09-13-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 13, 2024
In Romans 9, the Apostle Paul wrote:

“What then are we to say? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses,‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who shows mercy” (vs.14-16).

Paul wrestles with the tension he finds between compassion and justice, mercy and righteousness. I believe part of the struggle is our belief that forgiveness and mercy are dependent upon one’s deservability. Or, to say it another way, to forgive or show mercy requires a certain level of merit or worthiness. As I read Paul, I see one who embraced God’s grace yet continued to struggle with the notion of grace. It's a sort of problem that most people face at one time or another. Those who announce and celebrate God’s unconditional love have been known to slap a few conditions and that love in response to injury or insecurity. A condition to love is not the same as putting in place health boundaries. Sometimes, if someone desires to maintain love as a central attribute, a boundary is needed.

At the end of the day, compassion and mercy are gifts, often totally undeserved. They cannot require justice and righteousness because compassion and mercy are often the threshold over which someone must cross on the way to justice and righteousness. And though we often defined justice and righteousness through the lens of a modern-day judicial system, in scripture, they are more about restoration, reconciliation, and healing. We ain’t getting there without some compassion and mercy. 

Today, O Spirit of Mercy, I give thanks for those who are truly gifted with compassion and mercy, for they teach the rest of us how to grow in our capacity for empathy, understanding, and forgiveness. Amen.