Eastertide April 9, 2015

Scripture Reading: 1 John 1-2:2 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. –1 John 1:5-10

I attended a meeting of an advocacy group last night whose membership includes about half and half people from faith communities and people who are not. It is interesting these days to walk that fine line as a member of a faith community with God’s children who are not members. It has probably been true throughout history that we who call ourselves Christian have done a great deal of harm to God’s children who are not Christian by inflicting on them something less than what Christ was all about. It is true at this time in history. For example, I see this when our attitudes are shaped by a belief that we are exceptional. At the meeting a fellow Christian raised a concern that had been expressed by someone in attendance that we prayed too much. They felt uncomfortable thinking they had been pulled into some kind of religious service.

Now it is easy to say we have all sinned and that we must confess our sins but is what we are confessing really the things that are separating us from God, particularly as we serve as God’s messenger to others? So much of what we do is habit. I, personally, have difficulty not ending a prayer with “in the name of Jesus.” When praying publically in an interfaith setting, I have tried to leave it out and been successful at time but not always. I have also attempted to make it a singular statement, “I pray in the name of Jesus.”

Now I must confess my first visceral reaction to the comment about too much prayer was to think, “They expect me to respect their right to not believe, why cannot they be tolerant of people of faith?” If this were an argument about church and state, I might cry freedom of religion. If it is a discussion about loving God and loving my neighbor as myself, I need to accept the others in my life exactly where they are and let my love and actions speak louder than any prayer I might pray. I think I understand a bit more about what Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 9:22: To the weak I became weak, so that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I might by any means save some.

Prayer: Lord, help me see myself in the eyes of the others in my life, particularly those who are not people of faith. Cleanse me of habit or stubborn righteousness or whatever else might be inhibiting my serving as your agent. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.