Galatians 1:11-24

Galatians 1:11-24New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors. But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.

Then after three years I did go up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and stayed with him fifteen days; but I did not see any other apostle except James the Lord’s brother. In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie! Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and I was still unknown by sight to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only heard it said, “The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God because of me.

Two things stand out for me here: the ongoing nature of revelation and the fact that God can do absolutely anything with anyone.

Paul claims his ability to receive the revelation of Christ comes despite everything he had going against him. Despite that he had been an enemy, not just of the church, but of Christ himself.

If Paul can end up being the first theologian of the Church - the founder in so many ways indeed of our church - what can God do with me? With you?

With the person you might think least likely to be a follower of Christ?

Nobody gets written off.  God makes all things possible for anyone.

And God doesn't stop revealing either. The Bible didn't close and shut down God's activity in the world.

I've appreciated for a while the United Church of Christ's "God is Still Speaking."  God still has something to say to the world and to us.  God is still glorified despite all that we make wrong and all that we see wrong in others.

Who is it that perhaps you have written off that maybe it's time to take a second look at?

God of mercy and revelation: help us to see each other as you see us, in perfect love and understanding.  Amen.

Galatians 1:1-10

Galatians 1:1-10New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— and all the members of God’s family who are with me,

To the churches of Galatia:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!

Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Well, it's been a bit longer than I said it would be.  Since writing last I have been to Italy and back and then been struck with writer's block, as like most Americans I've been transfixed by social and mainstream media with both the tragic events in Charleston as well as many different rulings by SCOTUS.  All of those have been swimming in my head and made me wonder where to go next with these devotions.  Less and less am I finding the ELCA daily lectionary to be helpful for my particular context in devotion writing, and for a while I've thought it might be good to dive into reflecting on a whole book of the Bible.  

So with this past Sunday being named a day of "Repentance and Mourning" in the ELCA by our Bishop after the racially motivated murders in Charleston, Galatians 3:28 has been playing in a loop in my head: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."  For me, this is a good verse with which to start any discussion on race - which, I believe, is a discussion we need to be having in our churches.

So, with that in mind, Galatians seemed like a good book to begin with.  It's a book I haven't read in its entirety in a while, and am eager to see what jumps out of the page for me I write it.

A brief note about the Galatian church: the Galatians, according the my handy Lutheran Study Bible, "insisted that to be acceptable to God, the non-Jewish believers must observe the laws of Moses."  Paul, needless to say, was not good with that.

By Paul's language just in this introduction, we can see that coming up with such an idea is clearly counter to the gospel for Paul. So interpretation was an issue back then...as it is for us as well.

For me, as I read verse 10, it occurs to me that there are times when the proclamation of the Gospel isn't going to be pleasing to people in congregations or in the world. And that often, anything to do with radical inclusivity - letting people in as they are - is still just as much an issue today as it was in the early church. 

So, as we work as a church against the sin of racism, it is a good idea to remember that radical inclusivity is in our DNA.

God of all, help us to accept your gospel even when it may run counter to our natural inclinations.  Amen.