Living into the Community of Romans 8:28

Dearest e-votees,  

This Sunday's appointed Old Testament text is the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers.  Joseph, as you will recall, was the favored son of the dozen of Jacob's brood(s).  He was lavished with a coat of many colors.  He had dreams of his brothers and parents falling down in adoration of him.  

At some point the brothers decided to push him down a pit rather than fall at his feet.  The left him in a pit to perish until they saw another way.  They sold him into slavery (one connection with this week's gospel text).  

After many years there came a time of reckoning (another connection with this week's gospel text).  The brothers find themselves needing to go and seek assistance during a time of famine.  They find themselves in the very presence of the brother they sold off as a slave.  They were worried about retribution (still yet another connection with this week's gospel text).  Joseph speaks a gospel word when he says "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good..."  I wonder how we might treat long-lost siblings who pawned us off for some spending money and some peace and quiet.  

Peace,  

Karl 

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Romans 8:28 says "We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose." (NRSV)

This doesn't say that all things that happen to us are good.  Clearly things beset us and we also bring things upon us that aren't good.  Traumas, afflictions and sins and their harmful consequences aren't good.

This doesn't say that all things that happen to us originate from God.  Free will, quantum probabilities and powers and principalities not aligned with God can cause all manner of events and consequences in our lives.

What this does say is that God is able to work towards good all things.  For those who love God--for those called according to God's purpose.

Let us assert that we are called according to God's purpose.  In baptism we are set aside with a calling to abide by God's purpose.  When we are in touch with who God has made us to be there is a purpose and a calling at work.  When others inspire us with glimpses of the divine there is a calling on us according to God's purpose.  We are called.  God's purposes are at work in the world.

So that leaves the question do we love God?  And if so, does that mean that things will always work out for good.  And if not, is it our fault that bad things happen to us and that they can't get resolved to a good end?  In other words, do we buy into a world where our love for God is the coinage and happy endings and good results are what is purchased through the vending machine?

This transactional approach with God is broken on so many levels.  If we love God it is only because God loved us first.  Even on our best days we can't love God the way God deserves to be loved.  Jesus affirms that to fulfill the Law and the Prophets we need to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind--and also to love our neighbors are we love ourselves.  An honest look in the mirror leads us to affirm that we can't love ourselves very well.  Consequently loving our neighbors as ourselves is exceedingly problematic.  And loving God, who we cannot see, is a dicey proposition.

Rather than focusing on what we do or don't do let's train our eyes and our hope on what God does.  In this account with Joseph and his brothers God softens Joseph's heart.  He is able to move past betrayal towards reconciliation.  He is able to lift his brothers and his father out of the hit they dug for themselves.  He is able to return blessing for curse, kiss for deathblow, hope for being cast into despair.

God can and will do that work in us too.  God loves us and so we grow, haltingly and falteringly, into loving God.  God calls us and gives us purpose and so we learn to trust and to lean into the future into which God beckons us.  God will bring good--even when we inflict harm on ourselves and others.  Jesus' prayers from the cross betray God's heart in the midst of us betraying Jesus.

Help us, dear Lord, be a people who live, claim and enflesh Romans 8:28.  Work your good in us and through us.  Help us be more like Joseph, more like Jesus, more like Stephen, more like you created us to be--all to your glory.  Amen.