Rom. 15:4-13 Advent 2
Romans is a difficult mountain to scale, but this week's reading could be worth renting the equipment and moving toward its summit, or if you wish, heading back to base camp.
First I seize on the word welcome. Welcome home will be chanted in home upon home during this time of year. The word could mean in Greek, accept, embrace, take a hand, make a companion). This word alone could make a wedge for a sermon.
Romans extends the welcome: as Christ has welcomed you. I attended an ecumenical thanksgiving service in one of the in dependent churches that as a table of political brochures castigating anyone they consider on the left side of the spectrum, and speaking of being oppressed anyone who disagrees with them. Now, I do wish to be fair, the romantic left in religious circles does not wish to extend welcome to anything but the latest facet of thought that catches their fancy either.
How do we welcome Christ? What receptivity and festal pomp fits the advent of Christ into our world?
Context: This section is on the dispute about food again, kosher or not. It has the tone of the Thanksgiving dinners where vegans assert moral superiority, or gluten-free food is the price of admission for some. Paul is desperately seeking unity among people determined to split into factions. In god's eyes, he will see both groups as important and equal, even if "strong and weak." Neither side may claim precedence over the other.
Also consider this context as an ethic between the Advents. Notice its univesralizing thrust. Life is too short to waste time dividing into sides. On the other hand, his ethic points us toward living as a messianic community, toward tikkun olam.
The blessing at the end of our passage, v. 13 is wonderful,and could be a sermon from that passage alone.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment