On Weakness and Strength

1 Timothy 2:1-6

Our reading from 1 Timothy this morning comes from a time when Christians were a decided minority of the total population. How should disciples of Jesus Christ live in such circumstances? “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” (1Timothy 2:1-2). Pray for those in positions of authority and seek a life of peace, the writer advises. Live according to God’s will and in such a way that the faith may be held in honor. These are wise words.

But what happens when the Christian faith is no longer a minority, when it becomes the single largest religious movement in the world? There is a significant difference between the godly and dignified efforts of a small minority on one hand and the power wielded by the modern church on the other. Indeed, the movement begun by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was rooted in the lives of common folks who had no earthly power to speak of. Today it has grown to encompass the world—praise be to God!—and operates from relative strength. But what do we do now? The writer of 1 Timothy, I believe, would call on us to continue to pray for those in authority and to lead peaceable lives with “all godliness and dignity” just as before. To do so in our present circumstances takes imagination and effort, however, and requires us to see things differently, as through the eyes of those who lack power, who are at the margins of our culture, who readily recognize their dependence upon the grace of God. In other words, as Christians we might use power in an attempt to compel acceptance by the wider culture, but this will never allow us to be known as people of “godliness and dignity” the way 1 Timothy challenges us to be.

The magnitude of the modern Christian movement requires us to constantly adjust our perspective and to remember “where we came from.” Otherwise we will find ourselves alienated from our own tradition, our own beginnings, the gospel that is our message.

Prayer: Lord, help us to remember who we are and whose we are. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Power, Patience, and Praise

Colossians 1:9-14

I am a worrier. I worry about all sorts of things: silly things, serious things, things that I can do something about, things I can do absolutely nothing about. And all of this worry can leave me feeling drained. So I found a part of the Colossians reading today to be very interesting. “May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power,” it says, “and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father…” (Colossians 1:11-12a). That’s what I want. I want the strength that comes from God’s power, I want the patience with which to endure, and I want to remember to joyfully praise God each and every day. In short, I want to quit worrying and to start living with power, patience, and praise.

I think the key lies in first accepting that God is at work in our lives whether we feel it or not, and in ways that we cannot fully comprehend. God’s love embraces us always, and God’s grace sustains us constantly. Realizing this to be true is a source of strength and confidence which empowers us to live as God’s people. Acceptance is not always easy, but it is worth the effort because the empowerment allows us to let go of doubts and fears, of our fretfulness and worry, so that we can praise God with more energy.

Martin Luther began each day reminding himself that he was baptized. In the same way I like to begin my morning by quoting Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” There really is power in the realization of God’s presence, in the acknowledgment of God’s amazing grace. That power in turn does lead to more patience, or at least a better attitude about things. And before you know it I am thanking and praising God for all the blessings I have received. I still worry; call me a work in progress, someone who is striving for a better path but has yet to get all the way there. My striving is based on God’s power, though, which does give me more patience, which in turn helps me to praise God. So the process continues. Thanks be to God.

Prayer: May we all receive the strength that comes from God’s glorious power, and may we be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully giving thanks to the Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Is There No Room for Strength?

1 Corinthians 1:20-31

Perhaps Paul really was speaking to a very specific time and a very specific place when he wrote today’s passage from 1 Corinthians. Maybe we are not supposed to carry its meaning forward into our own era. But I have to wonder. “…God chose what is foolish in the world,” says Paul, “to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

So often the church has sought to act out of strength, to preserve its status, to promote its agenda. Politically, socially, economically organized religion has claimed a lofty status in our culture. And when we see that status slipping away we fret and worry and decry attacks by the Godless on our way of life. Where would Paul stand in such circumstances? Would Paul applaud our determination to exert power, or would Paul say that we are dangerously close to boasting in the presence of God?

The evidence is anecdotal, but it seems to me that the message of the gospel is far more meaningful for the powerless, those who suffer or who are oppressed, than it is for those who are successful in worldly terms. Should this not worry those like me who live in comfort and relative security? Are we not called to trust God more and our own power and authority less? It’s a very tough question and one that I wrestle with often.

Prayer: Lord, help your people to boast only in you and not in themselves, that your wisdom may prevail in our world and more importantly in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Attention All Elected Officials

Zephaniah 3:1-7
Luke 13:18-30
According to Zephaniah, God has found Judah, and Jerusalem in particular, to be full of corruption and sinfulness. And according to the prophet it begins with those in positions of authority. “The officials within (Jerusalem) are roaring lions; its judges are evening wolves that leave nothing until the morning. Its prophets are reckless, faithless persons; its priests have profaned what is sacred” (Zephaniah 3:3-4). Those who should have known better, who should have lived lives of righteousness and fidelity to God have instead lived with complete disregard to God’s will. Jerusalem is condemned from the top down.

What God expects, what God promises in the coming kingdom, would appear to flow from the bottom up. At least that’s the impression Jesus gives us in our reading from Luke. The kingdom of God, says Jesus, is like a mustard seed (Luke 13:18-19), that smallest of seeds, and like yeast mixed by a women in a bowl of flour (vv. 20-21). These are humble, domestic images that, when set next to the power—and the corruption—described in Zephaniah offer a stark contrast. “Indeed,” adds Jesus, “some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last” (v. 30).

Here in the United States we have just held national and local elections. Those who have been chosen by voters to serve in various positions would do well to consider these things carefully. Power and authority can corrupt a person all too easily. What is needed is consideration for the least and last of our society, those whose activities or whose standing seem to best represent the coming kingdom of God. It is they for whom God is concerned, not the powerful and affluent. But make no mistake, God will bring about salvation. People will come from all directions and converge at table in God’s presence (v. 29). What can we do, not to secure our own standing in this life, but to provide for all God’s people now and thus prepare ourselves for the life to come? After all, God’s salvation is referred to as “election.”

Prayer: Lord, help us to resist the temptation of power and instead to concentrate on your will, living as your humble servants and ministering to one another. Amen.