Lectionary: 643
I, a prisoner
for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have
received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one
another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit....
If the world around me, and everyone in it, were ideal my only problem would be me. My inner moods and dispositions would not conform to the wonderful place in which I live. I would simply be challenged to live in a manner worthy of the call which I have received, an invitation to conform to everyone else's behavior.
Sometimes I am convinced the only problem is me. If enough people are mad at me I am sure of it. And then I remember that others have problems too; and the world we live in is a mess. I am only another of God's problems.
Today we celebrate the Evangelist Matthew. Jesus sent him along with all the disciples into a mad, chaotic world of distressed persons and dysfunctional families with a bond of peace, the Holy Spirit.
This bond is strong and subtle. It can hold large congregations of quarrelsome people together and reassure isolated prisoners like Saint Paul that, "All shall be well; and all shall be well; and all manner of things shall be well."
The Apostle surely knew whereof he wrote when he urged the Ephesians to live "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love." He felt that peaceful spirit even as he wondered if he would ever get out of prison, if he would eat another meal, be permitted to finish his letter, or be beaten by his guards.
There in that miserable place he knew the presence of Jesus who had also been imprisoned, beaten and finally executed. This cosmopolitan man, raised in comfort, educated in the best schools, conversant with the best people, familiar with capital cities and the highways that connected them was reassured by the Spirit that he was right where God wanted him.
He could not be bothered with theodicy, the modern question about the all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good God who seems to have lost control of the world. He could say what our African-American Christian neighbors living in a hostile nation, tell us over and over, "God is still in charge."
Even the hostility is a sign of God's sovereign authority.
Yes, the problem is me; but it's also all around me. And the Spirit of God still binds us together with all humility and gentleness.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.