For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39 (New King James Version)
These are Paul’s concluding words to the amazing and transformational thoughts he’s expressed in Romans chapter 8. In chapter 7 Paul recognized he was powerless to make the kind of changes he knew God wanted to make in his life. Then he soars in the hope that God can and will do what he can’t do for himself through the love and grace of Jesus Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. Then he concluded that in the end, the love of God in Christ Jesus would ultimately prevail in the face of every threat conceivable.
Sexuality and money are the issues of our culture. These are the principalities and powers at the forefront of life today. One has to do with the nature of intimacy and covenant relationship, while the other has to do with power and control. One has to do with the shame of nakedness experienced by Adam and Eve in the garden, and the other with our constantly reaching for more, hoping that our emptiness will be filled with some-thing. The brokenness within me makes it impossible for me to cure what ails me by myself. God’s holy work of creating in me a new life in Christ is a daily process that involves the Holy Spirit creating in me a new heart and a new mind, and using the community of faith around me as the occasion to practice being part of God’s grand work of salvation which will be reflected in loving God and loving my neighbor.
Promiscuity, both in terms of sex and money, is for me, the sin of our day. We are a culture obsessed with “having it our way,” and our own personal happiness and gratification trumps the values associated with service, community, and covenant love. Sexual promiscuity is using someone else to meet my needs, and results in the illusion of intimacy and sexual expression outside the covenant relationship in which God intended. Rather than being about “us,” it’s all about me. The challenge is that while we might all agree on this broad biblical concept, the specific applications, and whether or not monogamous same-sex relationships could possibly be included, is straining the ties that bind us in Christ to the breaking point.
The same is true of how the world tells me to handle money—it’s mine. I earned it. I deserve it. I own it. It’s mine. The biblical concept of stewardship, which emphasizes our management of God’s money is completely foreign to us. Even the idea that we’re to steward the earth’s resources as God’s representatives flies in the face of the cultural concept that these resources are meant to be used and plundered for our economic benefit regardless of the long-term consequences. Conceptually we can probably agree on that, but how this might or might not affect our daily management of money and resources has made the concern so contentious we can’t frankly wrestle with the issues without breaking the fellowship of God’s family ties.
I’ll be blunt. Our neighbors are watching to see whether or not a church can love each other in the face of differing points of view on contentious issues. The world knows all about living selfish lives that want it “my way.” The great temptation is to substitute our comfort for the rigorous and difficult process of loving each other during times of turmoil, so that we embody the truth that no matter what the threat, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus both as individuals and as an expression of the body of Christ. These are not easy times, and I don’t have the answers. But with all my heart, and knowing the truth of the warning that those who lead the church of Jesus Christ are going to be held responsible for what they teach and how they lead, we must trust God’s work in us and learn to love each other in the messiness. Humility and grace will be the absolute essentials for the next steps in the journey.
To that end, I invite you to read with me 1 Corinthians 13 in the context in which it was first written. Not for the purpose of providing a nice reading at weddings, but to address the real fights that are going on in the Corinthian church. May that kind of love, in the midst of real life, be what our neighbors see in us as we try and sort out where and how God is leading us.
Now…for the other stuff on my desk…
St. Andrew will be sponsoring "Shepherding Your Teen" Parent Conference led by Jeff Schadt on November 4-5, 2011. This conference is specifically designed and taught by Jeff for parents of 8 - 18 year olds. It examines the transition we need to make as parents to set our kids up to flourish on their own. Jeff Schadt is the founder and President of Youth Transition Network, a ministry devoted to decoding and reversing the loss of youth from the church. YTN has developed many resources based upon Jeff's research with over 2,000 young people. These resources are designed to help prepare students for the change and new responsibilities coming when they graduate from high school so that they will succeed spiritually, socially, academically and financially. The NExT program for High School Juniors and Seniors at St. Andrew's is based largely upon these resources. On Sunday, June 26th, Jeff will be visiting St. Andrew in preparation for the November Parent Conference. Don't miss the opportunity to hear this incredible speaker during both worship services and at lunch at noon for parents and youth (entire family welcome). For more information visit www.ytn.org and www.shepherdingyourteen.com
With that…you really do know what I know…
Wow this was one of your best!! Well put, thank you.
Cathy
Posted by: Cathy | June 24, 2011 at 11:37 AM