Happy Tuesday!

Hello! I'm glad you stopped by today. Just a follow up from my post yesterday: I talked about having to face a fear and how I hoped the words of Deut 31:6 had been seared into my mind to reassure me.

Turns out they were! I did something I was a bit intimidated by (but had to do) and it turned out OK. It's funny how we build things (or people in my case) up into being larger than life, then find out they're not so bad after all! Alright, enough about me. Onto the questions:


Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Mon, Mar 30 What must we do if we are to be heirs of God and co-heirs of Christ and share in his glory? (Rom 8)
Romans 8:17 17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

And here's the question of the day:
Tues, Mar 31 Why was Joshua, son of Nun, filled with the spirit of wisdom? (Dt 34)

And here's the reflection of the day:
The first couple verses of our Romans text today is interesting to read in light of the sermon I preached on Sunday. (Look for the post "How to Be a Hallelujah" if you want to read it.)

In these first verses of Romans 9, Paul is expressing a deep grief he must bear. But the grief that Paul carries is not for those who have died; instead, it is for those who have rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Paul's view, to reject the gospel is to reject any hope for eternal life. Particularly he is grieved for his own people, the Jews. Wright points out, "Had there been any suggestion that his nonbelieving fellow Jews were on a parallel path to salvation, exercising their rights under a covenant different from that sealed with the blood of the Messiah, his grief would have been neither deep nor unceasing; it would have consisted merely of the frustration of their not at present seeing things from his point of view" (NIB Commentary on Romans).

For those who take salvation seriously, this is the same grief they would feel seeing friends and family reject the same gospel.

Wright also points out that this aspect of Paul's personality--this deep grief--is a good corrective to Christians who believe that grief is not allowed within the tradition. Paul is not a fan of "Pollyanna Christianity" where believers ignore all that is wrong and painful and causes grief. This is a very shallow form of faith, one that is too often advocated by both pastors and church folks: in the face of grief (caused by whatever reasons), people are often encouraged to get over it, move passed it, keep yourself busy and ignore it.

I hope that my "hallelujah" sermon on Sunday didn't encourage "Pollyanna Christianity," but rather that it provided encouragement to survive the darkness of grief and despair--not so much to get over it, but to honor the grief and to learn to survive it by hanging on to the peace we have with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom 5).

One of my favorite admonishments comes from Romans: Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn (Rom 12:15). Faithful Christianity holds these two things in tension with each other, honoring the great celebrations in life as well as the great tragedies. Both are inescapable parts of life and somehow, as Christians, we need to figure out who to make both experiences make sense in our lives, as well as our theology.

Have a splendid day!
Allison