03 September 2023 - Proper 17, Year A

 

Theme

This week’s readings speak about what the life of a Christ-follower should look like. In Matthew, Jesus tells his followers that they must pick up their crosses and be willing to suffer for his sake. In Romans, Paul gives the Christians in Rome a list of do’s and don'ts as they live out their faith. In Jeremiah and the Psalm, the authors remind God of their good deeds so that they can be honoured and rescued by God.

Scripture Readings

  • Exodus 3:1-15 - While tending the flock of his father-in-law, Moses comes across a burning bush. Even though it was engulfed in flames, the bush did not burn up. God called to Moses from the bush and instructed him to take off his sandals because he is standing on holy ground. God tells Moses that He has heard the cry of His people in their suffering and He is coming to rescue them and lead them into their own fertile land. God sends Moses to appear before Pharaoh and lead the people out of Egypt. Moses protests but God promises to be with Moses. When Moses asks for God’s name, God responds with: “I Am Who I Am.”
  • Psalm 105:1-6, 23-26, 45c - A Psalm of praise, remembering the mighty deeds of the God of Abraham, Jacob and their descendants.
  • Romans 12:9-21 - In this passage, Paul instructs the Church in Rome with a list of do’s and don’ts as they live out their faith. Don’t just pretend to love people, really love them! Hate what is wrong and hold tight to what is good. Rejoice, be patient, help those in need and provide hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Console each other and live in harmony. Don’t think you know it all. Don’t repay evil with evil and live in peace with everyone. Never take revenge. Conquer evil by doing good.
  • Matthew 16:21-28 - Jesus tells his disciples that he would suffer and be killed at the hands of the religious elite, but he would arise again after three days. Peter rebukes Jesus who rebukes him in return, calling him Satan because he is only seeing things from a human perspective and not from God’s. Jesus says that if anyone wants to follow him, they must take up their cross. If they try to hang onto their life, they will lose it. What benefit is it to gain the whole world but lose your soul? The Son of Man will come with his Father and judge all people according to their deeds. God’s Kingdom will come before some of those present were dead.
  • Jeremiah 15:15-21 - Jeremiah laments to God about his suffering and reminds God about his good deeds and faithfulness. God responds and says that if Jeremiah returns to God and speaks words of Truth, God will protect and restore him.
  • Psalm 26:1-8 - A Psalm calling for God’s righteous judgment and pleading for God to recognize the Psalmist’s righteous deeds.

Personal Application

One of the most fiercely debated topics since Christianity began is the place of “good works” in the life of a Christian. Many people have been accused of leaning too heavily either towards grace or righteousness. In much of the Old Testament, we see that the traditional understanding of how to receive God’s salvation was through righteous living, as seen in Psalm 26 and Jeremiah 15 this week. In the New Testament, we see Jesus and other biblical authors claiming that we are saved by faith in Christ, and not by any good works of our own. Many Christians have taken these teachings and stressed the importance of claiming Jesus as Lord, but have neglected to teach what it means to follow him faithfully.

Regardless of what we believe about how a person experiences God’s salvation, it is clear that Jesus, Paul and other New Testament authors encouraged Christians to live righteously. This does not mean that their good works caused God to show them more favour, but that Christ-followers were called to a different way of life - a life that may (will) encounter suffering, but a life full of love, hospitality and justice.

The point of Christianity is not to be a good person; it is to be set free from the things that bind us. As Paul says in Galatians 5, we are set free not so that we can continue to sin, but that we can live the life that God intends us to live. The fact of the matter is that the life God intends us to live is one filled with the fruits of the Spirit that Paul also presents to us in Galatians 5.

What is your traditional understanding of the place of good works in the life of a Christian? What would it look like for you to put your faith in Jesus while choosing to follow him faithfully in your daily life?

Communal Application

Romans 12:9 is a verse that could be the origin of the infamous saying: Love the sinner, hate the sin. In this verse, Paul encourage the Christians in Rome to genuinely love people, but to hate what is wrong and hold onto what is good. While I understand the intention behind this infamous phrase, we need to be aware that it has been used unjustly to condemn people who a person may disagree with. It has been particularly harmful to members of the LGBTQ+ community. It has become an easy way for the self-righteous to say: “Well of course I love you as a person, but I am allowed to hate that part of you that I believe to be a sin.” My question is this: Is it really possible to hate a core part of a human being and still claim to love them? Is it really possible to claim that you love a person if what they are experiencing from you feels more like hate and condemnation?

I believe that if we really take time to reflect on the rest of Paul’s words in this passage, we get a more full idea of what it means to genuinely love all people: “Rejoice, be patient, help those in need and provide hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Console each other and live in harmony. Don’t think you know it all. Don’t repay evil with evil and live in peace with everyone. Never take revenge. Conquer evil by doing good.” None of these instructions is about telling other people what we believe to be sinful in them. Paul’s instructions are about combatting evil with love. All we are called to do is to love and care for each other. If God truly believes a person is living in sin, then let us trust God to work in and through the love that we offer them. When our actions and words are causing a whole community of people to suffer and feel condemned, are we really on the side of Jesus? Didn’t Jesus say that his followers would be the ones who experience suffering? Perhaps we might just find Jesus amongst the communities that are being condemned and oppressed by fellow Christians.

What do you think it means to genuinely love people? How can our churches and communities become places of genuine love and hospitality? How can we allow God to work in people’s lives without our own prejudices getting in the way?

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