Tuesday, 16 April 2002

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do no claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I repay says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:14-21

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Romans 13:1-3a



Luther writes about how the governing authorities are in a very similar position as parents...as in "honor your father and mother." They are a part of the "order" that is to serve as the guide for us. Just as parents are to look after the well being of their children and serve to bring children up so as to be faithful people, the ruling authorities are given that same task for the sake of the society. We are not to be living within the chaos of anarchy. Rather, there must be an order that enables people to live together with a sense of trust and justice and peace. What we must remember in this discussion is that when the governing authorities are leading in a way that contrary to the Reign of God we must speak up in order to change things. Think of the movement by Ghandi or Martin Luther King, Jr. For the welfare of all, they stood up against a governing authorities that was unjustly ruling. Though there was an order in both countries in which these men lived, the order was not a reflection of the vision of the Reign of God. In fact, the authorities persisted in bending the task of governing in a very self-centered manner.



Connection: Order is important. But in the context of this day we must be willing to make sure that voices of justice and peace and loving kindness are present when a "system" forgets that is it set up to instruct and assist and nurture the well being of all.



Lord of Creation, you bring all things into being and in the structures of the universe, we see your guiding hand. Raise up leaders who have vision of your peaceable reign and make us aware of the important task of leadership in all the avenues of our lives. Amen