Or Am I Just Too Sensitive?

 “Indeed what is commonly called ‘sensitiveness’ is the most powerful engine of domestic tyranny, sometimes lifelong tyranny.”  

                                        C.S. Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms, page 17

I have been intrigued lately by the use of the word “trespasses” in the Lord’s Prayer.  As in, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

The Greek word here (because the original New Testament language is Common Greek), opheilēma is not the word for sin, but rather an ancient  Greek word that includes sin—but also includes far more.  According to Bill Mounce, opheilēma includes every debt; everything that is due, every delinquency, every offense, every fault in another person, and…every sin.  

1 John 1:7, by contrast, says that “…the blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from every [hamartias] (sin).”  A bit more straightforward. At least on its face.  

In and around The Lord’s Prayer we are called to not just forgive the sins perpetrated against us, and not just every debt that remains unpaid, but everything that offends our sensibilities; all that is a slight to our dignity; every prickly occurrence that happens to us which we perceive as undeserved.  

Being passed over for a promotion, for example, may hurt deeply, but isn’t necessarily a sin on the part of the decision-maker.  Not being invited to the game night or the dinner out when a few close friends get together for games or a meal doesn’t mean they sinned in leaving me out this time around, but being left may hurt just the same.  

Being sinned against may be fairly unambiguous.  But being trespassed against?  Less so.  Often being trespassed against depends on what is going on within me.  My vanity.  My level of sensitivity.  My unresolved insecurity.  My loneliness.  My personal, internal sense of what I am owed or what sort of preferential treatment I have coming to me.  In other words, personal, internal issues for which I have not yet taken full ownership.  

Hard to admit, but the offense may be an identity crisis in which I am making someone else responsible for my own internal struggles with who I am.  And who I am in Christ.  Being trespassed against may occur not by the sin of another against me, but by un-Christlikeness lurking within my own heart.  The fallenness in my nature for which I have not yet taken responsibility.  Does the offense stem from my unresolved vanity?  My sense of entitlement?  “Someone such as I ought not to be overlooked; ought not to be treated thus!  And they should have known that! So I will feel justified in nursing this unforgiveness toward them, perhaps punishing them in my signature passive-aggressive way.  That’ll show them!”  And yet another person gets to live in my head rent-free. While they go on about their business, quite possibly entirely unaware.

Once again, Jesus—if we are really listening—leaves no wiggle room.  Forgiving sin may require a conversation.  Forgiving an offense that stems from my “sensitiveness” (as Lewis called it); may be a matter of surrendering yet more to “being transformed by the renewing of my mind” (Romans 12:2) until “Christ is formed in me” (Galatians 4:19) because I have more fully embraced the exhortation to “look not to my own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).  

And just to add insult to injury, here’s a reminder of a word from Jesus that drives the point home with far more precision than we care to receive:  

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

                                                                                                ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭43‬-‭48‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Toffee-Nosed Tekoites

Nehemiah chapter 3 is one of those Old Testament lists, this one recounting the rebuilding and repair of the wall of Jerusalem. Verses 3 & 4 are a pretty good example of how most of the chapter reads:

The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired.

Then comes this gem in verse 5:

And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord. Nehemiah 3:5 ESV

And there it is, in the annals of history. Men serving shoulder-to-shoulder with their servants, old men serving alongside their sons, noblemen serving elbow-to-elbow with their common brothers to restore the once-majestic City of David. But then there’s this one group?  They considered manual labor beneath their dignity; considered leadership a matter of setting oneself above rather than setting the example. 

All this against the backdrop of our King, Jesus:

A dispute also arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” Luke 22:24-27

It's been a few thousand years, but the ancient record stands.  Almost everybody--including Nehemiah himself--literally got their hands dirty (and no doubt blistered) to rebuild those ruined walls.  Except one pretentious group of nobles.  And that is how the Tekoites are remembered.

Though The Sky Should Fall

[Enter Henny Penny, stage right, audience left] 

An unprecedented global panic; the inexplicable hording of…toilet paper.  

Certain unassailable truths remain—at least, if you are a devoted Christ-follower.  So to those of you who are and to those of you who might yet gravitate toward such devotion and followership at such a time as this, allow me to remind you of some impregnables that are…still in the Bible. 

