WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:02.319 We're starting a series on Romans. 00:00:02.560 --> 00:00:08.960 I'm beginning to regret trying to fit in Romans when we have confirmation and graduation. 00:00:09.439 --> 00:00:10.720 We'll see how that goes. 00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:20.320 We trying to fit in one of the more complex theological letters of our Bible in the little cracks that we're left with after confirmation. 00:00:20.559 --> 00:00:27.280 But uh like I written uh wrote in the introduction, it is probably the most comprehensive letter. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:50.960 Uh a lot of the uh uh originating thoughts you can see in other letters, and then you can see the maturing and the culmination that happens in Romans, which is uh why uh um a lot of people see it as kind of that comprehensive, uh probably coming a little later in his uh uh um uh in his, we'll call it a career, his calling, his ministry. 00:00:51.280 --> 00:01:07.359 Uh and in general, because of the nature of Christianity and the reality of the presence in this at this time of Jews and Christians, and Jews and Gentiles, and all of there's there's some diversity there. 00:01:07.599 --> 00:01:26.079 And he's speaking to these churches that are filled with people who have come from the Jewish faith to now be in the Christian community and walking that journey, but also people who have come not from that journey with all its its laws and and it's explicitness. 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:30.079 And so there's a lot of arguments that are happening in these early churches. 00:01:30.239 --> 00:01:31.200 This is nothing new. 00:01:31.359 --> 00:01:34.879 I've probably preached that many, many, many times. 00:01:35.200 --> 00:01:51.599 Uh and uh Paul's message, rather than being some kind of dry theological, uh, I'm trying to explain the world, what he's doing is trying to preach to a divided community of Jews and Gentiles. 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:56.000 And he's trying to show how the gospel is for everyone. 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:06.159 The gospel's leveling the playing field, it's breaking down the walls of distinction and disagreement that we often make for ourselves. 00:02:06.799 --> 00:02:08.240 So that's the book itself. 00:02:08.319 --> 00:02:13.360 Now, digging into Romans 2, he's coming in pretty hot, isn't he? 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:16.719 No, I don't know. 00:02:16.879 --> 00:02:24.560 It seems there's a lot of the wrath and uh, you know, God coming with judgment, and then nobody felt uncomfortable in here. 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:28.800 I know some of you, y'all should have been a little uncomfortable. 00:02:29.039 --> 00:02:31.199 I know what's going on out here. 00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:32.400 He's hot. 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:33.680 Yeah, there right. 00:02:34.000 --> 00:02:38.240 Me and Michael, yeah, we were properly uh like straightened up. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:40.240 Yeah, that's us right here. 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:41.759 No, it kind of hot. 00:02:42.080 --> 00:02:45.759 I like to think that he kind of walked into this. 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:57.280 He'd had a chance to really build up some frustration with what these churches were doing, and obviously he's focused largely on judging each other, right? 00:02:57.759 --> 00:03:04.719 A big part of the argument he's making here this early is about how judging in and of itself is sinful. 00:03:05.360 --> 00:03:05.759 Right? 00:03:05.919 --> 00:03:12.240 He writes how the Jew and the Greek will find anguish from this judging. 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:32.080 Can we attest to some of that anguish in our own lives, our anger, our frustration, our anxiety about different things that are going on in the world because of how we have imposed our feelings about how it's supposed to work? 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:37.919 I think the key phrase for Paul here is Jew and the Greek. 00:03:39.039 --> 00:03:49.280 Paul, including both, and dare I say, speaking to all of us, he adds, God shows no partiality. 00:03:50.159 --> 00:03:54.719 I think there's a big lesson for us here in 2026, living in the United States. 00:03:54.879 --> 00:03:57.199 We've polarized ourselves really, really good. 00:03:57.520 --> 00:04:04.479 And the root of that polarization is the permission we've given ourselves to judge each other. 00:04:04.719 --> 00:04:12.479 We've put ourselves in God's place by saying, My way is the godly and right way. 00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:16.959 Closing the door to God's influence. 00:04:18.720 --> 00:04:28.319 Paul comes to us here and he says, You think this judgment, this judgment that you have is not a problem for your faith? 