October 26, 2021 — Romans 13:1 – 14

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Romans 13:1-7

Romans 13 has a lot packed into it. For example, when Paul says: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities…”, well this sounds ok to our democratic societal ears. But to any person living under a governing authority that is oppressive and abusive to its people, these words from Paul can sound chilling. Of course, our rulers, those in all levels of government, should be subject to Romans 12:2, because in my estimation, Paul is speaking not only to me but also to the very people who make up all levels of government — they also should “…discern what is the will of God.”

And, in the process of determining world politics and our current world state, we look at Romans 12 and13 and wonder how we can ever come to an agreement as to what is a “Just War”. When Paul was writing these words, the Jewish revolt of 66 CE by the Jewish Zealots was still less than 10 years away leading to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Should the only governing authorities that we are to follow be the authorities who are “G-d’s servants for the good”? And how are we to determine who that is?

Many people say there should be a separation of Church and State….and to that I say Amen. However, I also believe that the people who work for the government should have some moral principles that guide them in all aspects of their lives — especially in determining the good for all people through laws and decisions. As people of G-d, it is possible to expect our leaders both in the church and in government to truly have some guiding principles that come from a moral center.

Let us Pray,

Lord Jesus, we look to you as our hope and salvation. We live in a world where the reign of G-d waxes and wanes, but the reign of human rulers is always present. Give us the wisdom to work for guiding principles that are just for all people. Amen.

Pastor Dave

October 25, 2021 — Romans 12:1–21

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Romans 12:1-12

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” We can draw two conclusions from this opening text to chapter 12. First, that everyone should put forward their whole person in obedience and in faith to the commands that Paul will lay out in the following verses. All of our gifts, whether in ministry, or in teaching, etc., are to be used to the glory of G-d. And second, that worship is an act that involves the whole person, in body, performing certain acts of worship. Both points are arguments against the position that many people have today – that they can worship G-d at home by themselves, anytime and anywhere. Paul is appealing to the people that this just is not possible — not for the Romans (not for us) — to worship G-d properly is to be present in worship – and not just present but to be in the moment. This is what our liturgy is about – it is the “work” of the people – where we actively participate in that worship. We present our gifts to G-d, each according to the gifts that we have. We must go through an active assessment of those gifts often, and in accordance to our presenting our prayer, praise and thanksgiving to G-d. What are your gifts? Have they changed? Have you prayed about them and have you asked G-d to help you in assessing your gifts — and in using your gifts?

Let us Pray,

Lord Jesus, help us to recognize our gifts, and to offer them to you. Give us the strength to come to you in prayer, praise and thanksgiving often. Help us to use our gifts daily. Amen.

Pastor Dave