Proper 11 / Pentecost 9 / OT 16
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now....
-- Romans 8:22
In this remarkable passage, we are given a whole new perspective on suffering and sin. First, it is a mistake to avoid all suffering. With Christ as our model, there is a redemptive possibility in suffering. By the Spirit we are invited to be "heirs with Christ -- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." Second, there is an intimate link between the sin of humanity and the damage done to our ecology. Nature is trapped in a "bondage to decay" that is reflected in the sinfulness of humanity. The background of this statement is Genesis chapters 2-3 in which humanity was set in a gardenlike world as stewards but the ground was cursed by the couple's disobedience (Genesis 3:17). For example, the exploitive greed of humanity has led to the pollution of our atmosphere.
But this intricate relationship between sin and suffering (both human and of nature) is not a hopeless path to destruction. The whole spiral of sin and evil is not a threat to God's triumph but rather a necessary part of God's unfolding purpose. Instead of looking at the painful state of the world and feeling despair, we are offered hope. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies." To see both the suffering of nature and of humanity as "labor pains" is to find meaning and purpose to our struggle to be faithful. The difficult challenge of living a faithful life is given new meaning if God is using our efforts for a larger purpose. Like a woman who endures labor pains because of her anticipation of a new baby, so we can see our struggle "as a necessary passage to a glory that will be revealed." And "if we hope for what we do not see, we await for it with patience."
-- Romans 8:22
In this remarkable passage, we are given a whole new perspective on suffering and sin. First, it is a mistake to avoid all suffering. With Christ as our model, there is a redemptive possibility in suffering. By the Spirit we are invited to be "heirs with Christ -- if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him." Second, there is an intimate link between the sin of humanity and the damage done to our ecology. Nature is trapped in a "bondage to decay" that is reflected in the sinfulness of humanity. The background of this statement is Genesis chapters 2-3 in which humanity was set in a gardenlike world as stewards but the ground was cursed by the couple's disobedience (Genesis 3:17). For example, the exploitive greed of humanity has led to the pollution of our atmosphere.
But this intricate relationship between sin and suffering (both human and of nature) is not a hopeless path to destruction. The whole spiral of sin and evil is not a threat to God's triumph but rather a necessary part of God's unfolding purpose. Instead of looking at the painful state of the world and feeling despair, we are offered hope. "We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies." To see both the suffering of nature and of humanity as "labor pains" is to find meaning and purpose to our struggle to be faithful. The difficult challenge of living a faithful life is given new meaning if God is using our efforts for a larger purpose. Like a woman who endures labor pains because of her anticipation of a new baby, so we can see our struggle "as a necessary passage to a glory that will be revealed." And "if we hope for what we do not see, we await for it with patience."
