Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 145 & 43; Zechariah 6:1-15; Luke 23:32-43; Romans 12:1-2
Last Sunday in our adult Sunday school class, we explored the story of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. One of the aspects of the story we discussed was the fact that the individuals in the crowd were so enthralled with Jesus that they followed him out into the countryside without giving any thought to how they would feed themselves when they got hungry. Folks in our conversation wrestled with the practicality of their decision. That conversation got me to wondering whether or not our faith should be practical. Then, in the midst of my deliberations about this thing called practicality, along came Paul’s words to the Romans in today’s readings. Eugene Peterson translates Paul’s words in Romans 12:2 as follows: “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” In sitting with Paul’s words, I was reminded me that the word “practical” itself is misleading since what is consdered practical varies from one culture to another - from one group to another. In other words, it’s relative to one’s perspective. Today, I invite you to think about your faith with Paul’s words as a backdrop. Is your faith considered practical by the world’s standards; or is your faith considered practical by God’s standards? Remember. Those standards are not the same. Til next time…
Last Sunday in our adult Sunday school class, we explored the story of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. One of the aspects of the story we discussed was the fact that the individuals in the crowd were so enthralled with Jesus that they followed him out into the countryside without giving any thought to how they would feed themselves when they got hungry. Folks in our conversation wrestled with the practicality of their decision. That conversation got me to wondering whether or not our faith should be practical. Then, in the midst of my deliberations about this thing called practicality, along came Paul’s words to the Romans in today’s readings. Eugene Peterson translates Paul’s words in Romans 12:2 as follows: “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out.” In sitting with Paul’s words, I was reminded me that the word “practical” itself is misleading since what is consdered practical varies from one culture to another - from one group to another. In other words, it’s relative to one’s perspective. Today, I invite you to think about your faith with Paul’s words as a backdrop. Is your faith considered practical by the world’s standards; or is your faith considered practical by God’s standards? Remember. Those standards are not the same. Til next time…
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