The 11th Sunday After Pentecost, (Proper 12A), July 27, 2008
BCP: 1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:121-136 or 119:129-136; Rom. 8:26-34; Matt. 13:31-33, 44-49a
RCL: Gen. 29:15-28 and Psalm 105:1-11, 45b or Psalm 128; or 1 Kings 3:5-12 and Psalm 119:129-136; Rom. 8: 26-39; Matt. 13:31-33, 44-52
Many Christians who have been forced to endure unwelcome change in their lives cherish the words of Romans 8:28 because they have found to their surprise that they were better off after the upheaval in their lives than they were before. Getting laid off from a job may have led to a new and more rewarding career. The end of a friendship may have prompted a reevaluation of the true goals of such relationships.
Notice, too, that there is no way for a skeptic to disprove Paul’s claim. God reigns on a cosmic scale. Even if, to us, evil seems to triumph, all things could indeed work for good at some level unknown to human beings.
Nevertheless, it can still happen that in the part of the cosmos we inhabit, a door that once was open to us closes, and no new door opens to replace it. Things do not seem to be working out for the best. Treasured dreams evaporate. The future seems empty and uninspiring.
When doors were slammed shut for Paul, though, he found personal comfort in the promise of ultimate justice. After all, he observed, “If God is for us, who is against us?” Here, too, Paul’s logic is flawless. If God exists, and God is by definition perfect and all powerful and loving among his perfections— if this God is for us, we have nothing to fear.
Even so, for most of us, when life isn’t proceeding the way it should, we find it hard to pretend otherwise. At the same time, if God is for us, that fact can’t be outweighed by any amount of negative events. If God is for us, it is not impossible that God would be able to make some response to the bad things we do and the bad things that happen so that good results.
Perhaps then, it is up to us to look for the work of the Spirit. Jesus says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid. In his joy, he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” If shadows have passed over our lives, perhaps rather than bemoaning our fate, we would do better to look for the treasures of divine grace.
Look It Up
When St. Paul mentioned suffering, he spoke from experience; see, for example, 2 Corinthians 12:6-10
Think About It
Can you remember a time in your life when something went terribly wrong and yet, in the end, things worked out?
Next Sunday
The 12th Sunday After Pentecost, (Proper 13A), August 3, 2008
BCP: Neh. 9:16-20; Psalm 78:1-29 or 78:14-20, 23-25; Rom. 8:35-39; Matt. 14:13-21
RCL: Gen. 32:22-31 and Psalm 17:1-7,16 or Isaiah 55:1-5 and Psalm 145:8-9, 15-22; Rom. 9:1-5; Matt. 14:13-21
