Wednesday of Pentecost 15 – Psalm 32:1-7

Psalm 32:1-7

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
    whose sin is covered.
² Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity,
    and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

³ For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
    through my groaning all day long.
⁴ For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
    my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah

⁵ I acknowledged my sin to you,
    and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
    and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah

⁶ Therefore let everyone who is godly
    offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
    they shall not reach him.
⁷ You are a hiding place for me;
    you preserve me from trouble;
    you surround me with shouts of deliverance. Selah

“I’m sorry, but…” he started.

“No ‘buts!’” she said, eyes flashing. “You are sorry, or you are not sorry. The ‘buts’ are simply excuses for why you should not be sorry!”

A moment of silence followed this statement. He gaped at her and she glowered.

“Are you sorry?” she asked.

“Yes,” he moaned.

“No excuses? You should not have done it?” she persisted.

“Yes, I mean no, I should not have done it.” He was in an uncomfortable and unfamiliar place.

“Then, I forgive you,” she softly said, taking his hand. “I forgive you.”

Forgiven! Sometimes, the psalms indicate when David wrote one of his psalms. This time, however, the psalm simply is said to be “of David.” It doesn’t tell us when he wrote this psalm but from reading it we know that he has just been forgiven. Was it after his adulterous and murderous affair with Bathsheba? Was it after his ill-conceived census? Or was it some other sin? We do not know, but David’s relief at being forgiven permeates the psalm. He remembers what it was like to be guilty. He remembers trying to keep that inside himself and how much it hurt. Confess your sin, he urges us. Seek the Lord while he may be found. His deliverance is sure, he surrounds us with shouts of deliverance.

What is it like for God to forgive sins? Jesus gives us an insight in Matthew 18:10-14.

¹⁰ “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. ¹² What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? ¹³ And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. ¹⁴ So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

He rejoices over that once lost, now reclaimed lost sheep. There are no losers in forgiveness. Forgive someone today. Acknowledge the sin and acknowledge Christ’s death and resurrection for that sin and sinner. It will be a good day.

Tuesday of Pentecost 15– Ezekiel 33:7-9

Ezekiel 33:7-9

⁷ “So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. ⁸ If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. ⁹ But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.

I once saw a woman take three steps back from the person she was talking to. Her conversation partner looked at her rather surprised. Why did she do that? “Well,” replied the woman, “in the Bible sometimes God struck people with lightning who said things like that.” That will get your attention.

Jesus says:

⁷ “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! ⁸ And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. ⁹ And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.  (Mt. 18:7-9)

Sometimes I think we do not take sin seriously enough. We have learned to cope with its effects and have grown calloused to its presence in our lives. We will work harder to shed a few pounds than we are willing to work to shed a persistent sin. The word sin itself has almost left our vocabulary. About the only place you find the word “sin” outside of church is on the dessert menu where the triple chocolate torte might be “sinfully good.” Temptation also is rarely used outside of something as trivial as a plate of cookies or donuts. But sin and temptation are real, and they are problems.

Jesus draws our attention to that. If your hand caused you to sin, you would cut it off if that meant going to eternal life, the same with a foot or an eye. But it is not your foot or hand or eye that causes you to sin. You cause you to sin. Now what will you do? You cannot cut off your heart and your mind, your very self.

From the beginning God has given us a remedy for sin. He walked through the garden calling our rebellious first parents after they ate the forbidden fruit. He still calls sinners to repent and be forgiven in Christ. He does that through you. God wants to deal with the sin problem. He says that is important. That is why he established the church on earth. That is why he called you into its ranks through baptism. Your silence in the face of sin is not an option. Ezekiel was told that he would be responsible for the death of the unwarned man. He was not responsible for their repentance. But he was responsible for his own words. Is there someone in your life who needs to hear a call to repent? Do it.

Monday of Pentecost 15 – Prayer of the Week

Prayer of the Week

O God, from whom all good proceeds, grant to us, Your humble servants, Your holy inspiration, that we may set our minds on the things that are right and, by Your merciful guiding, accomplish them; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

(Our devotional pattern is a little different this week. The Gospel reading appointed for this week, Matthew 18:1-20, is long and rich. We will break that reading up and read a small portion of it in conjunction with the other appointed readings and prayers throughout the week.)

