Unity – Thursday 5 November

Reading Romans 14

The Weak and the Strong

¹ Accept those whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person's faith allows them to eat everything, but another person, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted that person. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To their own master they stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

⁵ Some consider one day more sacred than another; others consider every day alike. Everyone should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Those who regard one day as special do so to the Lord. Those who eat meat do so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and those who abstain do so to the Lord and give thanks to God. ⁷ For we do not live to ourselves alone and we do not die to ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

¹⁰ You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat your brother or sister with contempt? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. ¹¹ It is written:
       " 'As surely as I live,' says the Lord,
       'every knee will bow before me;
       every tongue will confess to God.' "

¹² So then, we will all give an account of ourselves to God.

Gospel Luke 15

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

¹ Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ "Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.' ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ "Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn't she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbours together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' ¹⁰ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Sermon

We continue reading Romans.

Sometimes I feel Paul does not talk a lot of sense. Wonderful though he was, and although through his ministry and bravery he single-handedly spread the gospel right round the Roman world, he was human and fallible. His attitude towards women in the church I find it hard to take, just as much as I do the attitude of those of my colleagues who are members of Forward in Faith.

This time, though, Paul talks sense. Would that the Christian church even today could heed his advice. This chapter and the next is about pursuing what makes for peace and mutual edification.

Paul begins this section with an exhortation to Christian unity. He was embroiled in controversy that had broken out in the Corinthian church, where a dispute arose as to whether or not it was OK to eat food that had been offered to pagan idols.

Who cares? He said (more or less). What difference does it make? We are no worse off if we abstain from eating, and no better off if we eat. Even so, he went on, it’s better not to encourage others to go against their convictions. It’s better for the strong not to tell the weaker members how to behave, if that means going against their consciences.

Each of us stands or falls, not by the judgement and good standing of our fellow women and men, but through the judgement of God alone. Live towards God through faith: live towards others with consideration.

Recognising individual differences and understanding them, even if we don’t agree with them, is the road to unity. Unity does not mean we all agree on everything. Far from it. What is means is we are prepared to live in love with each other without judging them.

The Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but walking together in tolerance and love.

Why can’t the church follow this sensible advice? Why do people hold such strong views about seemingly small details of faith or worship that they are prepared to take up arms against those who don’t agree? Why in this modern age do we still fight over whether women can be made bishops, or even be ordained priest in the first place? Why do we judge each other and treat our fellow Christians with contempt?

You tell me. I have no idea. What I do know is that if people read more of these words of St Paul and less of some of the others, we might just get closer to the ideal. As it says in Philippians 2:

¹ If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,

² then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.

³ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

⁴ Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.

⁵ Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus