SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
TEXT: 1cKnowledge puffs up, but love builds up. THEME: Love builds up the community of God. INTRODUCTION Knowledge or love which is more important? Don’t you hate it when someone says, “Oh did you hear that...Oh wait, maybe I shouldn’t say anything...” They have us hooked, they have information and now that they have power over us, as they know something we don’t and they won’t tell us. So, we say, “Tell me, pleeeeease, pretty pleeeease, I’ll be nice to you.” SCRIPTURE Knowledge or love which is more important? It is important for us to know things or it is important for us to be in loving relationships with each other. We could have a lot of knowledge and be very lonely, have no friends, be set apart, arrogant, snobbish and treat others as if they are mere irritants. Or we could have knowledge and not try to prove everyone wrong, but use the knowledge we have to help others and benefit others with what we have discovered fostering relationships around us. Paul makes this distinction, that knowledge builds up the individual but love can encompass our use of knowledge to build up the community. What good is the discovery of a vaccine if we are the only one saved and everyone else dies? This is what the Corinthians know; there is a connection in making sacrifices to gods and getting what they want. 1) If they have done something that makes them feel awful, sacrificing something of value is an act that shows contrition and gives them something to do to try and alleviate their feelings of remorse. 2) If there is something that they want, if they sacrifice something to the gods then there is a chance that this will smooth the tracks for the gods to act favorably on their behalf. They have developed a whole economy on requests of forgiveness and benefits with amounts and types of offerings that has turned the local shrine into a butcher shop with a meat market and County Fair on the back end. Roasted leg of lamb, garlic lamb chops, rack of lamb, beef steaks, street tacos, fajitas, stew and BBQ sticks. Where there is food, other produce and goods show up and the atmosphere in the back of the temple, might have been so high spirited that it could get you into trouble all over again. Imagine walking around this market place with you BBQ stick, tasting the local fruits and delicacies, and seeing all of the wares for sale and exotics. There was a whole culture formed around these sacrifices. Archeologists have found miniature figurines of the goddess Athena that were sold to pilgrims as part of a religious tourist trade. Knowledge or love, which is more important? This is where Paul takes the concept of ‘knowledge’ and turns it on its head. Paul has the knowledge they seek, the knowledge that God has created them, sees them as ‘good’, loves them, and has never stopped loving them. Paul does a ‘flip’ turning the knowledge of God into a thing. God is the only God. So, if sacrifice is the way that you get your gods to do your biddings, what if your gods didn’t exist? What if the one true God that does exist cannot be bought by your sacrificial bribes, but responds to you out of a loving concern for you, already desiring the very best for you? How does this knowledge inform your life? Then these sacrifices have no meaning, and by purchasing our BBQ stick we are supporting a culture of deception. Although it is a tasty confection at a good price, we have to give it up to help others know God the way that we do. In the mean time we have to get our meat from someplace else and search the internet for a recipe as amazing as the food we were eating. Knowledge or love which is more important? If God loves us, what spiritual power does a banana possess? There are stories, folklore, and exaggerations of the power that this humble fruit possess that if in your possession, it will keep fish in the water and not on your hook. These stories work on our psyche and have even expanded the power of the banana-to-banana bread, banana strawberry yogurt, to hunting and other such endeavors. What is more powerful, the knowledge of the banana (which God created) or the knowledge of the love God has for us (who will help a fish onto our hook)? APPLICATION While we are experiencing a life being loved by God and freed to live in relationship with God, how do we live, knowing there are those who are held captive to their culture of fear, punishment, good works and bribes? How are our lives reordered and reoriented by the love of God in Jesus Christ? Paul has us use our liberty in Christ, to be considerate of those who are struggling with their faith, and to be considerate of them, in the example that we set. I know a minister, who has seen families destroyed by the abusive use of alcohol and decided not to drink any kind of alcoholic beverage, for fear of giving the wrong message to those who struggle with alcoholism. The same can be said with smoking or swearing or telling jokes that make fun of people. So, this same minister told jokes only with puns. Not punning all the time, but laughing at the funny thing’s words can do, and not at the expense of others. The other way to look at this, is to live our relationship with Jesus and God, in real and genuine ways. We cannot always be responsible for other people’s feelings towards what we do, but we can try to be honest and true to how we believe Christ wants us to live, and to try out best, with the Spirit’s help to live in that way. As we grow and mature in our knowledge of God, it continues to shape and form our lives and our expression on how to live. And what we do. Not only individually, but also as a church. Last week, the discussion we had after church on the Wailuku