When I was moving up into the third grade, the three-room, small-town Nebraska, Lutheran school I attended welcomed a new teacher into its 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th grade classroom, Mr. Schaffer. A new graduate from Concordia, Seward, he had a natural gift as an educator. He was a genuine blessing to me as a child. He furthered my love of reading and learning. He failed to improve my handwriting substantively despite his persistent and repeated attempts. But most of all I knew that he cared about me. He was a bright, articulate, grown-up person who cared for me. I think he was listening carefully to these words of Jesus:

¹ At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ² And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³ and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

⁵ “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶ but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.  (Mt. 18:1-6)

We pray in the prayer this week that God would inspire us to set our mind on the right thing and to accomplish it. When the disciples asked who was great (important) in the kingdom of heaven, Jesus set a small child in their midst. Jesus spoke of just how important such children are to God. I remember that Mr. Schaffer got on the floor to read with us. He roped the quilters in the congregation into the classroom to teach us to sew. He acquired a large appliance box, we painted it with bright colors, and it became the “computer.” (This was when computers were huge devices which filled a whole room.) You could sit in there and answer math questions as the computer until you got one wrong, then it was the other kid’s turn. We all wanted to be the computer and as a result furiously memorized our multiplication tables. He found a claw-footed bathtub and some carpet remnants to make a special reading spot in the corner of the room. He was willing to think like a child.

Jesus begins this important passage with an admonition to humble service. The first thing God would have us keep in mind that we too are the needy ones in our relationship with God. We need his help; he has given it. That allows us to be the helpers of those around us. Who can you help today?

Friday of Pentecost 14 – Matthew 16:21-28

Matthew 16:21-28

 ²¹ From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²²And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” ²³But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

 ²⁴Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. ²⁸Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Read the first verse of the passage above again. It says that Jesus must go to Jerusalem, suffer, die, and rise again. Peter does not understand it and I am not sure I do either. What compels him? He is God, after all. At Jesus’ arrest, Matthew quotes Jesus saying that he could summon 12 legions of angels to fight for him (Mt. 26:53). For the record, a legion at full strength has 6,000 soldiers. That is a lot of angels.

He does not summon the angels; instead; he confounds Peter and us by willingly suffering and dying. Our bewilderment, he tells us, is the thinking of broken humanity and not the way of God and His kingdom. But what compels Jesus to that suffering, death, and resurrection? No one forces Jesus to do something except Jesus. This compulsion comes from his own heart. He will give his life to gain the whole world for his Father. 

But now he tells us something more. This principle is not restricted to Jesus. He applies it to all of us. We too must take up that cross and follow him. Again, that “must” confronts us. But experience suggests that it is so. Taking up a cross has so many different expressions. I have known many who have resembled Christ as they gave up their lives, some in heroic acts of courage while others give their lives one day at a time caring for a child born with cerebral palsy. This one stands up for what is right and is crucified in the press for it. Another quits his job because he cannot in good conscience do what they ask of him. There is one thing which marks all of these: Love. It is his boundless love for you and the rest of humanity which drove Jesus to that cross, its suffering, shame, and death. Love even for the men who pounded the nails and those who cried for his blood. When Jesus calls you to take up a cross, it is not to some meaningless sacrifice simply for the sake of sacrifice. He calls you to a life and perhaps a death conformed to his love. If anyone would follow Jesus, let that one deny him or herself, take up the cross, and follow in his love.

Thursday of Pentecost 14 – Romans 12:9-21

Romans 12:9-21

 ⁹ Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. ¹⁰ Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹² Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. ¹³ Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

 ¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. ¹⁷ Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. ¹⁸If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. ¹⁹Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” ²⁰To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” ²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

She had loved him once. I suppose such a thing never entirely disappears from the heart. But that had been a long time ago and many hurts stood between those days and this day. No one had scolded her when they divorced. Many had expressed relief for her sake. His drinking was out of control and his bouts of drunkenness tended to violence. She knew what he was capable of, had experienced it herself.

