July 27, 2014

Enthusiastic

While digging into Paul’s “instructions for Christian living” (as John Stott calls Romans 12:9-16), we’ve discovered that all we do, in our Christian walk, is to be based on Love. Jesus said, “Love one another, as I have loved you…” Paul explains how to make that love come alive through honest love, discernment of good, caring for one another as family and honoring each other.

In verse 11, Paul goes on to say we need to be zealous and enthusiastic in our service to God. The NIV translation says “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.” In the RSV it is a little more direct: “Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.” These are action items. We are to BE passionate, dedicated and serve.

To be zealous and ardent is to follow Ecclesiastes 9:10“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.” I ask myself, how often do I really give what I am doing my all? In Revelation 3:15, the church at Laodicea is condemned for being lazy and lax about faith and service, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other.”
With all the turmoil in the world, it is vital that we, who claim to follow Christ, present an example of what it is to serve Love in a committed and whole-hearted way. That’s not easy. As Mrs. Brown Sparrow says in The Contented Little Pussy Cat, “Dear me, there are so many things to trouble a body…” She is right, until you and I remember that we serve the One who announces, “But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

If we are filled with the Spirit of God and open to allowing God’s love to flow into and through us, then we can be zealous, fervent, ardent in doing what we are called to do. We can have “the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” (Colossians 1:9) We can be partners one another “in the faith [and we] may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.” (Philemon 1:6)
You might ask, “How can I be zealous and ardent for the Lord?” It could be that the call on your heart is to pray in a more focused way or to learn how to do contemplative prayer. Try it out. Perhaps you want to feed the needy. Contact a local food bank. Where is your heart calling you to act? That is where your service will meet God in the world. There are as many ministries as there are people and needs to be met.

Is there some ministry that is calling to you? Is there a need in your neighborhood or church that you can meet? Maybe, this time of year, it is back-to-school supplies or maybe it is offering to be a tutor. Perhaps you have always wanted to make a difference in another country with the Peace Corps or some other organization. I honor those who respond to such calls. There is a young woman from our church who recently joined the Peace Corps and will be away from her family for over 2 years! What an experience and what an example of following God’s call on your heart.
Our work for the Kingdom may take many forms. In fact, it may not look like work or service at all, but like prayer. Next time, we’ll consider that idea and how it strengthens us to be Loving servants in the Kingdom. 

Let love be genuine (sincere, honest); hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 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 (Romans 12:9-16)

July 20, 2014

Showing Honor

In this blog series we are digging into Romans 12:9-16 as a guide to Christian living. Since starting in June, we’ve discovered that what seems easy on first reading may not be as simple to live out. This week we look at St. Paul’s counsel to “outdo one another in showing honor.”
This is the second half of verse 10 which we looked at last time. To Paul, loving with mutual (brotherly) love involves showing honor to one another. In looking up this verse I discovered that the Greek translated ‘outdo’ is more closely translated as ‘to lead before’. In other words, as the NIV translation says we should “Honor one another above yourselves,” and further as the NLT notes we should “take delight in honoring each other.”
This verse is tied to Philippians 2:3 where Paul admonishes, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.” St. Peter takes it a step further. Honor should be not just those in the church. He says “Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, [even] honor the emperor.” (1 Peter 2:17)
Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible says that this verse calls us to “go before each other in giving honor, and showing respect…set each other an example…not waiting until respect is shown on one side to return it again.” This suggests that we should LOOK for ways to honor and appreciate and recognize the good in one another…maybe esp. those we wouldn’t normally consider as having something ‘worth’ honor. The homeless man who gives the sack lunch he just got to a young mother. A co-worker who demands things from other staff, is perhaps the same person who spends extra time in the nursing home. The clerk at the store who goes the extra step to make sure you have what you need.
Faith Church Blog notes, “It’s like Paul is saying, “The only competition that should be among Christians is a competition of honoring others.”…[as] the genuine expression of your heart – to honor others more than yourself, think of others more than yourself…when we look at others, in shouldn’t be in comparison of pride or self-pity, it should be always looking at others and celebrating grace in them, seeing the graces that are coming out of them, and honoring them for it.” The lbog author notes “We live in a sarcastic and cynical culture. Honoring doesn’t come naturally to us. Honoring is not a natural part of our speech patterns. And for that reason, I like the analogy of competition – that we need to “outdo one another in showing honor”. We need to go overboard in appreciation and praise.”
The word namaste is used as a greeting in India and South Asia as a greeting and farewell. It is translated, "I bow to the divine in you." That is what showing honor is all about. It is acknowledging that each of us is filled with the Divine. Other cultures have similar greetings: Aloha (Hawaii), Wai (Thai), Vaya con Dios (Spain). It is all about recognizing that we are Beloved of God and should recognize that in one another. I hope I can work at looking more for the Divine in those I meet and offering them honor and namaste (or Aloha, Wai, Vaya con Dios).
Paul doesn’t stop there, he goes on with more guidelines for living a Christ-like life. They are all ways to live out the genuine, mutual love and honor that he talks about in the first 2 verses. We’ll look at the rest of the passage over the next few weeks.
Let love be genuine (sincere, honest); hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection (brotherly love); outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 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