Mission Housing was picked up by our Council meeting on Wednesday night. We looked at the documents that form and define our partnership with EAH and continued to ask questions and seek clarification. We feel really good about our partnership and what we will be able to accomplish together. One of the take aways of our Council meeting was that, as this project moves forward, our neighbors will get wind of this and ask, “What is happening to our neighborhood with this housing project?” So, we should begin to share what we are doing with our neighbors, when we see them. “The church has 2.5 acres between the Bailey House Museum and Kaahumanu Church. We are planning to build 40 rental units for Teachers, Firemen and young families. We have been working on what we could do on this piece of property for the past 20 years. We are following the parable of the Good Samaritan and reaching out to those in our community who need housing. We are partnering with the State, the County and a nonprofit developer in order to do this. We want this to be a blessing for locals to find housing close to where they work, in a great neighborhood, and bring some new energy to our community.” As a church, we are partners of this example of loving others with the Love of God. CONCLUSION Knowledge or love, which is more important? Having knowledge is great, but being able to live in loving ways forges new relationships that takes knowledge and creates vibrant lives, living in community with each other. We got a glimpse of what God would do with that piece of property and through our faith, we are beginning to live into that dream.
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SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
TEXT: THEME: INTRODUCTION SCRIPTURE This is the turning point in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. Before this he has been outlining the difficulties this community of faith has been having with each other. The reality is that we cannot believe in Jesus and remain the same, as they are doing. The love God has for us, changes the way we understand ourselves, and changes our relationships with others and changes the way we live. Corinth is a city of commerce. Shipping lanes and trade routes conversed on this sea port with goods, people, ideas and theologies. So, the idea of Jesus of Nazareth, being the Jewish Messiah was just one of the many followings that have erupted in this cosmopolitan City. No wonder they liked the idea of Jesus, but did not fully committed to it, just in case something better came about. After all this Good news came to them from Apollos, then Cephas or Peter and now Paul formerly known as Saul. Their allegiance to the messenger of the Good News of Jesus, has clouded their focus of the message of the Good News, as if there is prestige in hearing about Jesus from a priest, a disciple or a tent maker. This sounds like the beginning of denominations. In essence, Paul is saying, “Stop futting around and live into this season of Jesus being the incarnation of God’s love for us.” Paul uses the establishment of marriage as an analogy of a time tested and true covenantal relationship challenged by the light of an urgency to live into this new relationship with God. It is almost like how newly inaugurated President Biden begins his presidency with executive orders that resends the values of the previous administration with the Stewardship of Creation, Health for all people, inclusion of those different from ourselves to benefit from what we have and the forming respectful relationships with our partners in the world to accomplish good for all. He was not waiting to live into a way, but took full advantage of the season of his presidency. Paul’s call is to operate at a higher level of consciousness, awareness, maturity, compassion, and cognition in following God’s designs. What we are living into with God is more important than what we have lost, and is more important than any acquisition. It is on a different time line from any time we have been. The present form of this world is passing away, giving way to a new future. APPLICATION When change comes about, like in a new season, somethings need to be left behind, like winter clothes, so that we can move into the season of summer. The revelation of God’s love revealed to us by Jesus’ life, teaching, death and resurrection, moves us to live into a new reality (season) with love and resurrection. In this changing season, what do we leave behind so we can move forward? We take what we are used to doing, where our comfort is, what we know how to do and ask if it has a place in this new season. Bernie Sanders was dressed for winter on the Capital’s step for the inauguration of president Biden, but his only sign of moving into the new administration this spring, was the absence of a hat. He is beginning to make the transition from winter to summer. Our specialness is not based on who introduced us to Jesus, because we all can know God for ourselves. So, we leave name dropping behind and focus on the love of God through Jesus. We are dearly loved by God, just the way we are, but that does not mean that we just stay the way we are, so we leave superstition, appeasement, fear and prejudice behind for a confident relationship with God that enables us to engage in where God is moving. Our identity/value/meaning is found in being a child of God, so we can leave behind the titles and prestige from our careers and be humble, let go of our ego’s appetite, and find satisfaction in what God is able to accomplish through us. God calls us to be in community, as family belonging to God. We put aside the majority rules and win-lose scenarios for consensus models of decision