Now he lay there in a hospital bed. They had called her because he asked them to. His life was drawing to its wretched end and all he could do was lay there. He posed no threat, at least not a physical one. Because she asked, the nurse and a doctor listed all the problems that afflicted him. But she only half heard it. The social worker explained that he needed a place to go. He had asked them to call her. They did not ask it of her, but she said yes, she would take him. She would care for him in his dying.  And she did.

I still stand in awe of that woman and the depth of her kindness shown to a man who deserved none of it. Paul today enjoins us to bless the one who persecutes us, repay no evil for evil, never avenging ourselves but feeding our hungry enemy and sharing a drink with the thirsty enemy. Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Read each of those elements of this passage and imagine what it would be like to do them, really do them, in your life.

While on the cross Jesus prayed for his enemies and died for their sins. That Lord who reigned once from the hard wood of that cross has imprinted himself upon us in our baptism, when the sign of the cross was made on head and heart. Bearing that imprinted cross means sometimes we are called to look a little like him in his boundless love. We look around us today and see a world fixated upon reparations and settling scores. It is the way of the world, but the Lord’s kingdom is not of this world. It operates on a different principle. It forgives and it loves.

Wednesday of Pentecost 14 – Psalm 26

Psalm 26

¹ Vindicate me, O LORD,
   for I have walked in my integrity,
   and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
² Prove me, O LORD, and try me;
   test my heart and my mind.
³For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
   and I walk in your faithfulness.

 ⁴I do not sit with men of falsehood,
   nor do I consort with hypocrites.
⁵I hate the assembly of evildoers,
   and I will not sit with the wicked.

 ⁶I wash my hands in innocence
   and go around your altar, O LORD,
⁷proclaiming thanksgiving aloud,
   and telling all your wondrous deeds.

 ⁸O LORD, I love the habitation of your house
   and the place where your glory dwells.
⁹ Do not sweep my soul away with sinners,
   nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
¹⁰in whose hands are evil devices,
   and whose right hands are full of bribes.

 ¹¹But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity;
   redeem me, and be gracious to me.
¹²My foot stands on level ground;
   in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.

One hundred years ago the world was Roger Arbuckle’s oyster. He was a movie star in the silent film era. A heavy-set man, he drew people into theaters to watch the comedic antics of “Fatty Arbuckle.” He was compensated handsomely. On a September night in 1921, he hosted a party in a San Francisco hotel. It was Prohibition, but the alcohol flowed freely. One of the guests, an actress named Virginia Rappe, was found sick and in pain. She was seen by a hotel physician and a few days later brought to the hospital where she died. Another guest, Maude Delmont, accused Arbuckle of assaulting and injuring Rappe. He was brought to trial in a highly publicized case which gripped the nation. Twice, trials resulted in a hung jury – no verdict. Finally, in the third trial Arbuckle was acquitted.

There were huge holes in the case, including the fact that Delmont did not testify, there were no witnesses, and Rappe, who had several medical conditions which might have explained her illness, had never said anything during her stay in the hospital before she died. In its acquittal, the jury penned a letter of apology to Arbuckle, asserting that a grave injustice had been done to him. It was too late. His career was over. He would spend the next 12 years until his death in 1933 trying to get people to look at his talent and acquittal instead of the accusation made against him.

This psalm always used to make me uncomfortable. How could the psalmist say what he says? Has he trusted without wavering? Has he always hated the assembly of the evil doer? He seems to be claiming to be innocent. He even has the nerve to ask God to test his heart and mind. Who could withstand such scrutiny? One of my teachers in the faith urged me to look at this psalm again. The psalmist was speaking from the other side of the cross. Like Arbuckle pointing to the jury’s verdict, he was not really pointing to his own righteousness, but the righteousness of Christ that had been applied to him – look at my vindication.

