Proper 19: Epistle, Romans 14:1-12                                              

Romans 14:1-12

Now that is a strange title. I wrote it. I admit it. But our epistle text this morning moves me to a place of needing such a tag. The apostle Paul is helping the young Roman church to navigate ground under their feet in terms of basic points of getting along. And not just relationally but theologically. As we read the text we find ourselves in a discussion about what to eat or not, and which days are special, or should be considered so. And the “camps” that seem to arrange themselves around such questions. Paul is giving instructions to those who may have had their roots in the law of Moses. And others to whom he writes may have come from pagan practices which dictated certain other do’s and don’ts. And so from one or more camps to others, old habits die hard and with those habits come criticisms for not seeing things just the way I do.

Paul’s solution is this: God is the judge. Better, God is the Father of a new family with new rules which may not even show themselves as rules. But simply the consideration of what is best for others. Think about it. When you’re pressed into following the rules you don’t usually have the other person in mind, only the “what can I do or not do” part. But in God’s family, our choices aren’t determined not primarily by law, but by love. And while love doesn’t open the door to every attitude or practice, it does provide a wide berth of patience, mercy and forgiveness for those with a bit of a different take on things. Trading undo judgment for love is what Romans 14 is pointing to. And it’s a great way for a family to live.