Jerusalem Baptist Church, Emmerton VA
Romans 15:1-7
Today’s is the last in the series of messages from Romans, which has coincided with our study of Paul’s letter that we’ve been following on Wednesday nights. Please know that we’ve only scratched the surface of the letter, and you will most probably be hearing more from it before too long. There is just too much there to not come back to it again and again. And now, in this reading of Holy Scripture, listen for God’s word for your life.
1 We who are strong ought to put up with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us must please our neighbor for the good purpose of building up the neighbor. 3 For Christ did not please himself; but, as it is written, "The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me." 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6 so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
We had driven past the new Spanish restaurant on Bardstown Road many times. I had stopped in while it was still under construction and met and talked to the owner, who was from Valencia. I had been back in the States less than a year at the time, and he seemed a friendly enough man. That late spring afternoon my brother Jimmy, another friend and I were out for a walk, just enjoying the day and being outside. It was hot, and we were dressed comfortably in summer shirts, shorts and sandals. We decided on the spur of the moment to stop in for some ‘tapas’ – small plates of various snack items, some hot, some cold, that are well-known as a mainstay in the cafes and bars that you find almost literally on every street corner in Spain. As we stepped inside, we noticed that though few in number, some of the other patrons were dressed more formally than we. The host’s first question to us was if we had reservations. He did not say we needed them when we told him we had none, but showed us to a table. There were furtive glances from the other people in the restaurant as we sat and joked and laughed. It was several minutes before we realized that no menus had been brought out, nor had we been asked if we’d like something to drink, much less been offered water. After another several minutes, the host came up to us and asked us if we’d decided what we’d like to order. We told him we’d not yet been shown any menus, and he turned and walked away. I noticed the wife of the owner in the back of the restaurant. She was an American, and she was standing looking towards our table. I got up and walked back to her and asked her if there was a problem with our being there. Her response was that they were very busy. It was obvious that there was a subtext to what she was saying. Barely half the tables were occupied. Though she didn’t say anything explicitly, the message was clear.
You’re not welcome here.
It might be best if you found somewhere else to go.
Please leave.
I still remember how horrible I felt walking back to the table and telling my companions that we should probably leave. Though there have been opportunities to do so, I’ve never set foot back in that restaurant.
I remember reading several years back, about a teacher, a fourth grade teacher, who decided to teach her children about bigotry. She divided the class into two groups, the brown-eyed children and the green- and blue-eyed children.
On the designated day, the green and blue-eyed children were given special privileges, choices that the brown-eyed children were denied. They were allowed to play games and in areas where the other children were not, they were first in line at lunchtime, in short, they were the favored group all that day. As the day went on, their treatment of the brown-eyed children reflected their position. The reaction of the students was, unfortunately, predictable. There was a demeaning attitude, a lack of caring for the feelings of the brown-eyed students. The brown-eyed students were not allowed to complain either. They were instructed to not speak up against how they were being treated.
At the end of the day, the teacher advised the students that the next day, the roles would be reversed. On THAT day, it would be the BROWN-EYED students who would be the favored crowd. THEY would be the first in line, the first called on in class, the first to go to recess; they would have the day to themselves.
The reaction of the green- and blue-eyed students was of anxiety. Knowing how they had treated their classmates, they braced for the retaliation that was sure to come the next day.
When they arrived the next day, they were subdued, and more than a little nervous about what the day would bring.
As the day began the oddest thing happened. The brown-eyed children treated them differently, yes, but not in the expected way. They were kinder and more considerate to their blue- and green-eyed classmates. They went out of their way to let them have turns; they ceded their place in lines so that their classmates could participate just as they had before.
They had taken the previous day’s events and learned how NOT to treat others. Having been on the receiving end of injustice, they chose, when it was their turn at the wheel, NOT to return injury for injury, they chose instead to apply the golden rule.
And the lesson was learned.
Paul, in his letter to the Church in Rome, is trying to teach the same lesson. The church was made up of those who had the ‘inside track’, Jews, of whom Jesus was one, and those who were … well, let’s use a term that is familiar to all of us … ‘come heres’, gentiles, not the chosen people, and yet, they all professed faith in Christ. That did not, apparently, eliminate the human propensity to divide ourselves into the ‘us’ and ‘them’. As I mentioned some months ago, it is a natural developmental step that comes along at about the age of 4 or 5, that in forming identity, the human being wants to belong to a community or a group, and in wanting to ‘belong’ you establish or identify a group that doesn’t belong.
