The Audacity of Faith...and Love

There’s something absolutely, positively inspirational about Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation of the Christian Scriptures. I so often enjoy moments of total quiet delight when I get into The Word as translated in contemporary language by Professor Peterson.

So there I was, expectantly and gleefully reading the book of Romans. And there, even in the first few verses, was poignant and cheering instruction. In verse thirteen of chapter one St Paul writes to the Romans: Please don’t misinterpret my failure to visit you, friends. You have no idea how many times I’ve made plans for Rome. I’ve been determined to get some personal enjoyment out of God’s work among you, as I have in so many other non-Jewish towns and communities.

Whoever said the Scriptural life had to be devoid of enjoyment, dull and dreary, even if devout?


Taking Pleasure in The Walk
If St. Paul was determined to get some personal enjoyment out of doing God’s work even as a leader and teacher, you’d better make sure you do the same in this very twenty-first century.

I have often joked with friends that God Himself is going to hold some of us accountable for the good times and exposure He had empowered us to enjoy (financially or geographically for instance –imagine shunning a trip to Mauritius because the hotel may be jam packed with tourists in bathing suits?) but which we omitted to take hold of in the name of religion.

Isn’t that the same reason why some can go to war in the name of religion?

I overheard someone protest the other day that there are no ‘Christian’ places to socialize and hang out in this city. And I thought to myself: “Yes, and there are no Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish places to socialize and hang out.”

Short of hibernating in an igloo or in make-believe world, interdependence is one thing that is guaranteed on Planet Earth. We’ve grown so accustomed to limiting our options of socializing (living, in fact) to only those of the same faith – as if there was a guarantee that those of the same faith would always hold dear the same Scriptural and social values as you hold dear.

Tolerance and Interdependence
St Paul buttresses this point in the same chapter verses fourteen and fifteen when he wrote: “Everyone I meet – it matters little whether they’re mannered or rude, smart or simple – deepens my sense of interdependence and obligation.” That spoke volumes to me – I could be as much in need of the company of my simple Christian friend, as I am of the company and friendship of a smart Jewish friend. And, I could, and should even legitimately choose to socialize with the latter.

The cry of humanity - interdependence and obligation