A Service of Word and Prayer for 13 September 2020

 

Genesis 50:15-21

15 Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, ‘What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?’ 16 So they approached Joseph, saying, ‘Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17 “Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.” Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.’ Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, ‘We are here as your slaves.’ 19 But Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21 So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.’ In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.

Romans 14:1-12

1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions. 2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. 3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
    5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. 6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.
    7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s. 9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
    10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. 11 For it is written, ‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.’ 12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Matthew 18:21-35

21 Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" 22 Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times. 23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. 24 When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; 25 and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. 26 So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' 27 And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. 28 But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, "Pay what you owe.' 29 Then his fellow slave fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' 30 But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he would pay the debt. 31 When his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his lord summoned him and said to him, "You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Should you not have had mercy on your fellow slave, as I had mercy on you?' 34 And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he would pay his entire debt. 35 So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart."

 

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

·        Years ago, a congregation had a serious problem over deciding on a chandelier for the sanctuary. At a general meeting, the argument went on for hours. Finally one man stood up and said “Well, I don’t know if we really need a chandelier. No one here can play the chandelier! No one here can even spell ‘chandelier’! What we really need is a new light!” Some controversies are like that!

·        Paul appears to be writing about controversies he knew about in the Roman Christian community. (He hadn’t visited them yet.) The eating of meat and the observance of special days must have caused concern in the congregation. Paul exhorts them not to be judgemental. He asks and recommends that if these things are done in honor of the Lord, there is no reason to question them. He also seems to think that these controversies are what we might call “a tempest in a tea-pot.” They’re probably important enough to be discussed, but not so vital that the community should be fractured by quarreling.

·        In our own day, we still can be judgemental and often over trivia. The word used in classic Lutheran theology is “Adiaphoria”, meaning things thing neither required nor forbidden. In other words, things not essential to salvation and things you can make your own mind up about. Salvation by grace through faith is solid doctrine as is preaching the Word and celebrating the sacraments; using white or red wine at Communion is not. Neither are languages, vestments, musical styles, or where to sit during the worship service. These are things each person or congregation can make up their own minds about. Some are simply matters of taste.

·        Paul says that people on both sides of any of the controversies are doing it to honour the Lord and should be accepted as such. The “weak in faith” – whatever that meant to Paul – are to be accepted without using them to aid in opinionated quarreling.

·        As he usually does, Paul bring the focus back to honouring the Lord rather than satisfying one person or another’s taste and desires. That the community of Christians is under the grace and mercy of God is primary: each of us will be accountable to God. It even goes beyond life and death: so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

·        This is actually something to take comfort in. Controversies over lesser things make no difference and neither life nor death make any difference to God’s grace to us. With that in mind, we are then to live our lives in that grace and we aid and support each other under that grace. Differences in opinion can be laid aside. We even serve our sisters and brothers when we point out things that have gone beyond opinion and have become dangerous to mind, body, or spirit. This so-called “fraternal correction” is a “tough love” thing.

·        And even in a case like that, whatever you do, do it in the Lord’s name. 

·        In another place, Paul recommends a similar idea to another group of Christians when he wrote So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.   (1 Corinthians 10:31  NRSV)

·        Whether we eat anything or just vegetables… whether we eat or fast… whether we observe a festival or not… whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Nothing around us changes that… even sin, for the call to repentance is always there and the forgiveness of God never ends.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.