No Distinctions

As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:27-28

It is human to make distinctions between people.  We love to decide who's in and who's out, who counts and who doesn't.  Our country is founded on the principles of making distinctions between people.  First it was the Native Americans who were deemed to be less than deserving of their land.  Because they were considered less than fully human the early immigrants decided they could justify their genocidal agenda.  Then it was the highly lucrative slave trade.  Because Africans were subhuman they could be used as property and exploited in order to generate more profit for the burgeoning cotton market.  In fact many pastors and religious leaders used the bible to justify slavery. Women were oppressed and kept from voting, gays and lesbians are denied the right to marry and receive benefits, and the poor are constantly blamed and told they are undeserving.  This is a brief sketch at how we as a society have made distinctions and share in a national history that is deeply flawed and troubling. 
As individuals we too make distinctions about people who matter and people who don't.  But, as Paul reminds us, in Christ there are no distinctions.  In Christ these differences are not important.  Through Christ we share a deep connection to every person.  We are all children of God.  So what should this mean for how we live?  There are of course those who can bend these scriptures to imply that in the heavenly realm these distinctions will dissolve, even as they remain in place.  After all, Paul never condemned slavery.  But do not be misled.  God's saving grace has deep ramifications for eternal life and life here and now.  Because God makes no distinctions, we are called to see all people as children of God.  Because God loves all people, we are called to love all.  Until we confront our own sinful tendency to discriminate and make distinctions we cannot truly understand the deepness of God's love--it is truly a radical for all kind of love.  The kind of love that changes everything.

Living on Purpose

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, ⁵“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4-5

We are all here for a reason, created by God for a purpose.  No one is here by accident; we all matter to God.  The call story of Jeremiah is powerful because it implies that God had created him to be a prophet, he was set apart prior to his birth for God's purposes.  I believe this is true for each of us.  The difficulty for many is that divine declarations such as this are rather uncommon.  Very rarely does God issue edicts from on high that are easily understood and followed.  Instead we each must discern God's call in our life.  We each must discover who God created us to be.  For some this journey takes a lifetime, while others know very early. 
The key to discovering our purpose is to truly believe that we are here for a reason, that our life has significance. A second step is to find our passion or gift.  God has created us just the way we are and for a reason.  We get into trouble when we compare ourselves to others or try to be something we are not.  God made you the way you are and not like someone else.  Finally, when we connect our gifts and passions to helping others we often find our purpose.  God made us who we are for a reason and that reason is to love and serve others.  When we employ our whole selves for the sake of others--in whatever form it may take--we are fulfilling our purpose. 
For Jeremiah this meant becoming a prophet who would speak God's word to God's people.  He would comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.  His words would not be popular but he would change hearts and lives.  So it is with us.  When we discover God's purpose for our life we are not guaranteed riches or comfort, an easy life or acclaim.  But we will discover who we are and find deep fulfillment.  We will be tested and go through hardship, but we will emerge as God's people.  May we become God's people, bringing forth light and life into a dark, troubled, and broken world.

Cheerful Giving

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  2 Corinthians 9:6-7

When we give we should give as God does--willingly and generously.  When we learn to be generous with all we have we experience a deep joy that no amount of riches can match.  Paul argues that those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly--those who hold back and are not generous will not receive the benefits of being generous.  They will not experience the deep trust that takes place, they will not experience the joy of being part of something bigger than their self.  We are called to give as a way to honor and thank God, but it also gives the giver a deep fulfillment and sense of purpose.  This is why God loves a cheerful giver because the result of becoming generous is joy.

But how do we get there?  How can we convince ourselves or our spouse or anyone else to take the generosity plunge?  Rather than wait for someone to cognitively believe what Paul suggests before becoming generous, I would submit that we need to behave our way into new belief.  We must begin to act more generously to begin to believe that generosity builds trust.  We must give ourselves away first in order to understand the joy that comes.  If we wait until we believe in order to act, it will not happen.  This is why scripture so often frames giving as a command, because if it were not commanded no one would do it! But God knows what we need and knows how blessed we will be when we give.  God is the most generous giver, and when we become generous we share in a small way "the image of God."  May we behave our way into new belief.

To the Wealthy

As for those who in the present age are rich, command them not to be haughty, or to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but rather on God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, ¹⁹thus storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life that really is life.  1 Timothy 6:17-19

Most likely you are, like me, are not rich.  But by worldly standards if you own a car, have indoor plumbing, food each day, and a roof over your head you are in fact rich compared to others in the world.  So this scripture is important to understand for we who have been given much.  The spiritual issue of wealth and possessions centers around ownership.  If we understand that God has created everything and given us all that we have--that God is in a sense the owner of all creation--then we rightly understand ourselves as stewards of God's gifts.  A steward is a caretaker of another's property.  A steward is deeply committed to ensure that the goods in their possession are cared for and used properly.  A biblical understanding of money and possessions starts here.  We have been given much to care for, but how we use it should reflect God's values.  It matters to God how we spend our money.  It matters to God how we use our time.  It matters to God how we employ our God-given gifts and talents.  We must continually remember that God is the owner and we are to be good stewards.  With this clear understanding the call to be generous flows naturally.  In a world where there is a great inequality and a deep and growing chasm between the wealthy and the poor, what is the response of people of faith?  1 Timothy suggests that being generous not only honors God, but unlocks for the wealthy "the life that really is life."  When we become more and more generous with what we have, we discover the divine joy of giving.

Fruit of the Spirit

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Galatians 5:22-23

There is no law against these things.  For some reason I find this phrase in scripture quite humorous and revealing.  Why would there be a law against any of those things?  I know that when Paul talks about the law he is talking about the Old Testament laws that guided the faith and community life of the Jewish people, but can you imagine if there were laws that forbid such things?  It is unlawful to love others. It is unlawful to have peace and patience.  It is unlawful to be generous or faithful, to be gentle or exhibit self-control. Hard to imagine that these ultra positive, relationship building and sustaining virtues would ever be considered against the law. Yet, Paul adds this tidbit.

They key to understanding this passage is these virtues are the fruit of the spirit.  The holy spirit produces these qualities in us.  On our own we function like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are against the law because we rarely do them on our own.  Left to our own devices and agendas we will rarely love others, we are anxious and need to control, we will lack patience with others, we will hold back and do not give, we will not have the courage and strength to be faithful, we will treat people harshly, and we will lack self-control with our appetites and urges.  Without the intervening of the spirit, we cannot produce the fruit of the spirit.  We need God's presence in our life to live out the best of ourselves.  We need the spirit in our life to lead us to a life worth living.  Without God and the work of the spirit in our life we function like virtues are illegal.  So let us submit ourselves to the spirit's work and allow God to lead us.

Giving All

He said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; ⁴for all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to live on.” Luke 21:3-4

 

 

As people came to the temple to worship they brought forth offerings.  Jesus noticed that those who were rich offered large amounts while a poor widow put in two small copper coins.  He then praises the widow for her generosity and chastises the rich for only giving from their abundance.  Being a generous and giving person is not so much about how much we give, but how much we trust.  Do you trust God to provide for all of your needs and thus enjoy the freedom to be generous with all you have?  Or do you only give from your abundance, holding back and staying safe?  Jesus challenges us to give all of ourselves, to hold nothing back.  What holds you back?  What is keeping you from trusting God more fully?  Giving is a place in our spiritual life where we made need to behave our way into new beliefs.  We may need to become more generous in order to increase our trust, rather than developing more trust in order to become more generous.  The widow had little but gave all, how about you?