Do The Right Thing

Romans 12:1-21
“Bless those who persecute you; 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; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but 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” (Romans 12:14-18). I wonder what would happen if we took Paul’s exhortations as seriously as we do some other biblical texts. I wonder what would happen if we challenged ourselves to no longer repay evil for evil with as much vigor as some people of faith use in speaking out against what they consider to be among the more egregious sins. Or if we took Paul’s directions to “live in harmony with one another” to be as essential to a godly life as we hear certain other activities to be contrary to God’s will.

I’ve noticed a tendency on my part to do some picking and choosing when it comes to standards of conduct as a Christian. I’ve also noticed that I’m not the only one. It is terribly easy to make up our own catalogue of dos and don’ts and to add what we feel is appropriate to the list while leaving off some items we aren’t as fond of. The fact is that over and over again in the words of Paul—just as in the words of Jesus before him––the focal point remains love for God and love for one another. With this love comes a willingness to suffer with and to care for those around us. Jesus said that “God so loved the world” (John 3:16), a sentiment echoed by 1 John which says, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God” (1 John 4:16); Paul himself says clearly that “faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). It all comes down to love and the harmony, and the shared burdens, and the peaceable living, and the willingness to associate with folks from all classes that comes with it. It all comes down to opening our hearts to God in such a way that we also love our neighbors as ourselves.

As we ponder the word of God and God’s will for all people, we must embrace the entire scope of scripture. Yes, God does offer judgment, does seek to correct our sinfulness, does lead us to a more profound sense of righteousness. But first and foremost God calls us to build a community in love and forbearance where no one is haughty and everyone seeks to live in peace with everyone else. I just wonder what that would look like.

Prayer: Almighty God, may our lives be filled with love for you and for each other, and may we be guided in all we do to build a world full of your grace and peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

It All Depends

Romans 12:9-21

Paul had lofty standards for believers, and he shares some of them in our reading from Romans today. “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them,” he writes. “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; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but 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” (Romans 12:14-17). As far as it depends on us we are to live in peace with all. Paul understands that there will be times when peace is not possible, when conflict will be thrust upon the believer. In such cases there may be no escape from the situation. But as far as it depends on us we are to live in peace with all.

And yet if we have blessed our persecutors, rejoiced with the joyful, wept with the sorrowful, lived in accord and humility, admitted to our own limitations, refrained from “getting even,” and lived with an eye toward what all consider to be noble, haven’t we done just about all that we could do? Clearly it seems like some folks go looking for trouble, and typically they will find it. Paul is offering us a way to go looking for community instead, a lifestyle that lessens the likelihood of conflict in the first place, that turns down the heat for everybody. Tensions will still pop up from time to time and they will need to be dealt with. But as far as it depends on us the climate should be one of love and mutual regard. Perhaps this is what it missing from the political realm and from the interaction between cultures and perspectives. Are we looking for trouble, or are we doing all we can to set a tone of peace and cooperation? As far as it depends on us there should be no reason for hate or violence.

Prayer: Lord, show us the way to live and work as your people so that the world may reflect your love. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

When Scripture Comes At Right Angles

Genesis 27:1-29
Romans 12:1-8
Sometimes scripture comes to us not in parallel lines as it were but at right angles, creating a certain amount of tension as we try to work through what appears to be conflict. To me there is a right angle of sorts between our readings from Genesis and Romans. Let's start with the words of Paul. "I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters," he writes, "by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God — what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2). Paul is encouraging his readers to live lives of honesty and integrity, justice and righteousness. While the world may lead us off the path of discipleship Paul insists that we remain true to God and focused on the divine will.

Our reading from Genesis, however, displays a completely different form of behavior. It is the familiar story of the younger of twins who is able to steal his older brother’s blessing from their father. "Jacob said to [Isaac], 'I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may bless me'" (Genesis 27:19). We might not find this story so surprising had the scheme not worked so well. Jacob did receive the blessing that belonged to Esau, and Jacob became the one through whom God’s covenant continued to unfold. But Jacob hardly presented himself in honesty or integrity, justice or righteousness to his father. His actions before God, then, were not “good and acceptable and perfect.” How can we deal with such a dichotomy?

Of course, there is no easy answer to the question. Jacob, a real rascal, gets away with all sorts of shenanigans in his lifetime but remains in favor with God. But as Paul reminds us the call to follow Jesus Christ leads us to a more mature faith that seeks to do God’s will, even to our own disadvantage. For me it is helpful to remember that God is able to work in and through sinners like Jacob (and you and me as well). No matter where we are in life God has a place for us and a role for us to play. We should strive for the higher ground, but when we fall short we should not lose sight of the promises that come to us in God’s love. Scripture may intersect in all sorts of crazy ways, but the God we meet in scripture stands over and above it all in truth.

Prayer: Lord, help us to live lives dedicated to you, aware of you, focused on you, and forgive us when we fail you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Fortune Cookie Theology

[Note: This post was to have been published on December 21, 2011 but was delayed. Today's post (12/22/73) will be published later today.]

Titus 2:11-3:8a

Recently, after a carryout dinner of sweet and sour chicken, I cracked open my fortune cookie to read the following message: “It is now, and in this world, that we must live.” At the time it struck me that this was somewhat more sophisticated than the average “cookie wisdom.” I set it aside to reflect on it later thinking it might become a sermon illustration, but then this morning, in the reading from Titus, I recognized a similar phrase. “For the grace of God has appeared,” we read, “bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13).

On the one hand we as disciples of Jesus Christ have set our hope on the coming reign of God and on the life eternal made evident by the resurrection. In that respect we do not live for today, but for the time that is to come which means that my fortune cookie was incorrect. On the other hand we have also been challenged by Christ to live each day according to God's will, in a manner that is “self-controlled, upright, and godly…” or as Paul would say, so as not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our minds in order to do God’s will (Romans 12:2).

So yes, we have a role to play in this world, in the here and now which makes the fortune cookie right after all. But our ultimate goal lies in the future and what we do today must be done with the future in mind.

Prayer: Lord, God, bless our efforts to live as your people, both in the world and for the world, but with your coming reign in sight. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Real Love

Romans 12:1-21

Chapter of 12 of Romans can be overwhelming. Paul is clear about what a life in Christ should look like, and the longer he talks about it the more difficult a challenge it becomes. Somewhere between not being “conformed to this world” (Romans 12:2) and learning to pray for – not curse but pray for – those who persecute me (v. 14) I feel as though I’m floundering. What human being can even pretend to manage all of this?

But it is also there between not conforming and not cursing that Paul says this: “Let love be genuine…” (v. 9). I’m not sure that we can really sum up all of chapter 12 with this phrase, but it’s a great place to start, because if we are going to really seek the life Paul describes, then we are going to need our love – for God and for others – to be real and not a façade. Once upon a time I worked for an insurance company as a policy service representative. One of the questions we asked when we were taking applications for homeowners’ insurance was whether the house was actually built of brick or had a brick veneer. The difference is important. A house made of brick is more solid, obviously, and more resilient, while a brick veneer is more likely to collapse under stress and leave the interior of the house unprotected. It would seem to me that genuine love is solid and resilient in times of turmoil, while a less genuine love is more like a veneer that is likely to collapse and leave damaged relationships in its wake.

Coming at it this way doesn’t make Romans 12 any less daunting; Paul’s words still overwhelm me. But at least I have a place to begin. If I can learn to love God and to love others with a honest and deeply felt love then I think I’m off to a good start in meeting Paul’s other exhortations.

Prayer: Gracious God, we ask that our love for you and for others may be genuine, that we may live in community as you desire. In Jesus’ name. Amen.