Romans 16:25-27
Advent 3- Year A
The Message concludes Romans with this line:
"All our praise is focused through Jesus on this incomparably wise God! Yes!"
This is a fitting ending to the beginning line of Romans:
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God...." NRSV
The movement is from one (Paul) to those whom he served (all). The lens through which we work is first and last Jesus (though not necessarily the only lens). The focus is not on one or all or Jesus, but G*D.
This patterning leads me to the last of Chapter 8 and the first of Chapter 9 as the center of Romans.
"...absolutely nothing can get between us and God's love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. At the same time, you need to know that I carry with me at all times a huge sorrow."
Isn't that an interesting juxtaposition that usually gets overlooked because of the power of chaptering and our propensity to break things into meaningful segments that, once so divided, can never be put together in another way.
Loved and sorrow-filled. That's us.
Because we are loved we are bold to do what we can about our sorrow. This is a call to action.
Are you loved? What is your sorrow? Now smash those together and you have your vocation, your way of focusing on G*D.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2002/december2002.html
What does it take for G*D to strengthen someone besides myself?
It takes "my gospel" and "proclamation of Jesus Christ" [NRSV]
The Message shifts language and location in this long, long sentence from "my gospel" to "our praise".
This raises interesting interplays between "my" and "our". When we are testifying, witnessing, announcing - how much is mine and how much is (y)ours. What can I play with and bring to it my particular experience?
To only announce what is ours in common cuts off the growth of the blessing to folks who have not experienced the growth of this common understanding or who have found it to be untrue as expressed in the lives of the announcers. While it can bring the weight of a particular strain of tradition to bolster it round with rituals and expectations, it seems incapable of increasing in glory - sort of like a postcard from travels where no amount of "wishing you were here" photograph can take the place of actually being here and making decisions that affect the "here".
To only announce what is mine cuts off the growth of additional layers of meaning found only in rubbing "mine" against "yours" and finding a yet larger "ours". [More poetically put by e.e. cummings as he writes about a kite or a relationship:
blue took it my
far beyond far
and high beyond high
bluer took it your
but bluest took it our
away beyond where
]
Just how "my" is your gospel? how "our"? When it comes to it, how "Jesus"?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2005/december2005.html
My life, Jesus' life, the prophet's lives are all oriented to whatever might be meant by the evocative phrase, "the obedience of faith."
The first striking thing is the definite article. There does seem to be a drive to unify obedience -- there can only be one response and one focus for that response. There does seem to be a drive to concretize faith - - we do so every so often and call it a creed to which every knee is expected to bow.
While many would claim it as simple as faith in a given and following where that goes, to many others including me, that seems all too simple, too good a deal.
You don't have to look very far back or gaze too far into the future to note significant changes in what it is that is believable, that to which we would now give our obedience even if we wouldn't have a short while ago and can already see the handwriting on the wall that we won't so live/obey in days to come.
Another way to come at this is that the direction of life leads us to engagement, not simply rote response. When we do this we are announcing a different take on reality -- a participation in life, not just a statement about it.
What is it you are obeying these days? Is that what you had faith in 10 years ago, or more? How far do you think you can push that same faith into the future without it turning into yet another idol?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2005/december2005.html
Perplexity can be left alone or challenged. Our confusion points come from inside and out. David and a Temple raises questions from a prophet. Mary and a pregnant question rise to challenge an angel.
David's going ahead meets reversal and he holds back. Mary's holding back meets reversal and she goes ahead. Both are promised good fruit - descendants for ever and for good.
In the midst of a king's word being his bond and a young girl's fear raising deep questions we find prophets and angels - catalysts for reversal and renewal. In the midst of a world not knowing how to back off from misused power and individual fears arrayed against creative peace, we are still in need of prophets and angels.
Priests would urge us to build a bigger box in which to praise and communal mores would belittle the slightest change in acceptable perspective or behavior. Prophets and angels are where the breaks in our power and fear can welcome an outsider (Gentile Alien) without first shunning or reconstructing them.
What will it take for us to listen to the questions, inside and out? Can we hear the Nathan's currently speaking? Can we listen to a Child within?
What will it take for us to speak truth to power and hope to fear?
- - -
my spirit rejoices
I have been blessed enough
to back down from my word
to forge a new word
blessed enough
mercied enough
steadfastly loved enough
a mysterious revelation
a questing proclamation
release blessing enough
to rejoice my spirit
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2006_12_01_archive.html
Prophetic writings are at the heart of G*D revealed.
Prophetic writings clarify a faith-direction, a path toward a better way.
Prophetic writings push us to connect past and future in this present moment – to fulfill a past hope and to establish a future reality.
Prophetic writings are our birthright.
Prophetic writings are our métier.
Prophetic writings make a difference.
Do you see what you are doing as prophetic?
This perception does make a difference.
Now do you see your life and work as prophetic in your time and setting?
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html
A mystery known as Jesus is now revealed for purposes of “Obedient trust” - a fine example of an oxymoron (from the Greek for “pointedly foolish”) and such a small end.
Advent is a participation in a mystery at one and the same time already accomplished and just over the horizon. Our work is to find applications of prophecy applied to our present circumstance. These are not altogether clear or they wouldn’t be prophecies, but common sense. We are to be playing loyal oppositionist to our own proclivities as well as a status quo which extends privileges to the already privileged, in perpetuity.
Advent pays less attention to special cases, such as a manger scene, and more to the usual cases wherein we find ourselves distanced from ourselves and one another while pretending glad tidings and great joy - obedient but not trusting.
Advent moves us away from mundane obedience and toward the glory of trust. However this requires that we remember to keep focused on what has yet to be disclosed - and this is very difficult as we keep trying to figure out how to make obedience redound to our benefit and still remain open to our being a part of the revealed rather than it simply being an extension of ourself.
Advent gives us something worthwhile to chew on while living out a trust beyond our singularity.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2011/12/romans-1625-27.html