I remember that one of my favorite things as a child was getting the Highlights Magazine in the mail.  This was almost as exciting for me as ordering books from the Scholastic Book Flyer!  But, the Highlights magazine delivery was always a special day.  There were fun stories to read, hidden pictures, mazes, cartoons.  And frequently there was the puzzle where two similar pictures were side by side and the instructions were to find the differences.  You can see those puzzles or challenges pop up on Facebook every once in a while as well.  At first glance the pictures look the same, even tell the same story.  Here is one as an example. 2 bears walking outside on a trail with some bees in the tree above them.  But, can you find the 5 differences?

Was that hard or easy?  Different numbers of bees, different cloud shapes, different amounts of snow on the mountain, no flower in one picture, some extra rocks in one picture, the bears holding hands, there are way more than 5 differences aren’t there?

In the section of Paul’s letter to the Romans that we read today, it’s kind of like this puzzle.  There are 2 groups of people. Maybe on the surface they look similar.  They are working to care for their families, they are sharing meals together, socializing with each other and they are even worshipping God.  But Paul is quick to tell us how they really are doing a lot of arguing over who is right and who is wrong when it comes to certain rules- like what is OK to eat or whether there is a Holy Day each week and what should and should not be done on that day.  It sounds like from what Paul is saying that there is more than just a disagreement or a difference of opinion.  It really sounds to me like there is even name calling and there is most certainly judgement.  Each group thinks they are right and therefore better, and the other group is wrong and therefore less than. If you ever wondered if the Bible was full of messages for our lives today, this scripture should give you confidence.

Masks or no masks, vaccinations or no vaccinations, voting issues or no voting issues, full inclusion in the UMC or no…you can certainly add to the list…there is arguing, and name calling and judgement.

In Rome they were fighting about food and today we are fighting about masks…

In Paul’s time, one side said if you eat meat, you aren’t a real follower of Jesus, and the other said if you abstain from meat you aren’t a real follower of Jesus.  Today we hear, if you get vaccinated you don’t trust God with your health or if you don’t get vaccinated you don’t love your neighbor like Jesus told us too.

 

Then, one group claims the others aren’t followers of Jesus

Then, one group makes fun of the lack of knowledge that is being applied.

Then, one group starts name calling.

One group must be wrong because the other group is right.

Both groups think they have Jesus on their side.

 

Now, it is important to remember that Paul is writing to the people in Rome.  He has not been there, he has not seen this division for himself.  He is writing in response to what he has been told.  His goal is to provide some guidance, some grounding and to remind the Christians in Rome about the truths of God.  If he meant that for the people of Rome, then we can read this scripture to find that guidance, grounding, and truths about God for ourselves in our current situations.

Looking for what is different between us, creating division and labels and stereotypes.  Assuming we are right, which makes others wrong. Why do we put others down and judge what is contrary to our beliefs?  Why does it seem so easy to argue or disagree?

In that picture of the bears, what if we were challenged to find everything that was the same in each picture?  We know there would be a lot more than 5 things, right?  What if instead of searching for differences we searched for what we have in common?

I spent the year between finishing high school and starting college travelling with a group called Up with People.  I travelled with over 100 other young adults from over 19 different countries.  We performed a musical show, but that was just the medium to share our goal- to show that we can come together, to cooperate, to work toward a goal of peace. Not necessarily political peace, but relational peace.  If we started with each other, what might the ripple effect be?  We did a lot of work around stereotypes and judgement.  We concentrated on how to live and work together when our pasts, our upbringings, our beliefs were so different.  We chose to emphasize what we had in common- the value of friendship, the value of cooperation, the value of peace.  Let me give you an example of that manifested itself.  It was December and we had been together as a group since July. We were in Norway and we were getting ready for a two week break where some would return home and others would stay with castmates and families who lived closer.  We were celebrating Christmas early and all the many traditions were educational, fascinating and inspiring.  At the very end of our celebration, we stood in a huge circle (remember there were over 100 of us), we each held a candle in the darkness of the room and we sang Silent Night.  Each person in their own language- German, Swedish, Finnish, Italian, Swahili, Japanese, Spanish, English, Norwegian, Dutch, Flemish, French and more… Can you imagine that?  It is why I cry each Christmas Eve at the Candlelight Service.  All our differences, all our languages, all our traditions, melted down into the ability to share the beautiful song, each in our own way, but with the same feeling of peace and love.