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 

                                                                                                    – Matthew 6:34

Just checked.  Still in the Bible. 

 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

                                                                                                 -Philippians 4:4-7

 Also?  Still in the Bible. 

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”     

                                                                                               -John 14:1-4

 Yup.  Still there. 

 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

                                                                                              -Philippians 1:21

 This bold statement of faith?  Still in there, too. 

As you open and read you will find that every word of comfort and promise, every example of faith, every directive that calls for obedience—for those who devotedly follow Jesus—are all still there, still intact, still bidding us to trust and obey; to hope only in God. 

Because no amount of stockpiled toilet paper, cleaning supplies, or over-the-counter flu remedy is worthy of your faith and trust.  But God is.  Because God is. 

Presumption

For I am waiting for you, O lord . You must answer for me, O Lord my God. I prayed, “Don’t let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall.                              

                                                                                                                    Psalm 38:15-16

OK, so apparently I have never read Psalm 38. Even though I have. The verses above are the high point. The composer has done something truly horrible and the truth has come to light. He is a public figure who is publicly exposed,  frightfully vulnerable, isolated.

And he isn't defending himself.

He knows he's guilty; brought this all on himself; is his own worst enemy.

And he still fully expects Divine intervention--for God to speak for him. 

You must answer for me, O Lord my God.

Even when everybody would agree you haven't got a prayer,  take heart. Apparently, that's the one thing you do have. Apparently, it's all you need.

Our One Hope

But the lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine. We put our hope in the lord . He is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, lord , for our hope is in you alone.

                                                                                                            Psalms 33:18-22 NLT

Do you know people who make a habit, or even a hobby,  of being ready for anything?   You don't have to be a survivalist to once in a while fret just a little that you don't have much stashed away--a few weeks' worth of canned goods; a flat of bottled water at bare minimum. And don't forget those MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) in each of your vehicles...a blanket...a few flares....

Preparation makes sense. As long as we don't forget that no amount of preparation can prepare us for what may come;  and come what may,  the Lord alone is our hope.

You, oh Lord, who is capable of feeding in times of famine those who put their trust in you. May we be at peace in you alone. In Jesus. Amen.

Wondering What Happened

Kristen is beside me prepping to teaching tomorrow; Adele on the floor studying; Bradley in the rocking chair playing chess on his ipod.  While I am just trying to get my head around this day. 

It’s been a doozy. 

Not the part that is peculiar to most people—the part where the graveyard sergeant put a screeching halt to my REM cycle at 3:45 AM and I was out the door ten minutes later to be the softer side of law enforcement in the midst of tragic loss or traumatic stress. 

The part, rather, before I left, when the coffee machine—-equipped the night before with water and fresh-ground bean—-lit up, but didn’t heat up when I hit the button and hoped for a quick brew to drink en route.  Had I seen this as an omen, I would have been less surprised hours later, when the old ’99 Lumina was lighting up and heating up as I was pulling in to the station to write the follow up report. 

The doctor’s appointment went well later in the morning, and at my lunch appointment I took the first two pills from the Z-Pack prescribed to put this left-over wheezing and rattling in my chest out of my misery.  After which I replaced the split hose under the Lumina’s hood and headed home at the early end of a nine-hour day.  But…that didn’t fix the car.  It’s still overheating.  And…the rest of the Z-Pack is nowhere to be found.  I’ve looked everywhere, inquired at every business served by every parking lot I pulled into all day.  I’ve checked every pocket of every piece of clothing, returned to the office—twice.  Twice, because I inadvertently took some keys home the first time (that are not meant to leave the office) and had to return them.  Oh.  And I broke a plate my wife bought in Holland.  And the pharmacy gave me the wrong asthma prescription and I had to drive back there.    

If you’re expecting anything profound or insightful, I’ve got nothing.  My one remaining hope is to make it to bed without breaking, losing, or having to return anything.  

One Good Way To Memorize Scripture

This Video illustrates one very effective way of committing Scripture to memory.  As you watch it, recite the verse out loud, over and over again, as the words disappear one by one.  

Why Your Pastor Wants You To Memorize Scripture

I hope if you have been around me for any length of time you know a few things about me:  I am not perfect.  I don’t claim to be perfect.  I am, however, closer to the Image of Christ than I used to be--growing (by fits and starts) more like Him all the time. 