The continuing issue in the first century church, which we find Paul constantly fighting against, was to put it in as few words as possible, Law vs. Grace. The Law argued that in order to establish and maintain a relationship with God, one had to follow the Law, meaning 627 rules and regulations that covered everything from what to do to a baby boy 8 days after he was born, to how and what to eat, to how far you could walk and what you could and could not pick up on any given Saturday. The point of the law was that strict observance of those 627 rules would make you righteous, and therefore worthy to be in relationship with God.
Paul’s argument for salvation – or the establishment of a relationship with God – through Grace actually predates the Law, in that God entered into relationship with Abraham before giving the Law to Moses on Mt Sinai, and that relationship was based on … faith. The Law, his argument continues, has for its purpose to expose our unworthiness, our unrighteousness, and in THAT, both Jew and Gentile are in the same boat. Paul uses himself as an example, we read last week in the chapter 7 where Paul was confessing that he, the most zealous observer of the Hebrew Law, did what he didn’t want to do and DIDN’T do what he knew he SHOULD do.
So far, Paul has exposed BOTH the gentile AND the Jewish Christians at the church, letting them know in no uncertain terms that they are ALL sinners, worthy of the worst punishment. Thankfully, he didn’t stop there, but went on to tell of what God has done in Christ, when we had no recourse, literally, no chance in Hell of getting back in touch with God.
In this passage he is drawing the letter to its conclusion. The preceding chapter has been dedicated to discussing a short list of topics that, for a first-century observant Jew, would be considered deal breakers – eating foods that may not have been prepared in compliance with the kosher laws and the observance of the Sabbath. In the 5th verse of the 14th chapter, Paul tells the members of the church ‘Let all be fully convinced in their own minds’ – essentially, he’s saying ‘YOU work out what YOU believe’.
But he doesn’t stop there. He goes to the heart of the matter – what is behind the arguments and disagreements over these issues – belonging. Simply, people on either side are saying – you either eat like I do, practice what I practice, rest when I rest, or we can’t be considered part of the same family.
Paul cuts through all the posturing and tells them to “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” He reminds them of just how serious this is – and of whose lead they need to be following.
His calling one group, the followers of the Law, the weaker of the two, is by association naming himself as a member of that group, since he is an observant Jew, though he does in a later section explain his position as considering those big issues to be ‘small stuff’. It is in this last section of the letter that we truly get a sense of perspective from Paul. His earlier letters, Thessalonians, and Galatians, are written early in his ministry, and they revolve around critical issues that speak to the heart of what the Gospel message is about – we see and hear Paul’s fiery rhetoric in its full undiluted fury. To hear these words come from the mouth of a once-zealous Pharisee is stunning, to say the least.
So, what does this mean for Jerusalem Baptist Church at Emmerton?
What do we consider deal breaker issues? What is it we hold so dear, but which have no bearing in truth to the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Are we willing to examine ourselves and let go of what might hold us back from reaching people in our community who would otherwise just as soon not darken the doors of this building unless they were coming to vote?
It is an unsettling proposition, to say the least. The Jewish Christians at the church in Rome were looking at over a thousand years of tradition and history being reinterpreted. Jerusalem would be looking at something under 200 years of traditions, if we followed suit. The question is; whose lead are we going to follow?
Let’s pray.
We come to a time of invitation at the end of each Sunday morning worship service. Sometimes the invitation is more explicit than at others.
Today’s invitation is, as always, first and foremost, an invitation to enter into that relationship with God through the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is within your grasp to have that same relationship with God that Abraham had, that Paul had, that so many others – the cloud of witnesses, as Paul calls them, have had through the centuries.
If you already have that relationship, and are looking for a church home, where, to honor God, we would accept and welcome you into our midst, please know you are welcome.
If you are already a member of this family of faith, your invitation is to self-examination, to ask yourself what can I do, or what can I do differently, to remove barriers that I may not even realize are there, in order that God may be able to reach my community through me.
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