“Peace, happiness and hope”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, November 29, 2024
Romans 15: 7-13 (Forward, p. 31) CEV p. 1186
Paul’s message here to the church in Rome is revolutionary for its times, for it is espousing something that was quite unheard of back home in Judea. Here, in what was probably a fully integrated Jewish Gentile church, he is reminding them that in the kingdom of heaven there are no such distinctions. All are welcome and included. The Jews have had the promises of God ratified and fulfilled in Christ Jesus, and the Gentiles have found a home and an acceptance that they never believed possible. Peace, happiness and hope, Paul says, are God’s provisions for all of them. And so, Paul says, they should honour God by accepting one another, even as God in Christ Jesus has accepted them.
Now, I cannot help but wonder just what that meant in practical, day to day terms. The Jews ‘came to the table’, as it were, with a background in the Law of Moses, the Hebrew Scriptures, a sacrificial system and Temple and synagogue worship. With the Jews, it might well have seemed as if everything they’d known and value was out the window: the Law was gone, the Temple was gone, the sacrificial system had been abolished, and they no longer worshipped in the synagogue. So, what was left for them? And what did the Gentiles bring? And how was their contribution melded with that of the Jews? It was almost as if both parties had to start all over again. It would have been a very scary and uncertain time, and an era of great risk, and excitement as they tried something new. And so that mutual acceptance, that acceptance of one another during this time of transition was rather essential.
In this, I cannot help but think that we, you and I, have it good. We are faced with uncertainties and changes, but nothing quite as drastic, quite as earth-shaking as these. Nevertheless, when we are faced with change, can we accept one another, love one another, even as Paul counsels these folk in Rome? But should we fall into the trap of thinking that this is merely result of their earnest efforts, Paul also mentions the role of faith and of the power of the Holy Spirit in their endeavours. It is God who empowers this and makes it possible.
Forward notes: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (verse 13).
“At the end of each worship service, I have the privilege of offering a blessing to those gathered. I lift my hands and give a benediction—sometimes written for the season we are in, sometimes one of the few I have memorized. Every time I say the words, I feel a little tingle go through me. I look out to the faces gathered, ones I know and ones I don’t, and I am filled with humility that I get to speak on behalf of God in this way.
“In sermons, I sometimes wrestle with whether I am preaching faithfully. I try hard to find some meaning for folks to carry through their days, but ultimately, the theological interpretation is my own. When I get to bless others, I have no doubt: God wishes to bless us, and bless us, and bless us.”
Moving Forward: “What is a blessing you might offer to someone today?”