One of the key factors in my growth in Christ over the past 34 years (yes, since I was 17!) is the discipline of memorizing Scripture.  Loving you as I do, I want you to have this discipline as a “growth factor” in your life as well.  Having God’s Word “in there” has made a profound difference in my life.  Because knowing God’s Word by memory has the potential to…

1. Strengthen your Relationship with God.   2 Timothy 3:16-17 says,

¹⁶ All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.¹⁷ God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.  (NLT)

2. Make You More Effective in Sharing Your Faith.

¹⁵ But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…. 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

If God’s Word is in your heart (because you’ve taken time to memorize it) it will be more readily available to you when someone wants to know why you believe what you believe. 

3. Help You Make It Through Tough Times. Jeremiah the Prophet had it rough.  It is as if his entire existence was one continual challenging circumstance.  This is what He had to say about God’s Word in Jeremiah 15:16 (NLT): 

When I discovered your words, I devoured them.

    They are my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
    O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.

Please do not literally eat your Bible.  I am reasonably sure this is not what Jeremiah is saying.  The lesson here is that Scripture “injested” in our memory has the power to lighten our heavy load, calm us down, even make us joyful in the midst of life’s storms. 

4. Put You More In Tune with God’s Will.

It often surprises me to hear people ask “What is God’s Will for my life?” when they are not obeying the simplest Biblical instruction.  So here’s a rule to live by:  

Knowing and obeying the observable Will of God offered in the Bible for everyone is a crucial first step to discerning the obscure Call of God for your personal life.

 And knowing His “observable will” by heart is a useful step in that direction! 

 Psalm 119:105 says,

 Your word is a lamp to guide my feet

    and a light for my path.

 5. Help you overcome temptation.  Psalm 119 is helpful here also, this time, verse 11: 

I have hidden your word in my heart,

    that I might not sin against you.

So there you go.  Incredibly helpful and foundationally shaping for me, I offer it to you in your walk with Christ.  

The Original Dr. Phil

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from allegiance to righteousness.    So what fruit was produced  then from the things you are now ashamed of?  For the end of those things is death.   But now, since you have been liberated from sin and have become enslaved to God,  you have your fruit, which results in sanctification   — and the end is eternal life!   For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

                                                                                                        Romans 6:20-23 HCSB

I have, quite literally, never watched Dr. Phil.  The closest I've come is pausing on a rapid channel surf. I hear, however, that he is known for responding to his guests' revelations of their particular brand of crazy by asking, "how's that workin' out for you?"

Which is an excellent question. It is essentially what Paul is up to here.  Just when we catch him admitting that the Christian life is tantamount to slavery, he comes back at us with, "you've lived a life 'liberated' from God's goodness and what do you have to show for it-other than stuff you're too embarrassed to talk about?"

Ouch.

Reality check:  a life free of any allegiance is an allegiance in itself. To a life that ends in an unproductive, lonely embarrassing mess. But at least it's your mess, right? As my son would say, "Keep tellin' yourself that."

I gladly surrender myself, God of Holiness. I would rather be a slave to your Goodness than free to make a mess of my life. In Jesus. Amen.

Yer Not The Boss Of Me!

"Yer not the boss of me!"

Ever hear one child say that to another; or to a babysitter?  If there's one thing we hate more than being bossed around it's being bossed around by someone who has no authority to boss us around!

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.

                                                                                            Romans 6:12-13 NLT

In case you haven't heard, the Bible and Christian faith just want to boss you around. They are nothing but a restrictive system of "dos and don'ts." That's why I feel so hand-slapped and bossed-around by these verses! 

Or NOT!!

These encouragements fairly represent what God desires for you. His invitation is not "don't do that!" and "do this!" as much as it is "be set free from that which controls you" and "give yourself to my freeing, life-giving love."

Thank you, Father, for setting us free in Christ. Amen.

Wilson

Save By Works, Alright! (Just Not Mine)

Every time I read Romans 6 I am captivated by the power of baptism; how God is so very diligently at work in baptism! 

So as you read this I ask you to remember two things:

1. The Gospel—the Good News Message of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection—is the story that the Letter to the Romans is telling. 
2. Romans is about The Righteousness of God.

If you aren’t careful, you may discover that in such a simple act of allowing someone else to immerse me in water (in the name of Jesus Christ), the Gospel is experienced, grace is received, and God’s righteousness is on full display! 

Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

                                                                                                        Romans 6:3-14 (NLT)  

 Oh, Father!  Thank you for the freedom of your grace in Christ!  Amen.  

 

Stubborn Weaklings

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

                                                                                                            Romans 5:6-8 NIV

Verclempt:  Yiddish for choked with emotion. Derives from German. Pop culture reference via Saturday Night Live (SNL) as in...

"I'm verclempt. Talk amongst yourselves. Here. I'll give you a topic:  'Very strong' is neither 'very' nor 'strong.' Discuss."

We are weak; dependent. Weightlifter and weakling alike, go without sustenance and sleep for but 24 hours, same sluggish result.  Even those who abide by a moral code fall short.  Ultimately, eventually, we are, all alike: Weak.  Powerless.

In our weakness, our powerlessness, we call out to you, oh Lord. Thank you for dying for us, becoming weakness for us, saving us. For those who think themselves strong, Lord, may they come to grips with, and confess their vulnerability and need before they are beyond crying out to the Son Who Saves. Amen.

Mental Exercise

Too cold for our morning jog (and there's an "air stagnation warning" in effect anyway) so I  went "running" with Dallas Willard this morning. But not without stretching extensively by reading Romans 5 over and over again in several versions.

He started out at a good trot, but I was with him. At first. By the third paragraph I was already mentally winded but determined. My gray matter needed the workout.

Amazingly, I actually kept pace with him through the Wesley quote (about half way) before I finally had to stop, doubled over; out of breath. 

But the insight I gained into Romans 5, and the real-world implications of having His Righteousness in us, was worth the strain and really got my blood flowing.

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

                                                                                                Romans 5:5 NIV

If you are up for a workout, do keep going until you see the bold, italicized phrase, "[life is] self-initiating, self-directing, self-sustaining activity," followed by conversation about "environment," and how spiritual formation is a matter of giving up our interaction with our "reverse trinitarian" environment of the world, the flesh and the devil. (Eph. 2:2-3) for interactions in and with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as our life-initiating, life-directing, life-sustaining environment.

If you are anything like me, this will be enough of a workout for at least one day!

Father, pour your love--your Righteous Life into us. May our life-initiating, life-directing, life-sustaining environment be you and you alone, oh Father and Son and Spirit. Amen.

http://www.dwillard.org/articles/artview.asp?artID=135

Pacem

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.

                                                                                                    Romans 5:1-2 NIV

Those of us who didn't grow up circa AD 90 somewhere within the sprawling borders of the Greco-Roman Empire owe a lot to Bible translators. All the same, I often wonder why New Testament translators, upon encountering a word more than once, render it differently.

I'm genuinely certain they know what they're doing.

All the same, I think it is helpful to know that "righteousness" and "justification" are pretty much the same word. God's righteousness... making us righteous by faith...peace with God. Has a certain symmetry.

Father, as I sit aside my Christmas tree, the word peace in these verses takes on the special meaning due it, owing to the season. Thank you that in the coming of your Son our "justification"--our "being made righteous" is set in motion, giving way to peace between you and I--you and us--through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Timing

Ever do those “Reading Plans” set up in your favorite Bible app?  I’m generally not a big fan but have been energized by one of late centered around Christmas and Advent.  The Scripture today…

When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.  But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.”  So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him.  He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.  Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

                                                                                                            Luke 1:57-66

Here’s the part of the comment (that encouraged this church planter’s heart this morning) written and provided by Carol McLeod of Just Joy Ministries: 

 “Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth ...” Certainly this “time” was not Elizabeth’s chosen time. God has a chosen time for prayers to be answered, for His mission to be accomplished and for miracles to take place. Do not for one second believe that God has forgotten you or that He has not heard your prayers. When God’s appointed time comes in its fullness, you will give birth to all that God has planned for you.

 As a church we are praying of late that our time of fruitfulness is at last upon us.  (smile)

All in your Good Time, Lord.  May we pray with confidence that you hear, and that the question is not whether our prayer was answered, but whether in relying on you in prayer we grew closer to you and grew up into the person you would make of us in your Good Time.  

The Genuine Article

Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness.

