Romans 13:8-14

Paul argues in this section of Scripture that “loving your neighbor” is the ultimate rule of law.  All other commandments are summed up in this one.   We could spend time talking about loving your neighbor and how love is an action not a noun.  But many of us have heard a sermon like that before.

So I’d like us to focus on verses 11-14 in this text.  Paul tell us that we need to wake from sleep and “put on the armour of light; let us live honourably as in the day” (vs 12b-13a).  In Paul’s theology, we must do this partly because Jesus will return to earth anytime now.  So we have little time to act as we should for we will be judged soon.

In this text, Paul uses the word “time” or the Greek equivalent “karios.”  Karios time is time that is ripe for things to happen.  I was watching CNN’s presentation of “Obama Revealed” a couple of days ago.  And an individual remembered commenting to Obama that there are times when you pick to run for president and then there are times that pick you.   He went on to comment to Obama that the current time had picked him. For the speaker, the current time would be karios time for Obama. (In all fairness, I hope to watch “McCain Revealed” this week.)

How does this relate to the church?  I am not sure.  I am left with a couple of questions: Is our current time (2008-09) “ripe for things to happen”?  And if so, what is the role of the church?  Do we evangelize? Be prophetic? Change ourselves? Reach out to the forgotten?  Refocus on our “core” beliefs?  Revert back to the past?  And if we are not in karios time, where are we?  do we continue with the status quo?

Your thoughts are welcomed.  And please feel free to attend our Sermon Planning Discussion on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm at the church.

Romans 12:9-21

This Sunday we will be recognizing a new child in the family of God as we baptize one of the children of our congregation. I love baptizing babies and small children. I love to hold them in my arms and remember that they and we (no matter how old or how long we have been Christians) are all beloved children of God.
Our baptismal ritual includes these words spoken by the congregation: "With God’s help we will proclaim the good news and live according to the example of Christ. We will surround this child with a community of love and forgiveness, that he/she may grow in his/her service to others…"
I thought of those words as I read this passage from Romans. While it seems that the words are partly intended for the Roman Christians, they also echo Jesus’ teaching as well as ancient Jewish and Greek wisdom. That suggests that perhaps they were part of what was taught to new converts to the Christian way.
What would happen in our world if we were to make those words in Romans 12:9-21 the core of how we live and how we invite others to live with us in the Christian way? What would happen if we as United Methodists returned to seeking to live under John Wesley’s “General Rules" which embody those same words?
What are those General Rules? Simply stated they are:
Do no harm.
Do good in every place.
Stay in love with God.
Our Christian community, the church, would be transformed. Our personal lives would be transformed. Our world would be transformed. How might your day look different if you made those rules the center of your morning, midday and nightly prayers? How might the church look and act differently if those became its rules perhaps instead of “Robert’s Rules of Order?” How might politics look differently if our leaders had those rules written on their hearts, in their minds, and on their lips? Just think about it for a few minutes. What a different world this would be!