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.

The Story Continues

Genesis 26:1-6, 12-33

The covenant first established between God and Abraham (Genesis 12:1-7) was not limited to one generation. “[The Lord said to Isaac], ‘Reside in this land as an alien, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfill the oath that I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven, and will give to your offspring all these lands; and all the nations of the earth shall gain blessing for themselves through your offspring…’" (Genesis 26:3-4). Indeed the wording of the two covenants is nearly identical and the intent of each is the same.

The God of the parents continues to be the God of the children. The God of the past continues to be the God of the present (with a promise for the future). From the very beginning God has kept the long view, has looked ahead and invited the chosen people to look ahead as well. We cannot outgrow God, nor does God remain locked in a particular historic context. Ultimately, then, our lives should be focused on God and not the institutions or cultural patterns that we hold so dear. They will come and go just as generations of humans slowly march past. Even the church has a limited lifetime. But God keeps abreast of it all, and God remains current no matter what. The story will continue to unfold, and only God knows how and when it will end.

Prayer: Lord, you have blessed us throughout history with the knowledge of your presence. Continue to walk beside us and those who will follow, that your will may be done in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Taking Part

Hebrews 13:1-16

I have mentioned before how relatively easy it is to be a Christian in America. There are those who might dispute this assertion to some degree but the fact remains that I am free to attend (or not to attend) worship, free to pray (or not to pray) in the privacy of my own home, and free to speak (or not to speak) of my faith publicly. Nor is there an established religion in the United States. I consider myself richly blessed by the freedoms I enjoy. Our reading from Hebrews this morning, however, comes from a time when being a Christian was anything but easy, when it required commitment and resolve in the face of persecution and opposition. Read in this light Hebrews 13:3 is far from hypothetical. It is a real-life exhortation. “Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured.” When these words were written Christians were in prison, Christians were being tortured. This was far from a matter of occasionally showing up for worship or deciding whether or not to tithe. This was hardly a matter of politicians comparing their religious qualifications while appealing to a fractured electorate. This was the stuff of life and death in the name of a Savior who himself was willing to die for our sake.

Here then is the challenge we face, to live the faith not as one of the things we do when it fits our schedule, but as those willing to be imprisoned or tortured for the sake of Jesus Christ. If and when we are able to make that type of commitment to the faith we may finally understand what the writer of Hebrews meant and may finally begin to get it. This is serious stuff that God is asking us to do.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage and the strength to live as your people at all times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A “No-Name” Faith

Genesis 24:1-27

The relationship that Abraham had with God was intended as a blessing to the nations. According to our reading today, there was an aspect of the faith that was much closer to home. When it was time for Isaac marry Abraham sent his servant in search of a wife. Up to now we have seen that Abraham and Sarah have had contact with God and that even Hagar, has heard the voice of God. But these are notable persons, so significant to what is going on that we are told their names and often something about them. Now we see that even an unnamed servant trusts in God, speaks to God, relies on God’s direct guidance. “The man bowed his head and worshiped the Lord and said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his steadfast love and his faithfulness toward my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the way to the house of my master's kin’” (Genesis 24:26-27).

As scripture so often makes clear God’s grace is not reserved for the noteworthy or important people of history. You needed be Jacob, or Rachel, or Miriam, or David, or Hannah, or Isaiah to be used in furtherance of God’s will. Here a man of whom we know virtually nothing plays an essential role, and without him and his trust in God the story might have ended. God has a role for everyone to play.

Prayer: Lord, may our lives be of use to you day in and day out, that others may be blessed. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Pointing Ahead

Genesis 23:1-20

The negotiation between Abraham and the Hittites for the purchase of a burial place may seem almost amusing to us, especially as the man Ephron is able to appear generous while at the same time naming a price for his field. But there is something more significant here. “So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave that was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, passed to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, in the presence of all who went in at the gate of his city” (Genesis 23:17-18). Though it is only a field, some trees, and a cave, the people of God now had a legal and binding presence in the “promised land.” Abraham owned property there and the transaction appears to have been well documented.

But it took a death—Sarah’s–to bring about this opportunity. In fact Sarah’s tomb foreshadows that which will happen as the story of God’s people continues. The entire land would one day belong to the chosen people whom God would free from Egypt. And centuries after that the death and burial of Jesus Christ would also point ahead to that which was to come. Jesus’ tomb, like Sarah’s, was merely a point along the way. The story continues to this day and beyond. Death in Christ is not a defeat for the believer any more than Sarah’s death ended God’s covenant with her offspring or Jesus’ death ended his identity as God. Clearly it takes more than a grave to confound God’s will.

Prayer: Lord, help us to trust in your promises, even in the face of death or loss, that we may give glory to your name at all times. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Muddle of Faith

Hebrews 11:23-31

Here are the concluding verses of our reading from Hebrews for today: “By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace” (Hebrews 11:29-31). What a strange collection of people! We have fleeing Hebrews, drowning Egyptians, a collapsing city, and a righteous prostitute, all of whom are touched in one way or another—for good or ill––by faith in the God of Jacob. It doesn’t seem to make much sense until I look out the window (or into a mirror) and remember what the world is like today. Try making sense of your own life in terms of faith. Try finding a neat, concise way to sum up God’s work day in and day out. I find it very difficult to deal with such issues without falling back onto worn platitudes or dog-eared expressions.

Yes, we live in a time of contradiction and conflict and confusion, yet God is able to work through it in ways that may be unclear to us but which serve the divine purpose. Even when we look back on history we may not understand what we see. The world defies our attempt at easy explanations and even God stands beyond our ability to categorize or predict, but that does not mean all is lost. Sometimes it just means is that we need to take a deep breath and trust God. Thankfully, God’s work does not depend on our understanding. What a muddle that would be.

Prayer: Lord, we do not always know what you are about, but we trust you and depend on your grace in our lives. Help us to live as your people day in and day out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.