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Thursday 14 December 2017

"Rejoice... Be Wise."

I ask for the grace to pray and meditate faithfully.  I ask for patience, tolerance, compassion, and empathy.  I ask to abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement, and self-importance.  I ask that my heart may be open to the birth of something new in this season.  May my thoughts, words, and actions proclaim justice, kindness, and humility.


Romans 16:17-23 [24]
17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offences, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. 18For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. 19For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good, and guileless in what is evil. 20The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
21 Timothy, my co-worker, greets you; so do Lucius and Jason and Sosipater, my relatives.
22 I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.
23 Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
[24 The Grace of or Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.]



1) "...avoid them;" "...deceive the hearts of the simple-minded;" "...I rejoice over you;" "...be wise in what is good;" "...guileless in what is evil;"


2) I feel we live in a time in the church when we are surround both inside and outside the church by "those who cause dissensions and offences, in opposition to the teaching."  It is hard to sort out who the dissenters are from those who are keeping the teachings.  I believe I am keeping the teachings, but that racist, homophobic, misogynist, oligarch claims to be keeping the teachings too.  And it is hard to model humility.  It's not like one can bash someone over the head with their own humility.  All I can do is carry on in prayer, pushing the edges of humility and graciousness to assert justice.   When do we learn that "holy manners" is not "politeness".  It was clear to Bonhoeffer, eventually, when grace called him to action.  But did his humility do any good?  I may as well ask, Did Christ's?  So much dies in the wake of "those who cause dissensions and offences," and those of us who claim to keep the teachings, but find ourselves struggling to act beyond humility and self-doubt.  The problem with the world is that the wise are full of humility and doubt while fools are full of brazenness and confidence.


3) What is the invitation in all this?  To not lose my own sense of the teachings: compassion, graciousness, humility, passion.  To pray for the voice of the wise.


"Holy One, give voice to the wise; a voice that can be heard from one end of the earth to the other; a voice to the merciful, the just, the kind and the humble."


Breathprayer: "Rejoice... be wise."



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