Proper 18 / Pentecost 16 / OT 23
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
-- Romans 13:8
How are we to love one another when sometimes we do not even like each other very much? That is often the challenge within a church, let alone in the larger society. We would prefer to keep our religion at a more formal level. Laws such as not committing adultery, not stealing, and not coveting can codify correct behavior. And indeed, these are good commandments because they teach us appropriate boundaries. Yet, we can keep all of these commandments and still remain strangers to each other. You can refrain from stealing from another person without ever having to interact with that person. You can break one of these commandments and still need to be cared for by others. The intimacy we are starved for requires us not only to be correct in our relationships but also to love one another as Jesus loved us. Jesus' love revealed a passion for our well-being even when it meant a sacrifice for him. Jesus' love offered an acceptance of us with all our irritating and offensive characteristics. It offered a forgiveness that restored us again and again to wholeness. The challenge for the church in its internal relationships is enormous. We need to continue to strive to overcome our desire to focus on our own comfort and pleasure, and we need to seek the best for those other members who make us uncomfortable. "Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
-- Romans 13:8
How are we to love one another when sometimes we do not even like each other very much? That is often the challenge within a church, let alone in the larger society. We would prefer to keep our religion at a more formal level. Laws such as not committing adultery, not stealing, and not coveting can codify correct behavior. And indeed, these are good commandments because they teach us appropriate boundaries. Yet, we can keep all of these commandments and still remain strangers to each other. You can refrain from stealing from another person without ever having to interact with that person. You can break one of these commandments and still need to be cared for by others. The intimacy we are starved for requires us not only to be correct in our relationships but also to love one another as Jesus loved us. Jesus' love revealed a passion for our well-being even when it meant a sacrifice for him. Jesus' love offered an acceptance of us with all our irritating and offensive characteristics. It offered a forgiveness that restored us again and again to wholeness. The challenge for the church in its internal relationships is enormous. We need to continue to strive to overcome our desire to focus on our own comfort and pleasure, and we need to seek the best for those other members who make us uncomfortable. "Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires."
