Sermon

Sermon in English för March 23 2025

What God Wants to Say to You Through Others

IMAGE: You Are What You Eat

Those of you who are a bit older may remember this commercial when the company Wasabröd tried to get us to eat more crispbread by asking if we wanted a bloated white-bread belly or a crispbread-like washboard stomach.

In reality, it is a paraphrase, a variation of this saying:

IMAGE: Tell me who you associate with, and I will tell you who you become.

There is much truth in this – we cannot help but be shaped by what and whom we choose to have around us.

This is how fashion works:
- We see what others are wearing and start to think it looks good, or we want to dress similarly to feel secure and blend in.
- Think about it: how else could our perception of style change from season to season?

The same applies to opinions and attitudes:

We think we are independent, but often we start to think more like those we spend time with.
- One might say: Only associate with those who think ”RIGHT.”
- But I believe the opposite: Be curious about other people, other cultures, and other perspectives on the world.
  - Not because you have to change and think like them,
  - But because it is beneficial to reflect on why we think the way we do. Who knows, perhaps we can be inspired by a completely different idea.

I remember when I lived in South Africa in the 90s, and my colleague Ernie Mabasa and I went to lunch and met a beggar sitting on the street. Ernie gave him some money, and I said what I lived by at the time: ”If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach a man HOW to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”

Ernie looked at me and replied:

”But he is still hungry today.”

Since then, I have always carried that comment with me.

So the saying…

”Tell me who you associate with, and I will tell you who you become.”

…maybe should be read like: Our surroundings should be diverse so that we do not become narrow-minded.

SENSE OF COHERENCE (KASAM)

Then again, it is not wrong to belong to a community where one feels a sense of belonging. On the contrary, research shows that it can be crucial for overcoming tough times.

There is a term in psychology and sociology called KASAM – Sense of Coherence – which is based on studies showing that the difference between whether people survive difficult times— like war, persecution, adversity, unemployment—or give up, often depends on whether they feel they have a meaningful context.

This is why Christian fellowship, belonging to a congregation, is so important. Not only because YOU handle adversity better, but also because, by being part of this community, you help others find a sense of belonging. We take turns supporting each other.

ROLE MODELS

Okay, who are your role models? Who do we look up to today?

In 2024, several individuals have been recognized as outstanding role models in Sweden in different areas.

The Fryshuset Foundation, which works to empower young people through their passions to change the world, has been awarding the Anders Carlberg Memorial Prize since 2013 to true role models in Swedish society.

This year’s influencer was:

Police Commissioner Carin Götblad
- For her tireless work in modernizing the Swedish police and improving protection for society’s most vulnerable.

This year’s ”Comeback Kid” award went to:

Professional football goalkeeper Zećira Mušović
- For her journey from a refugee family to international football success, inspiring young people, especially women with foreign backgrounds, to follow their dreams.

This year’s young role model was:

Table tennis player Truls Möregård
- For his impressive achievements as one of Sweden’s top table tennis players, inspiring a new generation to take up the sport.

Other notable awards include:

Swede of the Year Abroad: Armand Duplantis (pole vault) and Sarah Sjöström (swimming)
Swedish Woman of the Year: Lisa Tamm, Chief Prosecutor of the National Unit Against Corruption.
YouTube’s top influencers in Sweden: Mauri Hermundsson, known for his series where he meets unique and inspiring individuals.

WHO IS YOUR IDOL?

The word ”idol” comes from the Latin idolum, borrowed from the Greek eidolon, meaning ”image,” ”reflection,” or ”phantom.” In biblical and older Christian contexts, the word often has a negative connotation, referring to false gods or idols.

But today, we use it to describe someone we admire and often seek to emulate, especially in music, film, sports, or popular culture.

Some say Taylor Swift is their idol.
Others say Zlatan Ibrahimović.
Or Greta Thunberg (the Swedish environmentalist)

MARY AS A ROLE MODEL

This Sunday’s readings are about the Virgin Mary when she learned she would give birth to the Son of God. In this text there is a lot to notice on why Mary should be our role model:

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

How would you have reacted in the same situation?

Mary was a young girl, believed to be around 13 years old. A regular Jewish girl who suddenly received a visit from an angel.

And how did Mary react?

She was not afraid of the angel itself but of what the angel said to her.

Perhaps Gabriel looked like an ordinary person?
Perhaps divine messages bring peace, not chaos?

WHAT DOES GOD WANT TO SAY TO YOU?

One thing I know: He only wants what is best for you and to be with you throughout your life.

Jeremiah 29:11:
”For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

The other thing He wants to say to you is something between Him and you.
And I believe that differs from person to person.

For some, I think it’s about:

What you should dare to do.
That you have a task you are dreading but that is important to God.
- Here, I don’t think age matters.
  - Mary could have said she was too young.
  - You might say you are too old.
    - But for God, nothing is impossible—wasn’t that what the angel Gabriel told Mary?
      - And I believe He is saying the exact same thing to us today.

For someone else, it might be about:

What you should avoid. You are doing something that is harmful to yourself or others.
Being a role model—for your own sake and for others.

For someone else, it might be about:

Resting in the fact that God wants to give you a future and a hope, even when unemployment and uncertainty make it hard to be optimistic.

WHAT ARE YOU PREGNANT WITH?

Today is the Annunciation, nine months before Jesus’ birth.

Now, you might be thinking that you can’t get pregnant 🙂 and I truly don’t believe that is God’s plan for all of us 🙂

But maybe you are pregnant with a plan.
- With a vision.
- With a hope.
- With a desire for God to use you.
- Or with the courage to believe—for the first time, or once again.

Because even if not everyone receives a message from an angel, I believe everyone can receive a message from God.

He wants something for your life.

God believes in you, even if you don’t believe in Him yet.
He has given you your personality, your talents (even those that others don’t see), and your place in His great puzzle.

And if you don’t believe me, then believe the angel Gabriel, who tells you the same thing he told Mary—the young girl whose greatest quality was her humility and her willingness to trust God.

“Nothing is impossible for God”

Amen.