Never Too Late for a Renovation

3-1-20Sermon Notes“Never Too Late to Renovate”
I got up this morning thinking about an old bluegrass song that Patsy Cline used to sing…
Life is like a mountain railway, with an engineer so brave. We must make this run successful, from the cradle to the grave. Watch the curves, the fills the tunnels – never falter never fail. Keep your hand upon the throttle, and your eye upon the rail.
Oh blessed Savior, Thou wilt guide us ‘til we reach that blessed shore – where the angels wait to join us, in God’s grace forevermore.
You’re welcome! Now that song can be stuck in your head, too! That got me to thinking about other “life is like” analogies. For instance: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.” (Forrest Gump) “Life is like a piano. What you get depends on how you play.” (Tom Lehrer) “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” (Albert Einstein) “Life is like a 10-speed bike. Most of us have gears we never use.” (Charles Schulz)
Should I go on? OK – maybe one more. “My whole life is a theater piece.” (Lady Gaga)
But seriously… The Bible says our life is like a house. Here are a couple of references to that…
5 like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2: 5)

9 For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.
16 Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Cor. 3: 9-10, 16)
We are “spiritual houses.” We are “God’s building.” Our lives are not like just any houses, either. Our lives are “fixer uppers.” No matter how good things might appear on the outside, we can’t neglect the inside. Can we?
Our challenge over the next 40 Days of Lent is to first embrace the image of our lives as a spiritual house, and then to open ourselves up to the interior work that God really wants to do in us. It is not easy. It may be uncomfortable at times…but God (the Master Builder) wants to RENOVATE each of us!
See you Sunday,
Pastor Sam