It is rare in the Christian life that we receive clear, unequivocal instruction about how we are to live. Or rather, we are so constantly receiving messaging that is inconsistent or contradictory that it is almost impossible to discern what is the “right” way to live as a Christian in the world. Much of it is based in scripture, at least theoretically, but with so many layers of interpretation and so much context missing that it can be hard to pinpoint what exactly the instruction has to do with the Gospel. In many mainline Protestant denominations, we speak often in the abstract, about loving one another and serving our neighbor and being welcoming without ever really speaking concretely about what any of it looks like in practice. We shy away from direct asks and specific instructions, often unwilling to impose or inconvenience anyone. The leader’s role in many of these communities is to preach inspirational sermons that make us feel good, to lead Bible studies and classes that make us a little smarter, to raise enough money to keep the lights on and the ministries active but not ask for so much that anyone feels pressured or stretched. The demands on the individual can seem minimal; all that matters is showing up and getting along with the others who show up, and to do some good in the world while we’re at it.
In some Christian traditions, and within some faith communities in our own tradition, the expectations are very tangible. You will give every time the plate is passed. You will donate to the food pantry. You will visit prisoners and widows and if you are able, you will adopt and care for orphans. You will bake casseroles for the sick and the bereaved, you will show up to the wake whether you knew the deceased or not, you will take your turn at mowing the church lawn or changing the lightbulbs or cleaning the toilet. You will spend most of your Sunday in worship and fellowship, and whatever time you aren’t in church on Sunday you’ll be spending with church family in their homes, continuing the fellowship beyond the walls of the sanctuary. Any time the doors are open at church, you’ll be there with bells on. When you’re not in church, the choices you make are still shaped by the commonly held norms of your community, impacting everything from how you dress to the foods you eat to the kind of language you use. In these Christian communities, there is no question that your faith is going to occasionally be inconvenient. Your discipleship is so clearly distinguished from the secular culture that you have no choice but to be countercultural; your faith demands it of you, and your community expects it of you.
There is of course a lot of nuance to keep in mind. Some communities who define themselves by words like welcoming and loving are revolutionary in the way they live out those ideals through their Christian witness. Some preachers give inspirational, feel-good sermons every week because the people in their congregations have been so brutalized by the world that the house of God is the only place they hear that they are beloved. Some traditions that demand much of their members make some of those demands at the expense of the health and well-being of the vulnerable in their midst. Some communities that claim Christianity behave in decidedly
unchristian ways toward those who fall short of their ideals or don’t fit the clearly defined roles they have been handed by their church. There is a difference between the realities of high demand religion and the abuses of high control religion.
Christianity is, fundamentally, high demand. The Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations; the Great Commandment to love our neighbor as ourself; the Sermon on the Mount in which we are instructed to love even our enemies and bless those who curse us; the ancient laws defining hospitality as all-encompassing and all-inclusive; the prophetic witness reminding the people of God again and again that being chosen comes with responsibilities as well as privileges. The life and death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, who engaged with his challengers earnestly and forgave those who betrayed and abandoned and executed him, who touched the untouchable and healed the hopeless and invited himself to dinner with all the wrong sorts of people- there is no greater demand on us than the demand to be more like him.
It is crucial, then, to pay close attention to the moments in Scripture when we are given a clear picture. It is so important for our faith and for how we live to spend time with the passages that really lay it out, where the trusted teachers of generations past have set down clearly the invitation to live faithfully and well. This is what we have today in Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians. It is not the entire Gospel, but it does contain one of the clearest descriptions of living like the Gospel is true that we have available to us. I do not believe that the Bible is an instruction manual; I think that is too reductive and misses a lot of other very important aspects of this library handed down to us. But Paul was a missionary to people who had absolutely no idea how to live in a Jesus-shaped community, and from time to time he gave pretty clearinstructions. I’m not sure he’s ever clearer than this section of Romans 12.
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
That is it. That is everything. These are rules of engagement for a bunch of disparate individuals to behave as one body, as they have been transformed into one through Christ. These are the demands of the Christian life, if we were to sum it all up in two paragraphs. Although Paul never names Jesus here, and it’s one of very few sections of his writing that doesn’t mention Christ’s death and resurrection, he is laying out exactly how a group of people might live if they knew that death had been defeated once for all. He is laying out how we might live, if we truly believed what we said when we were washed in the waters of baptism and sealed as Christ’s own forever. What Paul instructs us to do is more than empty platitudes or inspirational mantras. It is what losing our life for Christ’s sake looks like every day. It is what is demanded of us if we are to claim the same faith that martyrs have died for and oppressed peoples have lived for. It is not easy, but neither is it nearly as complicated as we sometimes make it. Let love be genuine. Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good. Rejoice in hope. Be patient in suffering. Persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints. Extend hospitality to strangers. Love one another. Serve the Lord. And then wake up tomorrow and do it again. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This is what is demanded of us, and nothing less. This is our cross to bear. And through the grace and mercy of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the capacity to live this way together, more and more every day. We can aspire to be a Romans 12 community, one body living into the highest demands of the Gospel. I believe we are already well on our way.
Mother A Writes 