The Second Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 7), June 22, 2025

A word of encouragement:

Most of our congregations have heard the gospel stories preached again and again over the years. While the good news is always fresh, the good news is found throughout Scripture. If you (like me) tend toward the gospels, why not try to dip into the good news found in Paul’s letter to the Galatians?

Background and Historical Setting

Paul probably wrote the letter to the church in Galatia from Antioch (in Syria) after his first journey and before the Jerusalem Council, probably around 48 CE. During his first missionary journey, Paul had established churches in the southern region of the Roman province of Galatia, including cities like Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (Acts 13-14). After hearing that these churches were being influenced by teachers insisting on adherence to the Mosaic Law (especially circumcision and adherence to Jewish food prohibitions), Paul wrote Galatians to correct this and reaffirm the gospel of justification by faith alone.

Galatia was a Roman province in modern central Turkey, known for its diverse cultural and ethnic makeup. By Paul’s time, Galatia included both the ethnic Galatian heartland in the north and important southern cities—such as Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, all of which had become Romanized and were part of the Roman provincial system. The region was governed according to Roman law and administration, but local customs and languages persisted. The population was a mix of indigenous Anatolians, Celts, Greeks, Romans, and Jews, making it a crossroads of cultures and religions.

Economically, Galatia was primarily agrarian, with towns serving as centers for trade and administration. The region was prosperous enough to attract Roman interest and investment, but many people still lived in rural villages. Religiously, Galatia was pluralistic. Temples to Greek and Roman gods, local deities, and the imperial cult coexisted with a significant Jewish minority, especially in the southern cities. The Jewish communities were influential and maintained synagogues, which became key starting points for Paul’s missionary activity.

The early church was rapidly becoming multiethnic, with Gentiles joining what had begun as a Jewish movement. This created tension over identity, belonging, and religious practice. There was no consensus yet on how Jewish law applied to Gentile believers. The very early church was wrestling with foundational questions: Who belongs? What does it mean to be part of God’s family? What is the basis of salvation? What does one have to do in order to be a part of the church (ekklesia).

Paul’s tone toward the Galatians in this letter is one of disapproval. This letter skips his customary thanksgivings and quickly moves to admonishment and pronouncing a curse (anathema) on anyone preaching contrary to Paul’s view. He calls them foolish (3:1), writes that he is “perplexed about you,” (4:20) in regard to their move toward Jewish law and practice. In chapter 5, Paul warns that accepting circumcision means being “alienated from Christ,” and in 5:12 he uses strong hyperbole, saying he wishes those who unsettle them would “go the whole way and emasculate themselves.” This strong language reflects his deep concern and frustration over the Galatians’ departure from the gospel he had preached to them, and their willingness to accept teachings that required Gentile believers to adopt Jewish law and customs.

A translation ‘issue’ to be aware of:

“Sons of God” (v. 26): the Greek text uses the word υἱοὶ (huioi), which literally means “sons” of God. This is the masculine plural form commonly used for male offspring or heirs. The Greek does not use the more general word for “children” (τέκνα, tekna) in this verse. Many English translations (such as the NIV and KJV) render it as “children of God” to emphasize the inclusive intent of Paul’s message, especially given the context of Galatians 3:28, where Paul declares that in Christ there is “neither male nor female.” The term “sons” reflects the Roman legal context of adoption and inheritance, where only sons could be legal heirs, but Paul’s argument is that all who have faith in Christ are granted full status as heirs, regardless of gender. Later, in 3:29, Paul uses “children” (τέκνα, tekna) to refer to all who have faith as heirs to reinforce his point about inclusivity in the kin-dom of God.

Church Fights

Almost as soon as there were Christians, there were fights in churches. I hope your ministry setting is conflict free, but if it is not, I hope this gives you some hope. Faithful people have been fighting since our very beginnings about how to best be faithful to Jesus. The pessimist might see this as a glass half empty situation. We started out fighting and we continue to this day. It could lead one to despair of Jesus’ vision gaining fulfillment. That might be a sermon better suited to a talk on the eschaton. The fact that we’ve fought since the beginning gives me hope. But, at least we are in good company! And, we (usually) are not fighting over the same issues any more.

More than that, here we see how the church navigates conflict and contrast. Conflict is destructive, often resulting in chaos, and reducing or limiting viable options for creative transformation. Contrast, on the other hand, works to integrate diverse elements while preserving differences. Opposites or differences creatively co-exist, enriching experience without erasing difference. Dissonance often leads to creative synthesis and growth. What we seem to have in these verses is how the early church navigated contrast and dissonance.

