Today’s Lectionary Readings: Psalm 5; Genesis 4:17-26; Matthew 19:1-12; Romans 1:26-32; Psalm 49
Today’s readings offer a few passages that have been used to bring much pain into the lives of countless people. The passage in Matthew, for instance, has been used by some to suggest that God is opposed to divorce in all circumstances except those involving adultery. The passage from Romans has been used by some to suggest that God is opposed to lesbian, gay, and bisexuals. By taking these passages out of a larger context, millions of lives have been destroyed over the years. Women who have been in physically abusive relationships, for instance, have been told by their spiritual leaders to stay in these life-denying, life-threatening relationships. And Paul’s admonition against heterosexual individuals who participated in same-sex behavior as an expression of their idolatrous religious beliefs has been used against gay and lesbian people who have fallen in love with a member of their gender and want to commit their life to this person as an expression of their love. So what can keep us from taking elements of our faith tradition out of context and using them to destroy others? Well, for me a big piece of the answer lies in today’s second Psalm. In Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Psalm 49:3, he interprets the psalmist as saying on God’s behalf: “I have plainspoken wisdom before you, my heart-seasoned understandings of life…” (The Message). While some have settled for what they would consider “plainspoken wisdom” (taking everything simply at face value), others have learned to do what the psalmist suggested – to bring “heart-seasoned understanding of life” alongside that plainspoken wisdom to flesh out God’s desires for our lives. It is those heart-seasoned understandings of life that can help us look deeper and find the foundational truths to which God is calling us. My question for you today is this: are there areas in your life where you have simply settled for the plainspoken wisdom and not engaged God’s heart-seasoned understanding of life as well? As you consider this question, take a moment of pause to give thanks for the One who engages both head and heart in leading us toward the fullest expressions of truth. Til next time…
Today’s readings offer a few passages that have been used to bring much pain into the lives of countless people. The passage in Matthew, for instance, has been used by some to suggest that God is opposed to divorce in all circumstances except those involving adultery. The passage from Romans has been used by some to suggest that God is opposed to lesbian, gay, and bisexuals. By taking these passages out of a larger context, millions of lives have been destroyed over the years. Women who have been in physically abusive relationships, for instance, have been told by their spiritual leaders to stay in these life-denying, life-threatening relationships. And Paul’s admonition against heterosexual individuals who participated in same-sex behavior as an expression of their idolatrous religious beliefs has been used against gay and lesbian people who have fallen in love with a member of their gender and want to commit their life to this person as an expression of their love. So what can keep us from taking elements of our faith tradition out of context and using them to destroy others? Well, for me a big piece of the answer lies in today’s second Psalm. In Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase of Psalm 49:3, he interprets the psalmist as saying on God’s behalf: “I have plainspoken wisdom before you, my heart-seasoned understandings of life…” (The Message). While some have settled for what they would consider “plainspoken wisdom” (taking everything simply at face value), others have learned to do what the psalmist suggested – to bring “heart-seasoned understanding of life” alongside that plainspoken wisdom to flesh out God’s desires for our lives. It is those heart-seasoned understandings of life that can help us look deeper and find the foundational truths to which God is calling us. My question for you today is this: are there areas in your life where you have simply settled for the plainspoken wisdom and not engaged God’s heart-seasoned understanding of life as well? As you consider this question, take a moment of pause to give thanks for the One who engages both head and heart in leading us toward the fullest expressions of truth. Til next time…
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