Can We Welcome?

 This is the sermon I am preaching Sunday at St. Timothy Lutheran Church. We will continue our drive-in service and simultaneously have our first indoor, in-person worship since early March. The text is Romans 14:1-12.

We are finally back inside our sanctuary and yet...worship is different. Not only do the COVID rules alter our worship, but we are physically separated. Many of us are still worshipping outdoors in our cars or listening on the radio. In a real, tangible way we are divided, physically that is, which brings us to the churches in Rome to whom Paul wrote.

 

The churches had trouble: division, quarreling, looking down upon others for what they did/did not eat and the holy days some observed/did not observe. Meat consumed in urban areas had been sacrificially offered to the Roman gods. Regarding various days being observed, several calendars included the keeping of Jewish holy days and Roman pagan festivals. Paul does not dictate solutions to these debates, but rather presents the principles undergirding the worship of God in Christ, acceptance within the community, and latitude on open questions (Gail Ramshaw, sundaysandseasons.com). I am reminded of the guiding principles of the Methodist church: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; and in all things, charity" (UMC Doctrinal History). That is what welcome looks like as verse one sets the tone, “Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.”

 

The first perspective Paul proposes is the importance of understanding that real people of faith may see things differently. He does not try to make them think the same thing; trying to impose uniformity. People having the same motive, that of honoring the Lord and giving thanks to God (v. 6) may express themselves differently. Both are genuinely attempting to live properly before the Lord. Good and pure religious convictions can be manifested in radically different ways. Did you know that during the Civil War, those for slavery and those against it both quoted scripture supporting their positions? Each side believed they were serving God in the best way.

 

Paul emphasized that it was important for everyone to “be fully convinced in their own mind” (v. 5), in other words, no wishy-washiness allowed! Paul is calling for a genuine conviction that remains open to God’s future. It’s important to remain open to new situations and the guidance of other Christians. In these last 6 months, we have had plenty of opportunities to hone this skill.

 

The second perspective gives a central, guiding principle for the whole discussion, “We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves” (v. 7). Paul prohibits individualism because we live and die to the Lord (v. 8).

 

The universal dominion of the Lord precludes the universal dominion of the individual. Christ alone encompasses life in its fullest. We belong to Christ (Carl R. Holladay, Preaching Through the Christian Year A). No matter how vital our relationship is with the Lord, it is not unique, solitary, or exclusive. We stand in solidarity with the whole host of believers past, present, and future, who confess the universal dominion of our Lord.

 

Paul’s final perspective is that our ultimate reference point is God’s future, when “we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (v. 10). We finally bow before God in worshipful praise (v. 11). With praise comes responsibility and accountability (v. 10). With our focus on God, our own inclination to be judgmental decreases. In God’s presence, we become aware of our shortcomings. Realizing that God passes judgment on us makes us less ready to pass judgment on others, much less to despise them (v. 10).

 

Taken seriously, Paul’s advice makes us less judgmental individuals and makes Christian communities more livable.

Can you imagine if those of us who worship inside had such an attitude of superiority? What if we felt like we had more faith than those still outdoors? What’s wrong with those people? Don’t they get it that we should be together as one body?

 

Or what if those worshipping outdoors looked down on those of us inside the sanctuary? Are those people crazy? Don’t they know how vulnerable they are to the virus? Just look at their ages. Most of them are of an age that is most vulnerable to the disease. Don’t they get the science? We think we would never do that! But we hear similar quarrels about other issues: music, communion and so on.

 

We do not experience the same issues the Roman churches did. For one thing, we are not a mixed Jewish-Gentile congregation. But Paul’s principles apply just as much to us today. We find divisions and quarreling in congregations over a bevy of issues. This is nothing new. It has been so from time immemorial.

 

A hallmark of St. Timothy is how welcoming we are. But with the Coronavirus protocols, we cannot welcome people in the way we used to. This week, I would like you to think about this question: How can we welcome people if we cannot shake their hands, hug them, invite them to fellowship, or spend time talking with them? What are your thoughts? I’d like to know. Please phone or email me. Let’s brainstorm together.

 

Amen.

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