The Law as Divine Persuasion (vv. 23-24)

Paul describes the Law as a paidagōgos (“guardian” or “tutor”) that guided Israel until Christ. This makes sense as part of God’s persuasive strategy—using structures like the Law to invite humanity toward relational maturity. The Law can be understood not as an end but a dynamic step in God’s relationship with a group of people to foster trust and interdependence. While it would be dishonest to tell our congregations that the Law floated down out of heaven as one, unified, unchanging proclamation by God, it is fair to say that the law functioned as a reflection of the human/divine relationship, however imperfect.

God can work through temporal systems (like the Law) to invite creation into deeper harmony. The Law, like everything else in existence, changes, and as faithful followers of Jesus, we need to be aware of when God calls us to new ways of living and relating that ‘draw the circle wider.’

Faith as Relational Trust (v. 25-26)

“Now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” Faith is an active participation in God’s ongoing creative transformation. Following Jesus transcends legal transactions, aligning with God’s aim for mutual flourishing.

Inclusive Sonship: The term “sons of God” (v. 26) emphasizes relational belonging. This can preach as a radical invitation into God’s perichoretic (mutually indwelling) community, erasing hierarchies of worth.

Unity in Christ (vv. 27-28)

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.” Paul dismantles societal divisions, asserting that baptism “clothes” all in Christ. This unity serves as a foretaste of God’s aim for interdependence, where diverse identities coexist in creative harmony.

Ethical Implications: The church becomes a microcosm of God’s relational vision, challenging systemic oppression, welcoming all, and modeling shalom.

Heirs Through Promise (v. 29)

As “Abraham’s seed,” believers inherit God’s covenant promises. This inheritance is not a fixed reward but a participation in God’s unfolding project of renewal. The “promise” is an open-ended invitation toward justice and reconciliation.

 

Possible Sermon Illustration:

Sermon Illustration: The Church Thermostat

When I was a new pastor, I faced one of the most difficult challenges any pastor can face: how to deal with the church thermostat. We had recently voted to change the analog thermostat to a digital version. The new digital model was bought and then installed by one of our handier church members. He learned the complicated system of buttons to press and inputs to give and programmed it to heat up the sanctuary to be ready for worship and then shut off shortly after fellowship hour and Sunday school ended.

It worked great! Everyone was pleased. The energy bill decreased slightly and we called it a win. But…when I asked for the instructions for the thermostat, he informed me that he had them. With him. And he would be leaving for Florida (a different state) for six months. I explained that the program would need to be changed to make the sanctuary comfortable for the winter weather. He explained in no uncertain terms that he was the one in charge of the thermostat and he would change the settings when he returned to our state in March.

This as you can imagine was not acceptable. Eventually, the church council had to get involved. They passed a new by-law that said the instructions for any device owned by the church must be housed in the church office. As things tend to do in churches, this resolution took months to pass. In the meantime, in fear of frozen pipes and uncomfortable worship services, I googled the instructions and reprogrammed the thermostat myself. To my surprise, a lock box appeared on the thermostat that week. And, you guessed it. That member installed it and kept the keys. Once again, a resolution needed to be made, studied, and voted on before its addition to the by-laws. You may also have guessed that I googled the make and model of the lockbox and ordered replacement keys. This was a classic church power struggle and seminary had not prepared me for this!

Fast forward to my new call at a small, rural church—and the need for a new thermostat. With fear and trembling, I worked with the church council and the head of the buildings and grounds committee to get a replacement. This time, I was determined to head off any of multitude of church thermostat power struggles that could arise. First, I simply asked the church council what the policy was about instructions. While they didn’t have a policy, they did have a practice of keeping instructions in the church office and they expected that practice would continue. Since the head of buildings and grounds also sits on the council, that problem was solved before it became a problem. Next, the question of a lockbox came up. This might be one of the most controversial topics in Christian history. I came down solidly on the side of no lockbox. Several members disagreed with me, and made the very cogent argument that well-meaning people could mess up the programming and cost the church a lot of money. I agreed with that too. Here was my proposed solution:

We added this sign as the cover on the thermostat, it read:

Doctor: “Your Father has been in a coma for 9 days, we’re running out of ideas.”

Son: “Let me try something.”

 [Goes to adjust thermostat.]

Father: [Opens one eye.]

God’s eye is on this thermostat, woe to anyone who messes up the programming.

Please ask in the church office or contact [the head of buildings and grounds] at [phone number] if you need assistance.

Not once did we have a problem with the thermostat.

We can creatively transform conflict into contrast. Like the Galatians, we can confront modern “Judaizers” (systems of exclusion) that fragment God’s vision. The Spirit invites us to co-create a world where all are heirs of promise.