making. Listening and respecting each other as we make decisions for the future. God’s love creates new rules for us to play by and new results as the measures of success. When evangelism was the goal of our mission, then we measured success by how many people we had in church. When we shifted to be missional, success was gauged by how faithful we are. It is harder to measure the depth and maturity of faith. But what we can see is our helping others, and unselfishly planning to create housing for those who have none as signs of our faith. In this season, we are open to change. We have used our Rummage Sale not only as a means for us to raise funds, but to the option of being a blessing to those who were camping, in need of clothes, school supplies, a Christmas gift or moving into a new home and in need of household items. Your donations have raised money for the church but also have been a blessing to so many in need during this pandemic, because we were able to see what we have and use it beyond fund raising to blessing. The rummage has now been boxed up and Makawao Union will take it for their thrift store. So, don’t bring anymore donations. We will relax for a while and let you know when the next rummage sale will be. CONCLUSION Krista Tippett interviewed Michael Curry, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the U.S. and Russel Moore, the president of the ethics and Religious Liberty Commission - essentially the chief ethicist of the Southern Baptist Convention. They have formed a friendship over conversations on the poetry of Wendell Berry. They don’t agree on everything about the Christian life, but they have come to understand why the other believes the way that they do, and does the things that they do with respect for each other and have forged a friendship despite their different perspective. They have stirring conversations, listening and speaking with each other that enriches their lives. They are not trying to convert the other, but to understand from the other’s perspective, as human beings. The bottom line, summed up by Dr. Moore, “The question is not, why do you believe so much? The question is, why are you not living up to what you say you believe?” The rest of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth is about living up to what we say we believe. If we have faith but treat each other with prejudice, hate, inequity, and privilege, then there is more for us to leave behind as we the move into this new season with Jesus. SCRIPTURE: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
TEXT: THEME: Love God, Love Your Body INTRODUCTION I didn’t make any resolutions this New Years, but I still want to lose weight. I haven’t been doing that well at it. I want to exercise this year too and this is going about the same as my losing weight. Being fit for God is an ongoing process. This body that God has given us is wonderful. It is good, it is made in the image of God. Our bodies host our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual selves. It is a marvel. It is the container for my soul, in much the same way it is a temple for God’s Spirit. Our identity with God is intricately intertwined as part of our makeup in which God sees as good. Salvation is found in our relationship with God and how this relationship in informs us of how we live with others. SCRIPTURE Hurting our body hurts our relationships; drunkenness, substance abuse, exhaustion, poor nourishment, illness, poor hygiene, starvation, STDs, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, too much food, too much sleep… When our bodies hurt it changes the dynamics of our relationship with those around us. Some things are unavoidable, while others are a choice of our stewardship of our heath. With our freedoms and marvelous bodies, with have choices and responsibilities of how we chose to create, imagine, do, and use our bodies for God, for ourselves and for the community of believers. Our actions have consequences good and not so good. What we do affect others as well our ourselves and our relationships. Paul uses the ‘one bad apple spoils the barrel’ example to the body of Christ. When we behave well Our actions, effect the reputation. But all it takes is for one of us to behave poorly for the reputation of the church to be soiled. Our actions, good and bad add to the continuing story of who we are. We are a lens for the world to get a glimpse of who God is. God’s Holy Spirit is there to help us exhibit the goodness of God as we participate in the activity of God. This is glory to God. APPLICATION If salvation is found in having a relationship with God and others, then how is God glorified in our bodies? Our bodies are good and are to be enjoyed but just their enjoyment is not the goal. Taking care of ‘our bodies’ needs', can be a distraction from doing what God wants us to do. Not that it’s bad but that is not all that they are for. We use our Bodies to bring the presence of God’s Holy Spirit into the world. In a protest we stand for justice, while Drumming, dancing, and singing our culture’s forms and expressions, we rally against separatist whose narrow ideology divides instead of embraces, we use our body to help, to vote, to distribute food, to give a shot, to stand guard, to be counted as part of the number for what is right, we proclaim the gospel with our body, we bring confront to the sick, we celebrate others accomplishments with cheers and applaud the righteous in joyful appreciation. We are willing to use our bodies for love’s sake. On this eve of Martin Luther King Jr’s Day, we remember this great civil rights leader whose dream was for an America that treated all people fairly with equality. He was present in body, spirt