The Grace to Accept

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost - Proper 19 – Year A

September 14, 2014

Romans 14:1-12

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarrelling over opinions. Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written,

   "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
       and every tongue shall give praise to God."

So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

Last week was voting week. Not everywhere but in many communities; Cedar Falls voted on a bond referendum for building new and refurbishing existing schools. When it comes to elections or votes of any kind, there are often deeply held beliefs and emotions that come into play. All of us have perspectives on just about every issue, and when we are given the chance to give voice to those positions we tend to, sometimes really vocally. The old saying advises us that it's best to avoid discussing religion or politics at family gatherings. Those positions are just so strongly held, that differences of opinion can easily turn into nasty fights that can last for years.

In Cedar Falls this last week there were lots of yard signs, some saying 'vote yes' and some saying 'vote no'. As I drove around town, I saw signs holding those positions across the street from one another, neighboring one another. People who regularly talked to each other over their fences, whose kids played with one another, proclaiming loudly a difference of opinion. I even saw a single yard, a single home, with both a 'vote yes' and a 'vote no' sign being displayed. I have no idea how that would work, I can't imagine there was a lot of peace and tranquility in that house leading up to the vote on Tuesday.

Differences of opinion on just about everything is part of life. We don't all like the same things, or believe the same things. Some of us like crunchy peanut butter, some like creamy, and some don't like peanut butter at all. Some people like pop, and some people don't. And those that do like pop all have their favorite. We all have our favorite food, our favorite beverage, our favorite sports teams, our favorite actors and actresses, our favorite manufacturers of vehicles and machinery. We all have our favorite colors, our preferred styles. We are all unique people who live our lives according to the things we like and don't like, the things that we find joy and meaning in, and the things we find largely meaningless.

Differences fill our world, and they also fill our churches. It would be great if we could all agree, if we could all recognize that there is only one way of doing things, one way of believing, one way of living, one way of thinking – and of course, that one way is our way! There are many issues that we wrestle with in our daily lives, issues that we wrestle with in society that are impacted by our faith, by the things we believe and the way we believe. In just the last few decades the church, and many of us in the church have been wrestling with abortion, evolution, homosexuality, creationism, ordination of women, universalism, the authority of scripture, understandings of communion and baptism (to name just a few).

Throughout the history of religion, including Christianity, there have been movements and individuals that sought to declare an answer to every issue under the sun. Do this, don't do this. This is the correct thinking or belief, and this one is a false teaching. For a while all of these movements and individuals had some success, it's freeing to be told what to think, what to believe. It takes the pressure off of us from having to reflect and come to a decision ourselves. “Just tell me what to believe,” is something that more than one pastor or teacher has heard. And it works great until someone starts to ask questions, until someone doesn't see things the same, and then things become difficult. What to do?

The Apostle Paul is writing to the church in Rome in our passage today, addressing an issue that seems to be causing some division among believers within the church. And the issue seems to be about food. Now, Paul has previously talked about food issues in his letter to the church in Galatia, but in that instance there seemed to be a division between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Here, in Rome, there likely isn't that division. These are all likely Gentile Christians, who are arguing with one another over what they can eat. I can't imagine too many fights erupting at a church potluck about having some vegetarian dishes. But, then again, there has been some negativity in some churches when changes had to be made at communion to ensure that those people with gluten sensitivities can fully participate; and then there are the arguments that have erupted over wafers or loaves, wine or grape juice....

Paul is addressing an issue in a church where everyone agrees on the essentials: Jesus is Lord and Savior, it is in him that we find our righteousness. What to do when there is agreement in the core beliefs, but disagreement in how those beliefs are lived out? “And the answer Paul gives is to welcome one another (14:1) and to put up with each others failings (15:1). Actually, he tells the strong to behave this way toward the weak, but his words still resonate with both sides, for who on either side of any debate does not imagine themselves to be the strong and their opponents to be the people who just don't "get it" yet?”¹

We've all been there. We know that we are right, and that other people are wrong. If we can only find the right words, the right arguments, we will be able to convince them of their being wrong and our being right. So, we do everything we can to prove they are wrong. We take every opportunity to parade our position in front of them. We find every instance we can swing the conversation in some way that opens up the possibility of showing them how wrong they are. We've all done it. We are strong, they are weak, and we just need to show them how weak they are.

