Blessings to you in the name of the one who has made us whole and graced us with righteousness and the example of perfect love.
In Genesis 15 Abram encounters God who promises him that he will have offspring as numerous as the stars, offspring of his own and an heir of his own and not Elieazar of Damascus. When Abram trusted this promise from God scripture says, "6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Paul reminds us in Romans 4 of this passage that it was not works that were accounted as righteousness to Abraham as a debt due but rather, "3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
In other words as we trust and believe in God and God's promises we receive that righteousness. When we believe in Christ's promises that he is the bread of life, that he is the way, the truth and the light, that he and the Father are one and that we and Jesus are one, when we trust these things we receive righteousness from God as divine gift.
The world is filled with the evidence of sin and brokenness. Our American politics today increasingly is less about the truth and what is good for our citizens, our people, and more about how my party and I can manipulate lie and cheat to put our opponent at a disadvantage. We as a people are constantly seeking an advantage and means by which to leverage elections to favor my party and my will. In our American democracy we worry about how we can shape the electorate rather than doing everything we can to insure that every person has the best opportunity to vote and to participate in our democracy. We worry more about my will be done than the content of our sharing Jesus's prayer, "Thy will be done."
Too often we look at the world in our fear and give in to the illusion that somehow if we will just do it the way I think or my party thinks or my candidate thinks it will all be much better. We believe we know better even better than God. If it takes a few lies and a little manipulation what does it matter.
Meanwhile our neighbor suffers, both in our neighborhood and across seas. Fearing for our own lives and how we will survive we label the unemployed lazy and without initiative and as a parasite and burden on society. We label the wealthy as exploiters and enslavers. We resent them all and our anger is kindled and our self-righteousness is inflamed.
And while indulging ourselves in self-righteousness with rants and opinions the distended bellies of the "have nots" grow and in a moment of thoughtless accusation we attack God wondering if God is real how can such suffering go unaddressed. In our saintedness we are satisfied with ourselves despite all the ways we have abandoned the kingdom of God and failed to live the life we have been given in Jesus Christ.
There is a tremendous amount of suffering that comes with simply being part of a real and dynamic world where heat and cold are brought together to mix in violent storms. Hurricanes and tornadoes are the result of desparate temperatures rubbing up against each other in tornadic action. The result is not just destruction like Katrina ravaging the gulf but, also, the potential for breaking equally distructive droughts and bringing new crops and new life. With the new life there comes food that can be shared with neighbors near and far if the clashing political storms bring forth new ways of sharing resources efficiently not because it is commanded by government but instead we learn to live like Christ. Our lives spent pouring out our hard earned resources freely; resources earned by sweat of brow, strength of back and keeness of mind, to help the least of these and create the flower of hope in place of thorns.
Thorns once crowned Jesus upon the cross. Yes, God can even use the torment of suffering and destruction on the cross to bring life and to change us. In that moment we realize distended bellies are only a reminder of how much work we, you and I, have yet to do and if we wonder why God allows it we must, also, ask ourselves have we who live in God's kingdom done everything we can.
Romans 4:7 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." Trust the promises of the Lord and live those promises every moment of everyday and let your righteousness be a breath of life.
In Genesis 15 Abram encounters God who promises him that he will have offspring as numerous as the stars, offspring of his own and an heir of his own and not Elieazar of Damascus. When Abram trusted this promise from God scripture says, "6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." Paul reminds us in Romans 4 of this passage that it was not works that were accounted as righteousness to Abraham as a debt due but rather, "3 What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."4 Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. 5 However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."
In other words as we trust and believe in God and God's promises we receive that righteousness. When we believe in Christ's promises that he is the bread of life, that he is the way, the truth and the light, that he and the Father are one and that we and Jesus are one, when we trust these things we receive righteousness from God as divine gift.
The world is filled with the evidence of sin and brokenness. Our American politics today increasingly is less about the truth and what is good for our citizens, our people, and more about how my party and I can manipulate lie and cheat to put our opponent at a disadvantage. We as a people are constantly seeking an advantage and means by which to leverage elections to favor my party and my will. In our American democracy we worry about how we can shape the electorate rather than doing everything we can to insure that every person has the best opportunity to vote and to participate in our democracy. We worry more about my will be done than the content of our sharing Jesus's prayer, "Thy will be done."
Too often we look at the world in our fear and give in to the illusion that somehow if we will just do it the way I think or my party thinks or my candidate thinks it will all be much better. We believe we know better even better than God. If it takes a few lies and a little manipulation what does it matter.
Meanwhile our neighbor suffers, both in our neighborhood and across seas. Fearing for our own lives and how we will survive we label the unemployed lazy and without initiative and as a parasite and burden on society. We label the wealthy as exploiters and enslavers. We resent them all and our anger is kindled and our self-righteousness is inflamed.
And while indulging ourselves in self-righteousness with rants and opinions the distended bellies of the "have nots" grow and in a moment of thoughtless accusation we attack God wondering if God is real how can such suffering go unaddressed. In our saintedness we are satisfied with ourselves despite all the ways we have abandoned the kingdom of God and failed to live the life we have been given in Jesus Christ.
There is a tremendous amount of suffering that comes with simply being part of a real and dynamic world where heat and cold are brought together to mix in violent storms. Hurricanes and tornadoes are the result of desparate temperatures rubbing up against each other in tornadic action. The result is not just destruction like Katrina ravaging the gulf but, also, the potential for breaking equally distructive droughts and bringing new crops and new life. With the new life there comes food that can be shared with neighbors near and far if the clashing political storms bring forth new ways of sharing resources efficiently not because it is commanded by government but instead we learn to live like Christ. Our lives spent pouring out our hard earned resources freely; resources earned by sweat of brow, strength of back and keeness of mind, to help the least of these and create the flower of hope in place of thorns.
Thorns once crowned Jesus upon the cross. Yes, God can even use the torment of suffering and destruction on the cross to bring life and to change us. In that moment we realize distended bellies are only a reminder of how much work we, you and I, have yet to do and if we wonder why God allows it we must, also, ask ourselves have we who live in God's kingdom done everything we can.
Romans 4:7 "Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." Trust the promises of the Lord and live those promises every moment of everyday and let your righteousness be a breath of life.
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