7 March 2006

From Walter Brueggemann as we continue in "The Covenanted Self."

...Paul writes twice,
"All things are lawful," but not all things are beneficial. (1 Cor. 6:12, 10:23a)
"All things are lawful," but not all things build up. (10:23b)
In the first of these passages, Paul is concerned with the abuse of the body, apparently in self-indulgence. In the second Paul addresses the vexed issue of illicit food. And while Paul champions great freedom, seeming to agree in principle with his Corinthian opponents, his pastoral sense of the well-being of the community overrides such freedom. He counsels the church to attend to the conscience of the more scrupulous members of the community.

When we are drawn into a community - and the followers of Jesus are always a part of a community - there is so much need for openness and flexibility and conversation. For as we are a community of people together as one body, there must be a way that we honor one another. This honoring relationship may mean that I consider not having the world go "my way" to the point that I exclude the other. Rather,it is in our willingness to enter into conversation with the other - no matter how 'other' this other may be - that will help to build the community into something beyond our expectations. Too often, we only expect what we can control. In the context of the Church, the Spirit blows things around so that even our expectations may be expanded by the others around us and that takes patience and peace to consider.

Connection: The "other" is not always right...nor am I. And yet, somewhere in between...somewhere outside of me and outside of the "other" could be the place where we come down just right. The only way to know that is to enter into the conversation in the first place.

Spirit of New Life, when you send us from here to there and mix us up with others who are not at all like us, we can become frightened and turn to our own ways to build our lives. Send you Spirit to keep us assured of how in the middle of the unknown and the other we may just see a glimpse of your life that is eternally available to us. Amen.