ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
August 24, 2021
Scripture: Galatians 1:3-5
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Thought for the Day: In these opening remarks from Paul’s Letter, we hear of a Jesus who gave himself for our sins. That phrase, along with a few other scriptural passages, has given birth to dozens if not hundreds of theories of what the self-giving act of Jesus really accomplished. Paul wrote of how this event “set us free from the present evil age,” but there is no explanation or diagram for how that happened. For centuries, people have been putting forth explanations, including that of an angry God who required the death of a perfect sacrifice. This theory has been used and modified many times, yet for most modern day people it raises more issues than it solves. First of all, how can God be an angry God. If Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God (Colossians 1), and Jesus is love, then how can he also reflect a God who is angry. And what does it say that the God of the Universe, the Perfect One, needs anything. It suddenly makes God dependent, which sounds more like one of the Greek or Roman gods who were basically powerful versions of ideal human beings. Could it be that Paul was less concerned about some system or structure, and was simply expressing the power of love? How this love does its thing is not always clear, but it has the capacity to tear down walls, unshackle those who are heavy burdened and provide freedom of body, mind and spirit. I’ve read many of those theories and explanations, and though some are interesting, I can’t say any of them are really that convincing. But I have seen love, the limitless love of God, truly change a life. I have seen this love expressed unconditionally, and the result was freedom from fear, addiction, hopelessness or some other demonic burden. I am less concerned about the mechanics and more appreciative of the outcome.
Prayer: Good and Grace-filled God, your love is beyond limits. We too often diminish its power and beauty when we attempt to confine it inside some restrictive system by which it is distributed. Let us celebrate your love, and then seek to unleash that love through our own lives. Maybe that’s all you had in mind. Amen.