July 13, 2014

Kindly Affectioned

As we continue looking at Romans 12:9-16, we come to verse 10. It’s a pretty verse and could easily be read over in a cursory manner. “Love one another with mutual affection” says Paul. The KVJ translation is “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love”. We might think,’ that’s not too hard. I can think nice thoughts about other people most of the time.’ However…it’s a pretty meaty half-dozen words.

Paul is actually calling us to a deeper and more thoughtful relationship in line with Jesus announcing “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) The Greek word translated ‘affection’ is philostorgos, with the implication of the tenderest of love one has for children and spouse. ‘Brotherly love’ is from the Greek philadelphia or philos. In other words, Paul is saying we need to love those in the Family of God with the same deep familial love we have for those with whom we have blood ties.

Paul started out this series of guidelines for Christian living by telling the Romans that they should have genuine, honest, sincere love for each other. In this verse he expands the definition of that love to being loving all in the family of God just as if they were brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and daughters and sons. They are; you know…

But how DO you love those irritating neighbors who play loud music at all hours? Or that co-worker who takes all the credit? Or the driver who cuts you off in traffic? Or the murderer or rapist or abuser on the news or (for some) closer to home?

I don’t have the answer. It’s not easy to do as Jesus says and love as we are loved. Maybe it has to do with the lesson from last Sunday: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:29) When we let go of our various ways of trying to control the outcome and allow Jesus to take the bulk of the load we/I might just find that it is easier to see Jesus in everyone. It’s also found in I Corinthians 13. faith, hope, and love/charity abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love/charity.”

There was a brief time in my life when I really felt in charity with everyone in the world. It was following a Cursillo weekend and the Spirit’s glow from that experience helped me to see that the homeless man and I were kin. I was able to smile at the traffic snarls and even to offer prayers for those who brought evil to the world. It didn’t last, but every so often I do get a glimmer of that joy and peace. That’s when I can really feel yoked with Christ and ‘love with brotherly love.’

When that happens, it is a living out of Jesus’ words in the Beatitudes. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.” (Luke 6:27-30)
 

We see stories of ‘odd couples’ of animals who form friendships with species that they are supposed to hunt or be hunted by. Did you see the story about the cat who adopted some just hatched ducklings? Or the dachshund who lives with a lion? Maybe these ‘dumb’ animals have something to teach us about loving our enemies. We need to remember Whose children we are. You and me and the person who irritates or wrongs me are all God’s creation and beloved by God.

Paul’s instructions are not easy to live out. In the next few lines, and next few blog posts, we’ll get more concrete ideas for what it looks like to ‘love with brotherly affection’ according to Paul.

Let love be genuine (sincere, honest); hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 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

July 4, 2014

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July weekend.

Irving Berlin wrote a song in 1918 which he never used until 1938. We know it as God Bless America. Berlin considered it a ‘peace song’ and introduced it on an Armistice Day (Veteran’s Day, Nov. 11) broadcast sung by Kate Smith. We rarely hear the opening stanza sung anymore (below), which is a call to the song/prayer that follows.

The song was used in a 1939 musical This is the Army. It was the official campaign song of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1940. More recently, after 9/11 the members of Congress sang it on the steps of the Capital in Washington, DC. Often it is sung now at sports events along with the Star Spangled Banner.

For this holiday weekend, I would offer this song as a prayer as we celebrate our freedoms and remember the men and women who served and died to gain and keep them for this beautiful land. This video includes the opening verse.
 

 While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her, and guide her
Through the night with a light from above.

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home
God bless America, My home sweet home

Lent 5: Justice and Peace and Dignity

  In Lent we are looking at the many ways the Baptismal Covenant calls us to serve Christ in each other. Fellowship, prayer, repentance, eva...