Let's Get Real
Prayer to Begin:
In deep gratitude for
all that You have done for us,
we offer ourselves to You—living sacrifices of worship and praise.
Transform our hearts
and minds from the inside out;
show us what is good and pleasing in Your sight,
so that we may be
quick to recognize Your call,
and quick to respond.
In the name of Jesus,
our Messiah and Lord, Amen.
Image: "Courtesy: National Science Foundation"
Romans 12: 2-8 (CEB)
Don't be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God's will is—what is good and pleasing and mature. Because of the grace that God gave me, I can say to each one of you: don't think of yourself more highly than you ought to think. Instead, be reasonable since God has measured out a portion of faith to each one of you. We have many parts in one body, but the parts don't all have the same function. In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other. We have different gifts that are consistent with God's grace that has been given to us. If your gift is prophecy, you should prophesy in proportion to your faith. If your gift is service, devote yourself to serving. If your gift is teaching, devote yourself to teaching. If your gift is encouragement, devote yourself to encouraging. The one giving should do it with no strings attached. The leader should lead with passion. The one showing mercy should be cheerful.
Musing
The time has come to
get realistic about where we are in our exit from the Covid-19 pandemic
life-shift. I think we all need to accept that the way things are now will be
what we are living with over the next several months. So the line in this
passages from Romans that stands out for me is, “Don’t be conformed to the
patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so
that you can figure out what God’s will is – what is good and pleasing and
mature.”
The world is calling
us back to what many think of as normal life. People gathering in crowds at
beaches and on lakes, people partying at bars and restaurants, people holding
large weddings and gathering in worship without precautions are in my mind
people that are conforming to the patterns of the world. “Let’s get businesses
open. We need to have in-person school like we always have. We need to have
fans return to our sporting events.” Statements like these reflect the patterns
of the world because they all look back to what was and ignore that things have
shifted fundamentally. Even the stock markets are caught up in this. With
millions still out of work. With the looming evictions and defaults. With the
loss of low wage jobs. With the ending of supplemental unemployment benefits.
Our economy is anything but normal and anything but healthy. Look to the small
businesses that are closing around you. I read the Oregonian every day and
almost every day and every week there is a notice of another business closing
or cutting back.
So, we must not give
into the world’s pressure. You see we are transformed. Our minds, hearts,
spirits are renewed because of our relationship, our connection, our
partnership with God and Christ that is empowered by the Holy Spirit. Because
of this relationship, this partnership we know that God’s will is what is good
and pleasing and mature. God’s will is, to do justice, love kindness and walk
the path of life following God as God is known to us in Jesus Christ. It is our
lot as followers of the Way to journey on a path that isn’t where the world
travels. Jesus tells us that our road is narrow, that our burden is heavy. Why
is this the case? Because we function by a different set of guidelines: do no
harm, do good, love others.
We must rise to the
challenge of our times and show the world that we can have meaningful
interactions and deep connections while keeping our distance and wearing a
mask. We can gather in ways that don’t put people in harms way. We can serve
and minister and care for others without needing to resurrect the ways of
pre-Covid-19. There is no quick fix. No program that will give us the answers
and do the hard work for us. Each context, each community. Each situation is
unique and needs to be addressed in specific ways and the only way this can
happen is by those of you who are in that place stop trying to conform to the
world and instead allow for the transformation you have experienced as the
beloved of God and partner of Christ to lead you to what is good and pleasing
and mature.
I’ve said it before
and I’ll keep saying it, the world has shifted, reality has changed, and we
will never go back to the way it was. As partners of God and Christ we can help
the world find its way in the new reality. We must trust, and we must look to
our faith, and we have to do the hard work, but we can do this. And my friends,
it is our task to do.
Closing Prayer
God of Grace,
you call us to be different from the world,
but the world
is seductive, and so we come here to be strengthened.
God of Vision,
you hold before us an alternate way of life,
different
priorities, different loyalties, different values.
But we know
that the world is not only seductive but powerful,
and so, we are
drawn in to following its priorities,
accepting its
values, showing loyalty to its gods.
God who blesses
the meek, the peacemakers, the merciful,
forgive us when
we lose sight of these qualities,
when we
misunderstand their role in the world.
Rejoice and be glad!
God is gracious
and God offers blessings.
God calls us to
life in the world,
God offers us
the chance to explore how to live out God's vision.
We are called,
we are forgiven, we are blessed.
Thanks be to
God. Amen.
~ posted by Rev Gord on his blog, Worship Offerings. http://worshipofferings.blogspot.ca/
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