One of the things I find most fascinating in this passage is the way Paul speaks about strength and weakness. Now, in areas of physical power, strength is all about being able to move more, lift more, do more. But, in areas of faith, we tend to think about things a little differently. How often have we looked at a person and commented on their great faith because of the things they do or don't do? They pray before every meal, even in a crowded restaurant. They keep strict rules about what they can do and can't do. They know what is right and wrong, and live their lives to the letter accordingly. They are a person of great faith, because they trust that the laws and statutes God has provided are the key to life.

Paul, though, has a different perspective. Paul looks to the two groups: those who are essentially vegetarians and those who eat everything. And then, he declares that those who live by more rules, those who avoid meat for religious reasons, are the weaker! Talk about a surprise, the ones who follow the rules are weaker in faith than those that don't. How can this be?

Paul is clear in Romans that salvation comes through faith, not through works. The works we do are a living out of our faith – whether for good or for bad. Strength for Paul is about trusting in God's grace, rather than in our own imperfect ability to do everything correctly (we cannot trust in our own selves, or put any weight on our abilities). Paul is concerned that one group of people is placing their following of the law as an equal to the salvific grace that has been extended through Jesus the Christ. It comes down to where we put our trust, where we put our energy and faith – in God, or in how well we follow what we think is right or wrong. And from there, how we treat those whose faith lives are expressed differently than ours.

Even though Paul describes one group as strong and the other as weak, he avoids passing judgment – declaring one as more correct than the other, he doesn't urge the vegetarians to become meat eaters. The point of Paul isn't in the correctness of the position, but in the way we respond to people hold a different position. Two phrases are worth noting: “Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another?” (14:4) and “Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister?” (14:10). You all declare Jesus as Lord, you all come together to give praise and worship to the same God, why are you passing judgment on the things you eat, how it is you live out your lives of faith?

Paul cares a great deal about how those who follow Jesus the Christ conduct themselves, particularly within the fellowship of believers, within the church. But here, as elsewhere, he insists that God should be our focus, that God is the one who is the active player; judgment belongs to God, not to us (cf. 9:10). “God has welcomed them (14:3) … the Lord is able to make them stand (14:4) … Whether we live or whether we die we are the Lord’s (14:8) … So then, each of us will be accountable to God (14:12) … Let us therefore no longer pass judgment on one another” (14:13).

In the last few years, there has been a trend for three little words to appear on lots of church signs and in lots of church bulletins. Those three words? All are Welcome. It's a great phrase, a wonderful sentiment; but how is it being lived out most of the time? Are all truly welcome, or just those that are willing to go along with the way we in the church see things? Do we welcome them, and then ask them to change their beliefs and perspectives? Do we welcome them just to show them how wrong they are? The church should be a place of welcome, where unity is found not in particular practices of piety, but in the fact that we belong to the Lord (14:7-8). God has welcomed us, Paul says; we, too, should welcome those whose piety differs from our own (14:3).

God desires us to live joyful lives of faith. We are to live our lives according to the faith that we have. How each of us find joy is different, why should we expect to tell another person what brings them joy, what their faith tells them is acceptable? Can we not celebrate the faith that is strong enough that they claim it as the reason why they act the way they do? If God has welcomed them, given them faith to declare Jesus as Lord, should we not also welcome them even if we do not see things the same on other issues? In the end all of us are going to have to face God and make a defense for our lives. Would we rather be accused of being too loving and accepting of difference, or too judgmental and exclusive?

We are the Lord's, let us live accordingly. Amen.

1http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1072