                                                                                                  Romans 4:4

This righteousness of God you need so desperately? It ain't a paycheck. You can't work hard enough to earn it. It isn't strictly free either. It's a matter of trust.

The marketing world has conditioned you; the game is always afoot. You know they only want you to believe it's really a win for you. "Save 5% by applying for a credit card (hopefully you'll forget to pay and we'll slap on a hefty late fee)."

So listen very carefully--ever-so-trustingly: You've got nothing this Righteous God needs. Your money's no good here. And this gift...is for real.

Step Away from the Whip!

We learned in Romans 1:16-17 that the Gospel of Christ is not something to be embarrassed about, that "the righteousness of God" is key, and that "the righteous will live by faith." But I didn't say enough about that last part to suit me. After all, a few hundred years ago the whole Reformation got started because of that last phrase.

When Martin Luther's understanding of God and humanity was such that he literally flogged himself-true story-on a regular basis to pay for his sinfulness, he entered into a detailed study of Romans preparing himself to teach it. Upon reading the more literal translation of this last phrase his life was changed forever. No longer would he do penance for sin to try and make himself righteous. The faith of Christ, he realized, is sufficient. "The one who by faith is righteous will live."

Once again--and likely not for the last time-we throw our sinful selves on your mercy, Righteous Father, and thank you that we live--forever--not on our own merits but by the sheer force and power of your righteousness. Your goodness declares us good when we surrender ourselves to Christ faithfully. Amen!

Maybe

If I had never read Romans before and someone had just told me, "you wanna understand Romans? Pay attention to the word 'righteousness'" and "Romans is all about 'the righteousness of God'," this next verse might perplex me: 

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness....

                                                                                                                        Romans 1:18 NIV

And I might stay confused for the rest of chapter one, all of chapter two, and the first twenty verses of chapter three.  Maybe. Then again...

It might begin to occur to me that wrathful anger is an appropriate response of the righteous in the face of evil.  That suppression of truth invokes sharp emotion in those who  stand for truth and recognize the inherent danger of suppression. That God would not truly be righteous if He found  unrighteousness in all its ugly consequence tolerable. That His wrath is in very expression of His righteousness.

Righteous Father:  thank you for your holiness; thank you that it stands in stark contrast to godlessness, wickedness, suppression. In Jesus. Amen.

Passphrase to The Book of Romans

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

                                                                                                                    Romans 1:16-17 NIV

In case you haven't been paying attention, we may as well have out with it: I'm no scholar. I mean, yeah. I know a skosh more about Scripture and theology than your average bear, but bears catch fish better than I do. So there you go. And I digress.

I did, however, get a few passing grades listening to theologians and this truth one of them drilled into my head:

The heart and center of the Letter to the Romans is "the righteousness of God."

You want to "get" Paul's point here? Pay attention to the word "righteousness" and everything associated with, compared to, and contrasted with "the righteousness of God." Why shouldn't we be embarrassed or ashamed by the Gospel of Christ? Because (and this is a huge deal) in the message of Christ's cross "the righteousness of God" is revealed through faith in Jesus Christ.

Stay tuned!

Thank you, God of All Holiness and Most Righteous, for loving enough to reveal and make available to us your goodness, that we might experience it and be that same goodness for others through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Hard Sell

I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

                                                                                                            Romans 1:14-17 NIV

You may be wondering why Paul (that's the church leader who wrote this long correspondence called Romans) would say--some might think defensively--"I am not ashamed" of the Gospel (good news). It helps to consider the stark, bloody reality of the crushing defeat the cross represented to these people.

If you were a first-century Jew, your response to Christ-followers might be, "let me get this straight: you want me to worship Jesus as some long-awaited deliverer of our nation-the One a few of the rabbis suggest Jewish Scriptures may foretell? We...are talking about the guy who died the most base, humiliating execution our occupying oppressors have devised to demoralize us...right?"

It was kind of a hard sell.

Non-Jews just laughed. Even painted graffiti making fun of the whole notion--no kidding.

Father, our own culture laughs as well; and caricatures; and in a hundred more ways assumes us to be hypocritical, or naïve--anything but what we strive to be. They assume the worst of you too, Lord--often based on our failure to represent you well.
Please keep us faithful. Keep us unashamed. Open the eyes of the blind that they may see the truth of their desperate need for you and how you express your love in this very Gospel. In Jesus. Amen.