July 13 Rom. 8:1-11, Mt. 13
God is the god of life, the spirit of life.That life pertains to this world and the world to come, of life and peace Life is one vivified by the Spirit.”Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. “When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody." .... Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the "Beloved." ―. Nouwen
Why is condemnation still such a feature of christian life (greek word=judging down/looking down) Where is all of the anger and need for disputation coming from? I had a flurry of protests of celebrating the 4th as it interrupted a focus on failings Life presents obstacles and dangers all of the time.I do try to respect people’s individuality, but I also like to look at patterns in human attitudes or behavior. Paul is dividing people along one dimension flesh or spirit. We need the spirit to be able to take in and offer life to one another. For Paul reminded us in the previous chapter that human psychology is so confused, the good I wish to do I don’t do, and the evil I wish to avoid, I do.
The parable of the sower and seed pushes us to wonder why we reject life in the spirit so cavalierly. How well rooted am I in the faith? What roots us more deeply? engagement with Scripture and prayer, including weekly Sabbath worship, are two fundamental exercises of our faith. Calvin thought that the spirit even brings the Scripture to life, otherwise, it is merely a dead letter on a page.That’s why our tradition emphasizes illumination so fully. Notice not our own supposedly incandescent selves but illumination from the divine source. Calvin also called prayer the chief exercise of faith.
Baptismal question from the RC do you reject the glamor of evil. Christians often deeply suspect and even resent the thought that non-religious folks have more fun than they do.
What attacks the seedbed of faith?Perhaps another way to go at the sower is a diagnostic device both personal and public. Do what degree do we harbor the vices that attack the seed of christian faith and life? To what degree does our congregation reflect these different elements that may well impede its full life in christ? In the sower parable we are threatened by our surprise that the faith is not all about personal blessings, but that it conflicts, and often., with the thought world most of us inhabit day by day. In that sense, conversion is more than mouthing a few magic words or undergoing an emotional experience of freedom or of the glories of salvation, but a revolution in the way we look and act in the world. Where does one even begin to address the way the weeds of the world choke off our growth as Christians. Once again, i am sharecropping, and a particular set of noxious weeds threatens to overtake growth that would threaten its lush tall green..the cares of the world have a way of draining the energy from us. In this image, the worries of life are invasive, and the growth, that mix of soil and seed, is the work of God’s hand.
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