Scripture: Romans 3:21-23
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…
Thought for the Day: During the afternoon of December 24, I took around 40 phone calls at the church from people asking the times of our Christmas Eve services. Most of the conversations were very cordial, and people were almost all generous with their Christmas well wishes. I enjoyed talking with everyone, but one conversation got weird. That is not a polite thing to say, though in this case, the phone call felt more like an interrogation than a general conversation of curiosity. The woman wanted to know if we were going to “proclaim the Lordship of Jesus,” and when my answer was not sufficient, I was asked if I would be “announcing Jesus as God’s only son and the sacrificial lamb for human sin.” Besides that she was mixing diverse theology and different portions of the liturgical calendar, I would suggest that she was attempting to make belief into a formula that she could tightly control. Though our conversation did not give us time, I would have enjoyed discussing how our modern understanding of ‘belief’ is not what Paul or the Gospel writers would have meant. Belief had less to do with intellectual understanding or credal formulas. Instead, it was about relationships of love. Had she asked me, “Will you be guiding us into a deeper relationship of love with God and with the ways of Jesus?” I would have answered, “To the best of my ability.” But if all you are looking for is a recipe or technical blueprint, my preaching and teaching will always leave you disappointed. For those less interested in restricting Jesus to some prescription, and instead, would like to more fully love him and follow the ways he demonstrated, then I think we have a place to meet and share.
Prayer: God, give me a passion for exploration, so I can build my relationship with you instead of looking for ways of controlling you. Amen.
