Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" for Wednesday, 3 September 2014 - Romans 13:8-10 Don’t run up debts, except for the huge debt of love you owe each other. When you love others, you complete what the law has been after all along. The law code—don’t sleep with another person’s spouse, don’t take someone’s life, don’t take what isn’t yours, don’t always be wanting what you don’t have, and any other “don’t” you can think of—finally adds up to this: Love other people as well as you do yourself. You can’t go wrong when you love others. When you add up everything in the law code, the sum total is love.11-14 But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! God is putting the finishing touches on the salvation work he began when we first believed. We can’t afford to waste a minute, must not squander these precious daylight hours in frivolity and indulgence, in sleeping around and dissipation, in bickering and grabbing everything in sight. Get out of bed and get dressed! Don’t loiter and linger, waiting until the very last minute. Dress yourselves in Christ, and be up and about!(The Message)
How does the neighborhood that hosts your congregation know that you are there? How does your congregation walk beside those around the church building (or where you gather for worship, teaching, service, et cetera)? How does your congregation love its neighbors? Love is a concept that in our culture tends to mean some fluffy, gushy or irrational emotion, but for Paul it's not an emotion at all—it has to do with our actions. Love is not what we feel for one another but how we act toward our neighbors, even those whom we don't know. The commandments that Paul lists in verses 9-10 are not emotionally based but are about the flourishing of the community.
When we act in love, everyone benefits and harm is not inflicted upon even the most vulnerable. Love builds up the community and reveals the love and grace of Jesus Christ in its midst. Paul is clear that this is our mission as the church on earth, and our mission is urgent. There is no time for darkness and actions that harm one another; we must lay those things aside in order to engage in actions that lead to all people fulfilling the law of loving God and loving our neighbors each and every day.
Dear Jesus, may we live in your law of love, doing no harm to our neighbor. May our actions, thoughts and words only serve to build up and love those around us. When all of your people are loved and cared for, your law is fulfilled. May all of our neighbors have food, shelter, clothing and community. We are called to bring your hope to those who are in hopelessness. We pray for the whole world to overflow with your love and mercy. Amen.
Bridgett Weier
Englewood, Colo.
Master of Divinity , 2012
Romans 13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
9 The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet"; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.(New Revised Standard Version)
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