A beautiful cacophony of sound- it was not what I heard that was so powerful, but instead what I felt…I felt love, and joy and peace.  Each time I tell the story or hold the candle on Christmas Eve, I am refueled with that love, joy and peace.

That feeling has remained with me all these years. It was like God gave me an example of how life with others could be- how living and working and worshipping with people who are not just like can be beautiful and meaningful and unforgettable.

I think that is what Paul was yearning for the people of Rome to experience.  Remember that some of the people who were coming to follow Jesus were coming from the Jewish traditions- they had spent their entire lives devoted to God and following the Jewish Law.  Others were coming to follow Jesus with no faith background.  They were convicted, repentant and the only teachings they knew were those of Jesus.

Both groups were convinced that Jesus was on their side.

And you know what, they are right!  Jesus is on both sides.  All people are God’s children.  The eaters and the non eaters, the maskers and the non maskers, those who are vaccinated and those who are not, the progressives, the conservatives, whatever we label people as humans…we are all God’s children.

Paul is not saying that everyone should be alike- don’t misunderstand.  In his letter to the Corinthians he spends a lot of time describing the church, the body of Christ, and all its different parts- remember he talks about the parts of the body- the ear has a role and the eye cannot replace it.  The foot has a purpose and it cannot just be cut off and thrown away without impacting the whole body.  Jesus created this amazing, unique thing called the church. Over and over again in scripture we see that Jesus meant for the church to be filled with people of all colors, backgrounds, abilities, social status, intellects, genders, incomes…you get the idea.  Jesus created this church of vastly different people and yet expected that it would be full of love, joy and peace.

Just last week Pastor Dorry reminded us of what Jesus said the most important commandment is…the Shema…Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and with all your might.  Jesus added the second- Love your neighbor as yourself.  Love God, Love your neighbor, Love yourself.

God doesn’t tell us to figure out who is right and wrong, what is right or wrong.  God doesn’t tell us to judge each other…no…God just tells us to love.  Love God, Love ourselves and Love each other.

God is the judge and each of us are responsible to God, that is true.  Verse 10 asks why we think we are the judges of others? Why do we tend toward judgement and hate?  In the Message translation, verses 10-12 say this:

So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly—or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture:

“As I live and breathe,” God says,

“every knee will bow before me;

Every tongue will tell the honest truth

that I and only I am God.”

So mind your own business. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

For me, it is encouraging and relieving to know that my ability to lead a Christian life is not dependent on the opinion of others.  Our ability to lead a Christian life is dependent on how willing and deeply we can love, even our enemies.  Our ability to lead a Christian life is dependent on our ability to choose peace over division, justice over inequity, mercy over intolerance, and love over hate. Our Christian lives should be centered around God not around judgement and power.

I went to Bear Creek Camp, a Lutheran Church Camp for many years in my elementary and middle school years.  Like most camp experiences, people came from all over to spend a week in nature, swimming in the lake, camping under the stars, doing silly skits and singing catchy songs.  We arrived as strangers, but in just 6 short days we would be gathered around the large bonfire for our closing devotions.  We always sang Pass It On…we cried with our newly found best friends forever.  We shared an experience and we were connected.  It only takes a spark to get a fire going and soon all those around, would warm up to it’s glowing.  That’s how it is with God’s love- once you experience it.  You spread His love to everyone- you want to pass it on.

We don’t sing about wanting to pass on hatred or division or judgement.  We want to spread love- God’s love!

We have a choice, my friends.  We can fill ourselves with hate and judgement at which point that is all we can share.  Or we can fill ourselves with love, joy and peace.  Jesus says in the gospel of Luke that whatever is in one’s heart is what will come out of one’s mouth.

Can we choose to be people who pass love instead of hate? Unity instead of division? Peace instead of judgement?

To God be the Glory.

Amen.