This week we are considering the many ways we take up the cross of Christ. I think we often imagine the suffering of that cross and well we should. But we also take up the cross of Christ when we assert our innocence as the recipient of his forgiveness and love. That is what the psalmist is doing. God has found him innocent in Christ. He really is innocent. In Word and Sacrament, God has made you innocent as well; you are perfect and pure. You can count on that. You can lay that innocence before the judge on judgment day and be confident. You bear the cross.

Tuesday of Pentecost 14 – Jeremiah 15:15-21

Jeremiah 15:15-21

 ¹⁵ O LORD, you know;
    remember me and visit me,
    and take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance take me not away;
    know that for your sake I bear reproach.
¹⁶Your words were found, and I ate them,
   and your words became to me a joy
   and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
   O LORD, God of hosts.
¹⁷ I did not sit in the company of revelers,
   nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,
   for you had filled me with indignation.
¹⁸Why is my pain unceasing,
    my wound incurable,
   refusing to be healed?
Will you be to me like a deceitful brook,
   like waters that fail?

 ¹⁹Therefore thus says the LORD: “If you return, I will restore you,
   and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
   you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
   but you shall not turn to them.
²⁰ And I will make you to this people
   a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
    but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
   to save you and deliver you,
         declares the LORD. ²¹ I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
   and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”

My friend Jon and his friends were hiking in the desert southwest of the United States. They planned a hike of several days in the wilderness to see parts of this world which few had seen. In the desert, water is the key. They could not carry enough. They checked the map and it indicated a source of drinking water. They checked with the ranger to see if it was indeed so and he confirmed it. After three days of hiking, they had used most of their water. When they came to the place on the map, however, there was no water. Just a note from a prior hiker indicating that this was indeed the right spot and there was no water. My friend and his fellow hikers were in trouble. They immediately began a regimen of water conservation. They plotted the quickest way to drinkable water and set out. Dehydration is a terrible way to die. It was a near thing. Had a group of fellow hikers not encountered my friend’s party and shared water with them, it is likely I would not have ever heard him relate this story.

Jeremiah wonders if God is a deceitful brook, a water that fails to deliver when he needs it most. This was not the speculation of an armchair theologian. Jeremiah was at the end of a long and difficult trail, staring at a dusty, dry spigot.  He had followed all the rules. When God had given him a message to proclaim, he had proclaimed it. But that had only brought him more and more trouble. You read about all his troubles in his long and sometimes sorrowful book. Jeremiah was persecuted, hunted down, nearly killed, imprisoned, humiliated, and betrayed. He did not suffer for doing wrong. He suffered for doing the right thing, what God commanded him to do. And it just went on and an.

These words find Jeremiah turning around to God and wondering if God is really going to save him. Will God leave him high and dry when the crunch time comes? We might be feeling the same way. Like Jeremiah we might be saying, “We could use a little help down here, God!” And we might be wondering what God will do. Turn to the last part of this passage and read it carefully, starting at verse 19. God’s answer to Jeremiah are words to us too. God says four important things to Jeremiah

1. We need to be turned toward God. This pouting posture assumed up this point needs to end.
2. We need to say the precious words, not the worthless things.
3. God establishes us. We will be like a wall of fortified bronze which will not be overthrown.
4. They will fight against us, but they will not win.

I think Jeremiah really wanted people to like him. He was not going to get that. He was not going to see his message result in public affection. They would fight against him and fail to topple him. They would not like him. The church is built on a rock which shall not fail. He does not promise an easy, conflict-free path forward. He promises his presence and a final victory which is for us too.

Monday of Pentecost 14 – Prayer of the Week

Prayer of the Week

Almighty God, Your Son willingly endured the agony and the shame of the cross for our redemption. Grant us courage to take up our cross daily and follow Him wherever He leads; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

This prayer speaks of the daily crosses we are called to bear and then it prays for courage to lift that cross and follow Jesus. Crosses can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. We often are called upon to suffer and run a risk for someone else. Some crosses require great courage of us. Medical professionals who don the gear and enter the rooms of people sick and dying with an infection disease like Ebola or Hantavirus seem particularly brave. Some crossed require enormous endurance. I spoke with a woman caring for her aging parents. Their slow decline was really starting to wear upon her. Some crosses require much faith of us. It is hard to love some people. One has to believe that Jesus died for them, loves them, and so I can love them too, despite what they just said or did.

