In the light of the Bishops of the Church of England and their, if I might say so, most unusually clear line on same sex marriage on the grounds of consistency of the Church's (that's universal) teaching, the call to obedience and submission to that which God calls us in this passage is perhaps more than just coincidental (but I might say that as I am, other than feeling for those who might feel wounded by the edict, am otherwise outside of its impact).
But as Christians we are called to look to one another in love and stand together in unity, yes even when we disagree, to work as building ourselves into a spiritual entity that corporately ministers to God; making Jesus known and reconciling ALL people to Him and his salvation.
Church has place for difference (for we are totally inclusive) but no place for division.
The Gospel also challenges us to act rightly with those around us - for the 'judge not' and the 'do unto other as you would have them do to you' are both great epitets to live by, but we are called to peace and this peace is broken when we engage in ad hominems, offend and anger. We are called to peace and this peace, when broken, breaks the unity of the Church and turns the bread and wine into wormwood and gall. So if you have a problem - stop playing at Church, get out there and fix it and come, together, to share in the bread and wine (with the Trinity).
It is easy to entertain lust and this is not always restricted to the area of sexual things - I often find myself lusting after equipment, computers, electronics and stuff and was once someone who would have done anything to let these things possess me. How about you (and how are we both doing now)?
I could go on (and usually do) about how a bill of divorce is issued to permit remarriage and how practical the Church is - but time (like me) is short and so we will leave this for another day and move on to the crunch, which for me comes from the ending of our Gospel passage in which we find ourselves being told to let our 'Yes' be 'Yes' and our 'No' seen to be 'No'. None of the saying one thing and meaning another - we are called to be as clear in our responses as we are in our lives. And we are called also to ensure that when confronted with those things that are wrong - we make the right choice and stick by it.
Consistency means people know where they are with us - now wouldn't that be nice if those around us were?
Wouldn't it be nice if we were?
Some quick thoughts in case you miss church today - hope they help :-)
Deuteronomy 30.15-20
'See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity.
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess.
But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the Lord swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.'
1 Corinthians 3.1-9
'And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarrelling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human?
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have a common purpose, and each will receive wages according to the labour of each. For we are God’s servants, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building.'
Matthew 5.21-37
'You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder”; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgement.” But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool”, you will be liable to the hell of fire.
So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall not commit adultery.”
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a another person with lust has already committed adultery with them in his heart.
If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
‘It was also said, “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.” But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
‘Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.” But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
Let your word be “Yes, Yes” or “No, No”; anything more than this comes from the evil one.'
No comments:
Post a Comment