Living in the Spirit
July 14, 2020
Scripture Reading: Wisdom of Solomon
12:13, 16-19
For neither is there any god besides you, whose care is for all people,
to whom you should prove that you have not judged unjustly;
For your strength is the source of righteousness,
and your sovereignty over all causes you to spare all.
For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power,
and you rebuke any insolence among those who know it.
Although you are sovereign in strength, you judge with mildness,
and with great forbearance you govern us;
for you have power to act whenever you choose.
Through such works you have taught your people
that the righteous must be kind,
and you have filled your children with good hope,
because you give repentance for sins.
Why is it so hard for humans to accept that God cares for all people? What is it in human nature that drives us to compare ourselves to others to judge our self-worth? We are made in the image of God, not the other way around.
How does God show God’s strength? For you show your strength when people doubt the completeness of your power. The ancients believed that the gods punished people by sending plagues and bad weather to rebuke any insolence. I have never made such a linear pattern of causation. I do believe that God created a world that is based on God’s values of interdependence and love for one another. We do face the consequences of our behavior. Not dealing with climate change is probably the most threatening reality facing our world. Our attitude toward that is the same response we are demonstrating when we think wearing a mask to protect others from COVID-19 is an infringement on our rights.
Freedoms provided for in the Constitution of the United States pale in comparison to the free will God granted us when the world was created. God gave us dominion over the earth. Dominion includes responsibility. We pay a heavy price when we choose to flaunt that privilege to the detriment of what is right and just in keeping our world operating as it was created to be. We are called to follow in God’s example of caring for all people, even if it requires us to wear a mask, wash our hands, and practice physical distancing. Caring for all people means we do not judge others by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character* as we work to become anti-racists. Caring for all people means we address systemic problems related to our climate so that our earth will continue to sustain us for many years to come.
Prayer: Lord, today, renew our commitment to using our freedom wisely in the care of all people. Amen.
*Martin Luther King Jr.
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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.