Good Morning Friends,
Today we face some scripture that presents a real challenge of staying on topic. It is easy to waffle into being double minded. So, I will try and focus on what Paul, Mark and Solomon give us to think about concerning worship, government, miracles, and our faith. But in the background, I am wondering why we are so caught up with the idea of winners and losers. As with the Olympics and Super Bowls, one team wins the prize, and another goes home. There is the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, and few learn to appreciate the taste of Humble pie. The Biblical question we ask concerns Paul’s strategy with the church in Corinth and the momentum of our faith, but perhaps it also gives us insight into answering today’s question and how to really win and why it is counterintuitive. So, Can We Serve Everybody?
Scripture: Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the leaders of the ancestral houses of the Israelites, before King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. All the people of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the festival in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests carried the ark. So they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. The poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside; they are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses had placed there at Horeb, where the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites, when they came out of the land of Egypt. And when the priests came out of the holy place, a cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he would dwell in thick darkness. I have built you an exalted house, a place for you to dwell in forever.
1 Kings 8:1-13 (NRSV)
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognized him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
Mark 6:53-56 (NSV)
If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe to me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel.
For though I am free with respect to all, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I might win more of them. To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, so that I may share in its blessings.
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23 (NRSV)
Message: It is very likely that one of the motivations behind Solomon’s building of the Jerusalem temple was a desire to make the Lord the personal god of his family’s dynasty. After all, the Temple was just next door to the palace. But such desires for control push away the spirit and essence of true wisdom. So, it is not surprising that the building of the Temple was the beginning of a long decline for Israelite worship, culture, and politics. It is a cycle and process Jesus faced and the solution He exacted was a series of personal miracles in the lives of people. So, I am wondering what this says about our stadiums of worship and what the future will bring. Perhaps friends, something new will be necessary to win the real prize. In today’s text we get a glimpse of the intrusion of the Roman government and how this was affecting society. Paul recognized the problem so when he was preaching, evangelizing, or simply offering a testimony he led with love, relentlessly pressing on to the goal. Paul is saying that we really must try and express our faith in a way that is least foreign to others but also inspirational. Every play is critical. Friends for the church to grow and not decay must be relevant, approachable, and loving. The Biblical question we ask is the challenge of being transformed to love even a stranger and maybe someone with whom we would not recognize as like us. It seems an unlikely evolutionary trait, and yet like the overwhelming self-interest of some, both realities demonstrate themselves in the lives of people and maybe in creation itself. We offer privilege to some and not to others. Some are hunters and others the hunted. And often as we seek love we are faced with unintended consequences. Sometimes we are compelled to act, and it does not seem completely rational. We wonder if we can help everyone and then are faced with individual decisions. Take the example of a child drowning in the rough surf and you are the only one around to see the event. Do you risk your own life saving that one child that you do not even know and perhaps one with whom you might consider… not one of us? The problem is a bit perplexing for many of us would jump in without a second thought and yet when it comes to similar potential negative outcomes in the lives of others, due to economics and access we might well turn a blind eye. We hide behind a veil of plausible deniability, but our alibis are lies. So, I wonder this morning if with all the technological advancements we are making, it really represents as much progress as we would like to claim.
And So, we cannot serve everyone through knowledge, order, and control. We can only serve all through building the momentum of love relentlessly pressing on to the goal with a purpose that is beyond ourselves. The conundrum is that science may be able to answer more questions about light than it can about love. For science cannot tell us what a tear means for another person or what laughter to a joke means for a person who did not get it or why Jesus was willing to die for us. Extending love is not only a great challenge of life, but also a great mystery. Friends, the magnitude of God’s love for us may never be fully comprehended even if we experience it. It is the essence of creation itself. Love is the light in the darkness.
Pray we practice what we preach and make it dramatic. Pray
we have an appreciation of Christ’s love and action in the world. Pray we share the blessings we have received. Pray we meet people where they are with compassion. Pray we realize that we have been freed to love everyone in the way God loves. Pray we realize that we too are to imitate Paul imitate Christ. Pray we realize that with love we can be a servant to all and win more than we imagine. Pray we be catalysts for the success of the team. Pray we make the game exciting. Pray we share our faith freely. Pray we immerse ourselves in the journey of joy associated with the love of God, community, and neighbor. Pray we win in a way that glorifies God. Pray we live in a way where everybody is served in the love of life. Pray we realize the clock is ticking but that God controls the clock. Pray we realize that every play…every person counts toward the goal.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 