and soul to proclaim this non-violent message of liberation, freedom and equality. On Friday evening, I got an email from our Hawaiian Conference saying how the events of January 6, the insurrection at our capital, could be localized by those who are fearful of the changes that will be brought by the Biden administration. So liberal Churches, are being targeted by groups, on Sunday the 17th, and the 20th, the day of the inauguration of our new President. We were cautioned by our Conference not to meet in person. As a shepherd, I want to keep my flock safe so I emailed those who usually come that they should stay home, But I, as one who has the Holy Spirit in me, am not letting fear dictate what Gospel of Jesus to preach. So, I am using my body to bring the message of God, from this site, as a statement of a loving God, over fear. I’m not alone, Damira is here, and any of you watching on Facebook, if need be, can make the appropriate phone calls for us. This is our non-violent protest. CONCLUSION This sermon was going to be about the stewardship of our bodies; eating wisely, exercise, and getting enough rest. But the events of the ending presidency have threatened our peaceful existence here. What if the threat is true and these, who are trying to determine the future or our country through fear and terrorism are targeting churches that are “Liberal” but they don’t single us out? Because they don’t see us as a threat to their kind of community. That we are not doing anything that they should, “pay us no mind.” Then the Gospel we preach does not have an edge to it. The church we are a part of doesn’t make a difference. The Love of God does not have a bite. That there is nothing radical about what we are doing or saying. Then maybe we are not a temple of the Holy Spirit, but just an empty container. Or worst, a temple of fear, self-righteousness, of false hopes and lies. If so, we have missed the mark. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a treat to the kind of thinking that thinks that fear can get us to do what they want. Jesus shows us that Love is more powerful than fear. The Holy Spirit creates bridges not wall. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit shows us that Love is not afraid to share what we have with others. The Community of God is colorful with a love that embraces, calls, accepts, and changes society by overcoming fear with meaningful relationships with God and each other. SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 61:1-6
TEXT: 60:1Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. THEME: God’s ways bring hope of living in mutually productive relationships. INTRODUCTION The season of Epiphany is about enlightenment. It begins with the wise astrologist connecting the comic movement of a star, with an activity of God’s on Earth. The symbol of this season is light, and more specifically light shining in darkness. Light is more powerful than darkness. Nothing is faster than the speed of light, and yet Darkness seems to be there before light. Light gives us direction as well as reveals what we have been blind to, pit falls and obstacles. The events of this week have been like a light that have exposed a darkness in American. The breech of our Nation’s capital building, crossed over the boundary’s democracy, for a rule that is opportunistic, self-serving, elitist, short sighted, and corrupt. It is not that we have need seen the dark, but there are those who blindly follow the illusions of authority, ignoring their own common sense and logic. The result was violence and sadness, devoid of any moral content. Sometimes we don’t like what the light reveals, it is disruptive. But now that we have seen our sin, we can’t ignore it. This revelation must become a piece of our moving forward. SCRIPTURE The Spiritual Battle that Israel was engaged in, exhibits itself with the physical captivity of the people of God in the God forsaken land of Babylon. They have been unfaithful, worshiping and following the ways of other gods to get what they want. God’s anger rose against them. Prophets warned them, but they acted as if they were deaf and believed that they knew better than God. As a result, the Babylonian King attacked and defeated them without God’s help. The leaders, rulers, politicians, teachers, young, and strong were interned in Babylon away from their people, to reduce the threat of a rebellion. Seventy years have passed and now the Prophet Isaiah is giving them hope, as he talks about a return to Jerusalem. Arise for light has come. Israel is an illuminating light of what God can do, through them. As a nation with God, they were invincible. As a nation that strayed from God, they were capture and exiled in Babylon. Now dormant Isaiah gives them God’s message of hope, Israel will have a chance to shine for God again. Our lives, lived in relationship with God is provocative and compelling. God renews Israel, revives Israel, releases Israel from captivity, forgives Israel of her transgressions, returns Israel home, restores Israel and uses Israel as a screen that captures the light of God’s glory. The dynamics of living with God are revealed in Israel’s relationship with God. People are attracted to the light of God, and come from all over the world to be a part of this dynamic relationship. The people of God will be made up of sons and daughters beyond the boundaries of Israel, from faraway places, even Babylon. The last part of this prophetic message is about economic relationships that leads to prosperity, Trade agreements, covenants, alliances, will create mutually beneficial relationships with each other. Fostering economic relationships of respect and diversity, flourishes communities