Exegetical previous
reflections (after the sermon)18th Sunday after Trinity, Romans 14,17-19
Grace be with you and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ!
Dear congregation, dear sisters and brothers!
„For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and
drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved
by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace
and to mutual edification.“
„That is typical for the church“, an elderly man once
said. „That is typical for the church“ – It is more than 30
years ago now, when we had invited the reverend to come to the
restaurant for the wedding of our son.
We gave him the best seat for the banquet, next to the bride and the
bridegroom. And then, when it was his turn to hold his speech, he did
not mince matters. It seemed to me that his speech was only slightly
different from the sermon he had given in the church.
„For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit“, he
started his speech. One could hear a murmur from among the quests. It
seemed as if he took this sentence from the bible literally – and then
he brought it right to the point: Such a serious matter as a wedding
is not only a matter of the extrinsic festivities with a banquet and
everything appertaining thereto. That might be quite nice but what
would be more important are the spiritual gifts like love, respect and
peaceful social intercourse in life and in matrimony. Exactly as the
apostle says in his word: „Not eating and drinking, but
righteousness, peace, joy, life from the Holy Spirit, that is the most
important.“
In the first instance the good mood of the party was gone. Although
the reverend was right: Not the extension of the festivity and the
externals, but the routine, the daily social intercourse of husband
and wife, that is what keeps the common life together. Anyhow it was
unsuitable. Only after a while, when the Reverend had left the party,
it went on much better and the mood became really good again.“
„For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and
drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. At
first sight the colleague had quoted honest and good, exactly as the
text of the sermon dictates it: Christian belief is, of course, an
earnest matter and not joy. Christian belief deals with essential
things, not with eating and other externals.
Typical also for Paul, some of us might think. Especially the
earnest topics are those he likes most: Not eating and drinking, joy
and happiness – no, righteousness, peace, a service community of
Christians one with another, that is what determines Gods new world.
But let us just stop for a moment: Is Christian belief only a
deathly solemn matter? The text does also talk about the joy in the
Holy Spirit. Was there not also the accusation of contemporary enemies
of Jesus that he would be a „guzzler and drunkard“, that he
would be someone who would not stay away from a happy festivity.
Therefore: Let us try to see this matter from quite a different
point of view: Dear congregation, let me just invite you for a little
walk. A walk through Rome as the Apostle Paul might have seen it when
he lived there: The Roman Christian congregations Paul visited there – and where he might often be as a guest – they are surely still very small, possibly
fairly unimportant. But they are growing steadily. The Roman everyday
life is – we can take that for granted – very much formed by the pagan
religion. The cult for the Roman gods does not only determine the life
in the temple but the entire life. When the apostle goes to one of the
markets to buy something for his daily needs, then he can feel it: The
barkers recommend their goods; they proudly present meat that was just
in for them from an offering for one of the Roman gods – and therefore
it is really valuable and cheap to buy.
And while having this offered meat so close before his eyes, he can
see the problem so clearly: Should Christians eat this meat or not? –
Especially the poorer people in the parishes were glad to enjoy a
plentiful meal with meat once. Because: Who likes to eat the usual
corn mash every day, when there are public feedings you do not have to
pay for. – Although they took place to honour the old gods. To eat
pagan meat which has been contaminated because it was used for an
idolatrous sacrifice, impossible for one part of the people –
according to Paul, those who he calls the weak people -.They refrain
from this meat. They better do without it. They are afraid of the
uncleanness, afraid to get into touch with the heathenish.
Others – with Paul we say the so called strong people – said: My
belief and my life as a Christian do not suffer while eating meat that
other people slaughtered in the belief of their dead idols. At least,
the whole world belongs to the Lord, the one and only God. Both groups
flew at each other: „You weak people, how small is your belief
that you do not ignore it!?“ „You strong ones in belief, who
do you think you are, that you look down upon us, just because we are
stung with remorse?“
If two people argue, one needs a third one!“, that is what the
famous proverb could mean here. Paul gets the role of an arbitrator
and tries to settle the quarrel: „Do not judge each other!“
– „Let us strive after what leads us to peace and to the
promotion of congregational life between us!“ “
Why arguing about which food is right or wrong? Why do you comment
on, even condemn each other? „The Kingdom of God is not eating
and drinking – it does not mean to argue because of the right eating
and drinking. – „But righteousness – and peace – and joy in the
Holy Spirit.
