Harm, to Do Good, and to Stay in Love with God.

Romans 12:9-21By: Dr. Gregory S. NealSenior Pastor: Grace United Methodist Church of Des Moines, IowaSeptember 3, 2023

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