with the exchange of ideas as well as goods. This is God’s plan for all of us, peaceful relationships with our neighbors and among countries, sharing and spreading the light of God far beyond any boarder. APPLICATION God's light arises and gives us hope for living in new ways. It is disruptive as it exposes what we try to hide. Being brought to light, we can admit our fault. When we own up to our actions that have contributed up to our darkness, then we can make choices to change things so we don’t find ourselves in that situation again. How do we take the disruption of God’s light and use it as an example to others? The Bible tells stories of human experiences with God. They are not perfect stories of perfect people but of human failures and successes, of those who have given in to temptation and those who have recovered from such failings. Power has corrupted those of faith and has led to great accomplishments. Greed, lust and evil have brought the downfall of many, but God is in the midst of those stories show how God can work all things for the good of those who love God., and how there is nothing impossible for God. We are seeing this being unfolded in our nation today. We have been a beacon for democracy. The peaceful exchange of presidential leadership, a Country of the people, by the people, for the people. Even with the events of this week, how we navigate having a president who refuses to admit to losing an election and causing an insurrection against the Senate’s confirmation of electoral votes, the structure of our democracy will sort out this turmoil and prevail, shinning forth. This is what the nation of Israel is to be, a beacon of living in relationship with God. God deeply influencing the way Israel lives and the results of living by God’s ways displayed for all to see. This mantle is also ours, as we are the sons and daughters who have come from afar to be God’s people. Recently, in the midst of all of the progress that we have been making, surviving the pandemic, moving along with the Wailuku Mission Housing, and my personal gains, I have been feeling the difficulties, from negative forces, trying to be my undoing. The attacks feel spiritual, so I put myself in a humble state to allow God’s light to shine in my darkness, with a glory that still holds me in God’s love. God reveals stuff in our lives so we can let go of them and live-in better ways and not to have our bad behavior define us. Humble and open to make an assessment of my behavior and admit my failings. I read the Bible for insight, to give God a chance to speak to me, instead of me doing all of the talking. I pray, sometimes like a child that has no filters to interrupts a conversation. Maybe more like an old person who has just thought of something and has to say it now because they forget. I sing a hymn or spiritual songs. They actually can be any song that resonates with how I am feeling and carries what I am going through to God as a prayer. God’s light has a healing aspect to it, that sets our course in the right path again, repairs relationships and brings hope for a better future. CONCLUSION When the light shines and exposes the ugliness around us, we could deny what we see and cover it up by being blind to it. Or we could let the light be disruptive, admit our ugliness and let God hold us in Glorious love, so together we can make necessary changes to live into a better future. We pray for our country to do this. We pray for our world to do this. We pray for our lives to do this, so that the relationships we foster with each other, can have the opportunity to grow in stewardship, responsibility, creativity, imagination and inspiration. SCRIPTURE: Ephesians 1:3-14
TEXT:7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8athat he lavished on us. THEME: Loved by God, we live as adopted heirs, bringing glory to God. INTRODUCTION For the most part, the sermon texts are stories that reveal theological insights. The Author of the letter to the Ephesians takes a different approach, as we are given theological insights that need to be read into the story of the Church in Ephesus. Given these theological insights we have to provide our own stories to wrap around truth. SCRIPTURE This passage begins with the statement that, “What God is able to accomplish in us, reveals an awesomeness of God, that blesses God.” Then it goes on to say that Jesus and God are the same, and that God has always seen us as good, made in the image of God, and God does not withhold anything from us. In fact, later in verse 8, God lavishes grace upon us. We used to think that we were not good enough for God because of our sin. No one is without sin, so no one is good enough. But sin does not keep God away from us as we thought. Our Children sin all of the time but we don’t distant ourselves from them until they are better. Or have a sacrifice to pay for their offense. We don’t withhold forgiveness from them, like a carrot to get them to do what we want. No, we lavishly pour out forgiveness to them, and never stop loving them, and reassure them of our love, and encourage them to learn from their mistake, errors, failures, and successes. If we, as fallen, imperfect parents can love our children in this way, then why shouldn’t we expect God to display this exact kind of love towards us, in extending God’s self to us in Jesus. God has had this plan of loving us all along. God has never stopped loving us, and has always considered us as good, worthy, special, holy, set apart from the rest of Creation by our belief in God, contrary to how awful we feel because of what we have done, we are forgivable and recipients of grace. We are not perfect by any means, we lie, cheat, take, blame, doubt and