Living in the Spirit
June 2, 2016

Scripture Reading: Galatians 1:11-24

You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus. –Galatians 1:13-17

It is really hard to admit when one is wrong, particularly when it relates to one of the, if not the most important thing in your life. Back in the early 1980’s the church I was attending decided to deal with the question of whether women should be elders or deacons. This was an interesting question when one considers that my denomination had female ministers since the 1800’s. Even with that history, it was no less controversial. The glass ceiling was first broken with the decision to elect a female elder. The next year consideration was given to regarding female deacons. It was approved after heated discussion. The next year I was elected as a deacon. Sometime during my first year of service, one of the most outspoken men against female deacons approached me and apologized saying, “I was wrong.” I know it was hard and it meant a lot.

I have always thought that Paul was so thunderstruck by the experience he had on the road to Damascus that he had to withdraw from the world for a while to glean from the scriptures as he knew them so well through the eyes of the Word of God he met on the road that day. Thus, was born probably the greatest Christian evangelist in history.

There are a lot of positions being taken and negative speak being spilled out in this election year that is at least hurtful and in some cases harmful to the targets of these vocal bullets. Our world is changing as it has been changing since it was created and we must adjust to new rightness as we live into the justice of the gospels—the Word for this time and this place.

Prayer: God give us both the wisdom to discern what is the rightness according to the Word and the courage to admit when long held cultural ways may not be. 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.