All In This Together

Jeremiah 5:1-9
Living as we do in an age of divisiveness, perhaps it is helpful to be reminded by the prophet that sometimes we are more united than we realize, and that it isn’t always a good thing. “Then I said, ‘These are only the poor, they have no sense; for they do not know the way of the Lord, the law of their God. Let me go to the rich and speak to them; surely they know the way of the Lord, the law of their God.’ But they all alike had broken the yoke, they had burst the bonds” (Jeremiah 5:4-5). Sin is sin. Disregard for the Lord is a problem no matter where it happens or by whom it is perpetrated. Jeremiah surveyed the people of his day and found that no matter their place in the social spectrum, no matter their level of achievement, no matter how well-educated or politically connected they might be, they still fell short of God’s intentions. Interestingly, the fact that Jeremiah assumes that the poor might be less righteous based on their place in society is unusual in scripture where God continually shows great compassion for the oppressed and impoverished. Of course, the prophet quickly finds that there is no status in life where God’s will is followed consistently.

Finger pointing, it would seem, will get us nowhere. What we need is not more accusations against others, but a thorough self-examination to remind us that we, too, have fallen short of God’s will for our lives and that we, too, whoever we may be, whatever our station in life, must allow God to work in and through us to bring us to righteousness. As Paul reminds us in our epistle lesson today, “There is no one who is righteous, not even one” (Romans 3:10). Driving in the car earlier today I experienced a modern interpretation of Paul’s words as I passed cars festooned with stickers in support of one cause or another. I applaud these folks for standing up for their beliefs, but I also hope that in their zeal for a particular cause they do not lose sight of the fact that they, too, need the mercy and forgiveness of God as found in Jesus Christ if they are to walk in paths of faithful obedience and true discipleship.

Perhaps with the realization that sin is a part of every life we may discover a sense of unity and fellowship with others. There is no one who is without sin. No one. And here, if nowhere else, we stand united. It isn’t much, but at least it’s something.

Prayer: Forgive us when we sin against you and against one another, and help us to recognize our need for the entire community of faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

One Thing

(Note: I seem to have gotten my weeks mixed up and referred to this week's passages last week. I apologize for the confusion.)

Galatians 1:18-2:10

Paul reports on the response he received from the leaders of the church on his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. “They asked only one thing,” he says by way of summation, “that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was eager to do” (Galatians 2:10).

Life is filled with things to remember: doctors appointments, bills to pay, soccer practice, pills to take, committee meetings, milk and eggs, oil changes, bank deposits, letting the cat out, and so forth. How often do we add remembering the poor to that list? And does thinking about those in need really rank as the one thing we should do?

From the very beginning of the church regard for others has been a high priority. The apostles constantly saw to the needs of others, healing those who were infirm and providing what they could. Stephen and the other deacons were selected specifically to wait tables (though they soon branched out significantly). Collecting money for believers in Jerusalem was an ongoing task of Paul’s. Frankly the church is closest to Christ’s ministry when its members look beyond their own needs, their own circumstances, and seek to help others. Look at our verse for today. The elders in Jerusalem challenge Paul to be mindful of the needs of others, but Paul was already eager to do so. There were controversies swirling around at the time, but this was not one of them. Maybe if we were to make remembering the poor “the one thing” in our lives we’d find ourselves more readily in agreement with one another.

Maybe it would give us common ground and draw us together. Maybe it would heal our divisions and our self-inflicted wounds. Maybe, just maybe it would save us from our own destructive tendencies. I think it’s worth a shot.

Payer: Lord help us to be mindful of those in need and to do what we can to help others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.