let greed get the best of us (but that is another story and Ephesians does not do stories) but our love relationship with God, gives hope, acceptance, identity, promise and life. This is how my theology has been evolving. After the Event in the Garden, by the parents of humanity, God shows grace in clothing them, teaching them how to farm, and continues to be in humankind’s life. This is seen through the faith adventures of the family of Abraham and Sarah. God is constant in loving us, not because we are perfect, but because we are committed (for the most part) to be in relationship with God, to struggle with having faith, to believing, to live in a particular way that is consistent with the truth of God. Did I say struggle? God calls it a ‘wrestle’ as in the name Israel, “a people who wrestles with God, in close relationship with God.” Nothing we do disqualifies us from God (other than by their own choosing to), and yet God is always there when we turn from greed, back towards God. The purpose of such a Love is for relationships. What is more dear than being made a part of God’s family through choice, destiny, or adoption? We are Jew and Gentile, Japanese and Hawaiian, Portuguese and Filipino, German and Kosraen alike. We are family relations with a shared inheritance in faith. Love line is more important to God than blood line. Even Jesus’ line, it is mixed, because God is not creating a superior race, but the People of God though relationships of love, beginning from one ethnicity but not exclusively, because belief in God can come from anyone. We all have God stories no matter what culture we are from, where God has been involved and experience, although not identified in the same way as in our Christian faith, but God is active in all humanity, because God cares for all humanity, even before God comes to be known through Jesus. This can be seen in the Hawaiian’s understanding of ‘Aloha’. In many regards it is like the Greek word for love: ’Agape’ which is the selfless love of God, that desires the very best for someone else. It’s not to say that the Hawaiian society, or political structure was perfect, but in every society, we have facets of inspiration from God that are pushing and moving how we are as a people to be better, human, respectful, just, caring and kind. God’s Spirit moves through all of us. APPLICATION God’s plan of salvation is for us to be loved by God. God has never stopped loving us even with all of our shenanigans. We are adopted into a relationship with an inheritance and responsibility. Blessed be God by God’s accomplishments in us. This love is sealed in us with a pledge of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to live for the praise of God’s glory? How is God’s redeeming love displayed in stories that lived by these theological truths? Substituting a sinless Christ to take on all of the sins of the world, upon a sacrificial death, that pays the price of our offense, has highjacked much of our theological understanding of Christianity. It has reduced our faith to an accounting of sin and forgiveness, to make sure that no vile acts go without the proper act of forgiveness. We have become litigious and self-righteous rather than loving and accepting. This is not relational, but score keeping as if life with God is some sort of game. Christianity carries tremendous insights and revelation of the heart, will, graciousness, and love of God, but it does not hold the exclusive experiences of God like how Peter saw that experiences of God’s Holy Spirit were not limited to Jews who believed in Jesus, but also to Gentiles. And Gentiles who believe in Jesus and are filled with the Seal of the Holy Spirit include us. We are beginning to realize that there are other ways that God speaks to other cultures, religions, and people that can be discovered if we are open to listen to them. In much the same way the Holy Spirit speaks to our hearts before we hear the Good News of Jesus. God is speaking way more than our exclusivity. The measuring rod is in relationships. There are people who irritate me, Not any of you. But they are inaccurate in what they communicate. They are cavalier in the work that they do. They try to hurt you as much as they perceive that they have been hurt by you. They are rude, lazy, hold their prejudices, are arrogant, selfish, blind to how their shopping cart affect others in Costco. But this steadfast love of God, this lavish grace, and seal of the Holy Spirit with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, draws us into a relationship with God and into relationships with others, even with those who irritate us, as a blessing that gives praises to God. Nobody said that it was easy to be a Christian, especially when we have to live, building relationship with people, according to what we believe, with love, grace, acceptance, forgiveness and care. CONCLUSION Taking the theology of the author of Ephesians, we could get bogged down by the words, and become immobilized. But taking its theological truth, we can wrap our own stories around them. Living stories of how we are loved by God. Acting in ways that show our identity and self-worth in God and not from the approval of others. Living in relationships that are nurturing and where we are the nurturer. Seeing that our salvation is more than a balance sheet of sin and forgiveness by being loved by God by a lavish grace. Having been loved so unselfishly enables us to love others with a lavish grace that we didn’t think that we were capable of loving with, that gets lived out on others, because God loves us like that. |
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April 2024
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