Gods new world which starts here with us, this world is not due to
the right eating and drinking. The implacable quarrel of different
opinions, that is not to the purpose.
Because we are invited to gain peace with each other, to take heart
from each other – no matter if weak or strong. One expects us to „be
glad“, also about the other person who is different. That is what
we are qualified for through the Holy Spirit.
– Our journey through time to the old Rome might have already come
to an end now, dear congregation. But is it not your opinion too, …
have we not been at home for quite a long time? Have we not already
been in our own parish, in the native town? We do also have quarrels
because of different opinions here. Whereby strength and weakness in
belief surely cannot be as clearly separated as in Paul´s
parishes.
Do, for example, take the matter of „eating and drinking“.
That is not so far away for us as Christians nowadays: Some of us are
trying only to eat and drink what comes from preserved creation; for
example biologically (dynamic) cultivated corn. When they have meat,
it comes from animals which were kept true to type. Others do have no
scruples, they even go to „Fast-food“-stores, although they
get a lot of criticism for it. Especially you, dear confirmation
candidates, do not see such a big problem here. You certainly like to
eat a „Hamburger“, although some square metres of rain
forest might have been cut down for its beef.
So far concerning the mentioned topic of „eating“. But we
will also find such a conflict of different opinions in another place.
Let us just think of the church service: Here we do also have quarrels
concerning the right „eating and drinking“ – in a figurative
sense.
– Younger church attendants love modern hymns like „Laudato si“,
„Danke“ (Thank you), „Herr, deine Liebe“ (Lord, your love)… They often think that the older hymns are boring and somnolent.
– Despite this, others like the traditional church service, with
older hymns, the Kyrie and a longer sermon. Innovative forms of the
church service irritate them.
– Anyhow, people who do not come to church every Sunday, enjoy it to
have a great variety during the church service: small plays, modern
music and modern hymns, pictures to look at, a stronger participation
of the congregation, that is all part of the church service for them.
– But the traditional form of the church service seems quite obscure
and only a little enticing to them.
Who, in contrast to that, often visits the traditional Sunday church
service, might think that some of the new and modern things are not
really ecclesiastical; anyhow he does not realise that from over 60
church services a year, only 10 are held in a different form.
Some people think that tradition is boring, not attractive or
antiquated. But they do not realise how much especially
tradition-conscious, often almost elderly people love this form.
Who prefers more innovative forms of the church service or
devoutness, does not take the „weakness“ of the others into
consideration, for whom belief and life has to harmonise with the „peace
of the flow“ and the solidity of the traditional church service.
Who loves the older forms, should on the other hand respect the „weakness“
of those who are of a different opinion and who would not find a way
to the church without those innovative forms of church services and
devoutness.
To see weakness and strength of different opinions on both sides, is
that not also a step towards peace and promotion of congregational
life? Although it might sound a bit risky, dear congregation: Let us
make the apostle speak so that his „The Kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking,…“ comes up in a different guise:
Should it not even run as follows: Gods new world is not implacable quarrel about right and wrong. Gods new world shows itself in the social intercourse of different people with each other, who come together within the pale of the church. Gods new world shows itself here, where we do not remonstrate with each other, but facing our own weakness, do also accept the weakness of the others. Gods world shows itself where we even help others to live their peculiarity – although they might be of a totally different opinion as
ourselves.
So consequently not: It is typical for the church that they want to
spoil ones pleasure because everything is so severe there.
But:
– typical for the church that one is there for one another;
– that one person helps the other, although one might like to live
ones peculiarities.
Finally Paul again in the original version: „Let us therefore
make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.“
Amen |
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