A Service of Word and Prayer ---- 26 July 2020

1 Kings 3:5-12

5 At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, "Ask what I should give you." 6 And Solomon said, "You have shown great and steadfast love to your servant my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward you; and you have kept for him this great and steadfast love, and have given him a son to sit on his throne today. 7 And now, O Lord my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David, although I am only a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 8 And your servant is in the midst of the people whom you have chosen, a great people, so numerous they cannot be numbered or counted. 9 Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil; for who can govern this your great people?" 10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches, or for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 I now do according to your word. Indeed I give you a wise and discerning mind; no one like you has been before you and no one like you shall arise after you.

Romans 8:26-39

26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. 27 And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33 Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

31 He put before them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in his field; 32 it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches." 33 He told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened."
44 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; 46 on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. 47 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and caught fish of every kind; 48 when it was full, they drew it ashore, sat down, and put the good into baskets but threw out the bad. 49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous 50 and throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 51 "Have you understood all this?" They answered, "Yes." 52 And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a household who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

§  In a time like the one we’re all enduring now, it’s easy to think that we are somehow and often cut off from God’s love. Friends, family, and acquaintances fall sick and some pass away. Governments on many levels appear to be more interested in riches and privilege than the common good.  Might makes right seems to be the rule. Even the weather is wacky. We feel helpless and unable to take care of the situations we find ourselves in and unable to help many around us.

§  It’s a hard thing to say but we all know that things like this have happened before, although possibly not to us. In any event, where is the love of God through all this?

§  Paul engages this in his letter to the Romans. He sent this to introduce himself to a community of Christians that didn’t know him. In a way, he was offering his credentials to them. They all knew that Christians were in trouble in many places and the Roman congregation might have been enduring the same trouble. To tell the truth, we just don’t know. Paul speaks of hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword as examples of things that Christians endure. He also says that these things, these actions or troubles, do not and cannot separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. He goes on to list a number of other things that are unable to separate those Christians from the love of God - Death, life, heaven’s angels, earth’s rulers, present or future (the past isn’t mentioned.), “powers”, and physical things such as height and depth, which may mean Heaven and Hell.

§  Paul personifies things like life and death, heavenly or earthly powers, even the present and the future, as a way of acknowledging that such things influence the minds and spirits of people. I like the fact that the past is not mentioned. We often see our past as an obstacle to God loving us. In that is how we see it, I’d say to remember how Jesus treated Peter, Mary Magdalene, Thomas, and even Paul himself. Our past is not hindrance to God’s love… unless we make it one.

§  Paul includes angels because angelic beings could often be seen as powerful heavenly go-betweens having some say over who might receive the love of God. In some cases, human rulers as rulers of the earth – emperors, kings, governors, drill sergeants – might decide who was in or out of God’s graces by political power or divinely delegated authority. Of course, that never happens in our time, does it?

§  The word “powers” may refer the mysterious cosmic or mystical forces often seen as hostile to human life. We may say we don’t believe in such things, but people are known to believe in astrology and numerology and lucky charms among other things in our own day.

§  Many among us or many known to us have experienced the pains of the things Paul lists. We all know of many who have received more than enough of hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword. Some have despaired of the love of God and many others have not.

§  Paul assures the Roman Christians that nothing in all creation can cause us to be separated from God’s love. Where is the proof of that you ask? Paul provides it: He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

§  What about deserving? Paul says nothing about that in this passage, but declares the grace of God as the groundwork of all we are: If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?

§  Much trouble, crying, pain, and misery remains in the world. It’s sometimes tempting to assume that such misery will have the last word, especially in a world that knows so much of it. There is much to be done to alleviate that pain and misery. In this, God never gives up. In speaking of God’s love, one of the commentators on this passage used the word “tenacious”, a word that reminds me of a bulldog that will not let go. It is God’s tenacious love, and not misery, that always – always - has the last word.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.