Crosses come in many shapes and sizes. And so, we pray for courage. It took courage for Jesus to look calmly on the mob of men whom Judas led to arrest him. He had prayed for this cup to pass from him. It did not and he submitted to the Father’s will for us and for our forgiveness. It took courage not to call down those 12 legions of angels who stood at the ready, waiting for his command. Jesus has courage, Jesus knows courage, and Jesus gives courage. When you are confronted with a cross, pray for courage, faith, love, endurance and whatever you need. Jesus has plenty, and He is willing to share.

Friday of Pentecost 13 – Matthew 16:13-20

Matthew 16:13-20

¹³ Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Did you have some things you misunderstood as a child? My father had us recite Luther’s evening prayer after dinner every night. In the final part of that prayer, we pray that God sends his holy angel “that the wicked foe may have no power over us.” Being something we recited every night, we often spoke it rather quickly and the words sometimes ran together. When I was a small child, before I could read, I thought I was praying for God’s angel to protect us from the “wicked foam.” It was only when I learned how to read and saw the prayer in print that I realized the angel was protecting me from “the wicked foe.” I had spent many hours wondering what the wicked foam was.

This text involves another of those misunderstandings, but this one is not childish. It in fact it was not until many years later that I was disabused of it. Jesus says that the gates of hell shall not prevail against his church. For some reason I always imagined the church being attacked by the gates of hell. In truth, as I think about it, this is not very reasonable. Gates do not attack. They are defensive. But for reasons which I continue to wonder about, I assumed the church was defensive and the devil was on the attack. That is not what Jesus means. It is the church that is attacking the gates of hell, and prevailing.

How do you assault hell’s gates? Every time you forgive someone, you are snatching them from Satan’s power. His power is the power of sin. Forgiveness, the heavenly and earthly loosing which Jesus speaks about here, dissolves hell’s power over people. That takes Jesus. You cannot hope to prevail against Satan’s might on your own. But you are not on your own. Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God has promised his presence. When you speak those words, they are heaven’s words found in your mouth. The gates of hell crumble before those words. Go assault the gates of hell today. Forgive someone.

Thursday of Pentecost 13 – Romans 11:33-12:8

Romans 11:33-12:8

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

³⁴ “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
    or who has been his counselor?”
³⁵ “Or who has given a gift to him
    that he might be repaid?”

³⁶ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

¹I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

³ For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. ⁴ For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ⁶ Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; ⁷ if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; ⁸ the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

I was at the post office not long ago. It was warm, the line was long. At one point, a woman ahead of me had enough and rather forcefully expressed her great displeasure at the performance of the postal employees. I could see from their faces that this was not the first time this had happened. It was ugly and unfortunate. She was an adult acting like a self-centered and ungoverned child.

Paul helps you and me in this reading today. He first praises God for the creation. Sometimes, when the world seems particularly crazy, it might be tempting to think that God surely could not have made this place. He did make it. It is fearfully and wonderfully made, but, as Paul notes, we cannot figure out the mind of God. We should expect to be perplexed. I know that I am a little perplexed with what God has in mind right now. I must trust his promise that all things work for the good of those who love him. (Romans 8)

Then Paul does something very important for us. He tells us that our bodies and what we do with them are our spiritual sacrifice. He urges us not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed. This world tells us that our bodies are our possessions to do with as we like. Paul sees this another way and urges you to as well. This bodily life which we live is directed toward God. It is a sacrifice. Our lives are our spiritual worship.

The world sees our behaviors through the lenses of desires and self-preservation. We see it another way. I don’t like standing in line at the post office either. Lately, my left foot has been bothering me and it hurts. At the same time, I can see that this is just going to be better if we all take our turn and have a little patience. Acts of mercy can be done cheerfully. Keep reading a little further in chapter 12 of Romans you will find that it is all bound together with love.

The next time you find yourself in line, and it is moving slow, think of it as a way to serve Christ and neighbor. It gets less odious that way.