00:04:29.519 --> 00:04:36.160 The anger you feel towards particular groups, the turmoil in your soul for the world and its future. 00:04:38.319 --> 00:04:42.959 This is kind of the thing that landed us on that gift for the confirmans. 00:04:43.519 --> 00:04:46.240 The old turtle book. 00:04:47.040 --> 00:04:52.079 I don't know if you heard you know some of what Carissa was telling about the story, right? 00:04:52.319 --> 00:05:03.680 We had uh uh in this mythical time when animals and elements of nature could all speak and communicate, they start to argue over who or what God really is. 00:05:04.079 --> 00:05:06.959 And here, this is what's kind of interesting about the book. 00:05:07.199 --> 00:05:10.240 The breeze says that God is a wind. 00:05:11.920 --> 00:05:12.879 Not surprising. 00:05:13.040 --> 00:05:15.519 The mountain calls God a snowy peak. 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:22.560 The Robin says God is gentle, and the bear says God is powerful. 00:05:22.720 --> 00:05:24.480 Is that surprising? 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:28.319 You see what's underlying happening here? 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:41.600 Everybody's projecting their own identity on who God really is, and the argument grows louder and louder, more discordant, and then the old turtle shows up. 00:05:41.759 --> 00:05:45.839 The wise turtle rarely speaks and tells them to stop. 00:05:46.639 --> 00:05:51.439 She tells them that all of their individual unique perspectives are true. 00:05:51.759 --> 00:05:55.279 God is all things and more. 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:58.959 Here's a famous line from the book. 00:05:59.199 --> 00:06:01.759 I'm spoiling it for you, but you know what? 00:06:01.839 --> 00:06:04.480 You've had twenty-something years to read it. 00:06:05.040 --> 00:06:06.639 You should have been on it. 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:18.720 God is indeed deep and much higher than high, but gentle and powerful above all things and within all things. 00:06:20.079 --> 00:06:27.360 God is Echoes of Moses at the burning bush, right? 00:06:27.920 --> 00:06:30.160 God is all of that. 00:06:30.639 --> 00:06:41.199 The turtle, the old turtle, also predicts that people were going to arrive, and they were going to be this strange new creature that that brings the world together. 00:06:41.360 --> 00:06:44.800 They'll be distinct and different colors, shapes, and powers. 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:55.120 Uh, and then the people appear, and then they quickly forget to connect with the nature around them and with each other. 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:56.160 Guess what? 00:06:56.399 --> 00:07:01.120 They start arguing about who God is. 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:22.800 Eventually, the people stop fighting, they listen to the messages from God that are coming through the mountains, that are coming through the winds, the stones, the stars, and they remember to hear and see God in one another and in the beauty of the earth, which allows the planet and the people to heal. 00:07:25.199 --> 00:07:31.759 Silly, silly children's books with so little to say. 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:42.480 I'm resisting the urge to tell the Confirmans you're the ones to fix this polarized world. 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:44.480 It's your turn. 00:07:47.519 --> 00:07:51.759 I'm resistant because I remember hearing the same thing when I was young. 00:07:52.399 --> 00:07:54.399 It's your turn. 00:07:56.000 --> 00:08:05.600 I feel like our challenge is to figure out how to live what we believe with a humility that allows us to stay open to God and God's message for us. 00:08:05.920 --> 00:08:11.759 Our turn to the judgment of others, it clouds that capacity to hear God. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:17.360 We start listening to our own vision of God instead of the real thing. 00:08:18.079 --> 00:08:26.959 Maybe the best wisdom we can offer comes from, I apologize, here he is again, Richard Rohr. 00:08:27.279 --> 00:08:29.199 It's a big Richard Rohr year. 00:08:29.279 --> 00:08:36.240 I don't know how many of you are on the devotion, but I just had to go there because it just was echoing in my brain. 00:08:36.320 --> 00:08:42.080 It is part of his whole uh um group called the Center for Action and Contemplation. 00:08:42.159 --> 00:08:50.320 They have some basic uh rules for living in this world, and this one is particularly useful today. 00:08:51.279 --> 00:08:58.480 The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:07.919 The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better. 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:19.279 Maybe we should stop trying to convince each other of all we understand and just live out what we know to be true about the love of God and the world. 00:09:19.519 --> 00:09:20.159 Amen. 00:09:21.039 --> 00:09:21.679 Amen.