HELLO!

I begin with the news our friend Murdock Morrison is moving from the Dartmouth General Hospital to the Ocean View Continuing in Eastern Passage this coming Tuesday. Please keep Murdock in your prayers.

In the letter Paul writes to the Romans (14:1-12) we will be examining on Sunday, we see a community torn apart over the right way to do things. In the ancient world, eating meat was rare unless you were rich. The only time poor folk would eat meat would be if it was sacrificed to a god. You gave the dove to the priest; he slaughtered it on the altar; he kept the good parts; you got the rest back for your evening meal, or it was sold in the marketplace. Jews made sacrifices to the Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem. And they freely ate the meat offered to the one true God. But if, like Paul and his gentile converts, you didn’t live in Jerusalem the only meat available to you would have been meat sacrificed to the pagan idols. Being a good Christian, what do you do? Do you eat the meat (offered to pagan gods) or not? What does your conscience tell you?

Some Christians, whose consciences were convinced idols could just be ignored, would eat the meat. While other Christians, nervous about offending God, were absolutely appalled, and just knew God was going to strike them down. Both sides were judging each other harshly. When Paul was speaking to those two factions, he tended to agree with those who ate the meat - because in his view they aren’t gods anyway. But he goes on to say what really matters is the reason behind the spiritual practice. And that reason is…love. What God judges, what we as Christians can rightly judge, is the need to love the other. As 1 Corinthians 12 and the Book of Acts make clear, God makes us differently so we can offer different spiritual gifts to support a diverse community. Some need a healing touch. Some need wisdom. Some need community. Everyone needs love. Leave the evaluation of what practices are better than others, to God, who made us this way. The bottom line remains these commands, “love God, love neighbour, love self” (Matthew 22:39). We can discuss, argue, debate, the need to love the other, but how we practice this love, how we eat, how we speak, is not for us to judge.

Some tell me, “I never judge” but I know that is not true and not necessarily helpful. For instance, we judge greed, we judge hate, we judge selfishness. And I believe we ought to do that. Jesus seems very clear on this in his teachings, like the Good Samaritan, a judgment on selfishness and indifference. But let’s be honest, 99% of what we judge others about, is not love, it’s that they do things differently than we do. Most of our judgements are not about love, they are about the conceit we know the one way to do things, and others don’t. In the church, in my 36 years, most conflicts are not about the call to love others. No, they are about music, how we offer Communion, pews or chairs, who sits where, the decorations in the Hall, serving wine at events, raffle tickets. Is this about the call to love others or this about “there is one way, my way?”

Peace, Kevin