Thursday, October 13, 2016

Towards Sunday, October 16, 2016

Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-15 (The leaders of the early church are advised not to let themselves get too tangled up in the wrong things -- like fancy-dancy theological arguments and the kinds of things that people in power like to spend their time with.  Better to recall that they follow someone who was killed -- and then raised by God, for simply doing the right thing for the poor and powerless, and that their best teacher after his death and resurrection was also thrown into jail for living and teaching the simple truth of God's kingdom that changes the world.)


You know what?  I like fancy-dancy theological arguments.  And I can "wrangle over words" (what we're told not to do, in verse 14) with the best of them.

It's such a nice distraction from getting down to business and actually doing something.  From changing something.  From being changed myself.

Passages like this week's are a challenge for me.  They encourage me to ask me how much of my time and energy, how much of my spirit and skill are turned in the wrong direction -- at least, not in the Jesus-direction of simply living out the good news and good work of God's kingdom in our time.  And the answer is not flattering.

But it's not just fancy word-ifying that is under attack here.  It's also the way I -- maybe many of us, distance ourselves from the people we claim to follow -- namely Jesus, and Paul, and all the other suffering servants who help us see how God is at work in the world.

We put a lock of stock in success, and it's not wrong to want to be successful in whatever we do.  But do we fear failure too much?  Give it too much power over us?

Do we recognize that success -- in worldly terms, no matter whether it's in fund-raising for the church, creating a big Sunday school, having the most beautiful building in the community, or attracting scads of new members, is not necessarily a sign nor a way of being faithful to the gospel and serving the kingdom?

And do we see that failure in any of these things -- which we are usually embarrassed by (heaven forbid that we let other churches know that we're not as successful as them!), is not a hindrance to it?

Jesus, Paul and so many other servant-saints were failures.  Crucifixion, imprisonment, beatings, exile, ridicule, poverty, no roof over their head, and rejection don't sound like success.  But even in those terrible circumstances and life-results, they were able to speak and live the simple truth that changes all the world.  Even as "failures" in their mission, they kept speaking about and living out God's love for all.  

And isn't that it?  Isn't it all about the quality of relationship that we live out and extend to others wherever (and however) we are?

The quality of relationship ... the honesty of love ... the response of caring ... the open heart and outstretched hand... the will to be compassionate and just.  

All things that can be done in the most failed and failing of settings.

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