Good Morning Friends,
Today’s lectionary texts confront us with a challenge from multiple perspectives and attitudes on the tension of who is being favored by God and who is being favored by the societies in which we live. And it is troubling for the oppressed do so often become oppressors. But is also hopeful, for if one were to do a survey of all the healings of Christ one can see that the preference was to heal in a way that began to address this very issue. Jesus healed the outcaste…the blind, lepers, Samaritans, paraplegics, a woman with a hemorrhage. And to heal a vulnerable person on the Sabbath was an in-your-face action that challenged those in power with the reality that some of their own religious laws were used to retain power for those in power. Now I doubt that Paul could foresee the events of the Holocaust, but he must have had some sorrowful sense of what might happen to the Jewish people under Roman rule. The issue then as now is social inclusion and exclusion. Citizens of Rome had preferential rights. Paul must have had that same urge, even at risk to himself, to heal the situation much like Jesus did in compassionate response to the man with dropsy. However, healing an unnaturally swollen body is perhaps easier than healing an unnaturally swollen and fallen nation. That we too are the recipients of Christ’s compassionate healing and heirs of the promise should be a great encouragement. But before you get all giddy about the idea know that the saints over the centuries have carried on the message for us and some were martyrs. They died extending the faith. Joy is not always found in what society values. So, the point is this… not all the world sees us from a favorable perspective. Too few of us are Jedi Christians that have given up on dualism and moreover have a personal relationship with God as both love and lover. Think this thing through. Too much wine is like too much wealth and too much weight that has a declining value after they peak at perfect. The way is narrow. So much of life is like an inverted U-shaped curve. So, Do You See The Value Of Sharing Privilege Now?
Scripture: I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience confirms it by the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Romans 9:1-5 (NRSV)
On one occasion when Jesus was going to the house of a leader of the Pharisees to eat a meal on the sabbath, they were watching him closely. Just then, in front of him, there was a man who had dropsy. And Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to cure people on the sabbath, or not?” But they were silent. So Jesus took him and healed him, and sent him away. Then he said to them, “If one of you has a child or an ox that has fallen into a well, will you not immediately pull it out on a sabbath day?” And they could not reply to this.
Luke 14:1-6 (NRSV)
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God every time I remember you, constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because you hold me in your heart, for all of you share in God’s grace with me, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Philippians 1:1-11 (NRSV)
Message: It is a bit of a mystery how we can consider it a privilege to be Christian when we are under attack. So, I would like to think we are not under attack for that reason. I would like to think we can love our enemies. But scripture would indicate that persecution is to be expected for the Christian even if we do. People fight for their tribe and team. Indeed, Paul did have a passion for his people. But there was in him an unbalance in the force, if you will, and a grief that extends into today’s world as well. It is a great sorrow for those who know people they associate with who do not believe. That Israel rejected Jesus was a great pain for Paul. For me it translates into a sadness for WASPS who do not get it…a sadness that church attendance is declining. The thing is that as Christians, we are indeed privileged, but the word comes with such a negative connotation. Let me be clear. Of course, racism is sin. Anti-Semitism is sin. Inciting violence is sin. Refusing to denounce sin that is so obviously sin is sin. But for some who just do not understand the extent of God’s grace and love, the perceived privilege of being a Christian is like a sin too. Thankfully God takes care of His children in a mighty way if we do not forget to whom we belong to. You see, we do indeed have the privilege of purpose and an inheritance and a future because we are Christians. But never ever forget that this privilege came at a high price that should humble us. No wonder Paul was disturbed. He saw that both Rome and the Sanhedrin had exclusive rules to maintain power. So too our society and even church structures have laws to control power and some of them help prevent today’s marginalized populations from being at the table and in our communities from starting a business or having access to health care and earning a reasonable income. Jesus fought for a change when rules dehumanized people. As a Christian community, it would seem we have a responsibility in fighting for fairness and justice. The cause of marginalization is social exclusion. Jesus taught the solution: social inclusion. And it begins with you and me. When we include the sidelined in our circle of friends, we begin to understand them and how lies have perpetuated their exclusion. Our world has many marginalized people. The socially excluded lack access to housing, employment, healthcare, civic participation, and legal protection. Second class citizenship often leads to poverty, crime, suicide, and drug addiction. The solution begins with something that Jesus taught and what Paul agonized over. The reality is that rules can be arrogant declarations of exclusion. Jesus witnessed this among Jewish leaders who were promoting burdensome rules that created a false exclusivity to the detriment of the marginalized. Perhaps we who are privileged Christians should realize that to whom much is given much is required.
And So, we are to be thankful for one another. We are to pray for one another. We are to be partnering with one another. We are to see God working in one another. We are to be unified with one another. We are to yearn for one another. We are to love one another more and more. We are to live in holiness for one another. We are to see and choose the joy and privilege of Jesus in one another.
Pray we let today’s scripture show us the big picture… something transcendent and eternal, and in so doing, help explain to us what is happening in the world. Pray we become the kind of followers of Jesus who inspire the next generation by example to desire a deeper, authentic faith, to help them on the path, they must ultimately walk. Pray we all realize that we all are children of God. Pray therefor not only for the peace of Jerusalem, but also for the salvation of Israel. Pray this peace is not limited to a place and people but extends to all the corners of the earth. Pray with hope because we too have been given a Godly inheritance and purpose to extend the love of God as children of God. Pray that when our faith comes under attack that we would trust in Jesus. Pray we would learn from God’s providence and grow the family of God until all are privileged to know Jesus. Pray we rethink community and the role of the marginalized. Pray we realize that the evening star and the morning star are really the planet Venus and that both expressions might ultimately bring us hope. Pray we have a joyous and fantastic finish to the rest of our lives.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 