Saturday 12/17/2022

Romans 14:13-18

13 Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. 14 I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. 15 If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. 16 Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, 18 because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.

James 2:5-9

5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong? 8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

Paul wrote to Roman Christians about disputes over proper religious practice, urging “the strong” to care about and encourage “the weak,” rather than mocking or discouraging them. James wrote about the all-too-human tendency to show favoritism to wealthy people over the poor, even in a relatively small matter like whom you seat where in church. Both apostles were convinced that life in God’s Kingdom is “about righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” Advent is about joy—not just the joy of decorations and presents, but the joy of joining in God’s work of lifting up the lowly. Paul wrote that when Christians focus their spiritual walk on “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit,” they have unity with one another. James underscored that, in the words of scholar William Barclay, “there can be no distinctions of rank and prestige when men meet in the presence of the King of glory.” How easy or hard do you find it to lay aside a value system built on status, title or wealth to live a life devoted to lifting up the lowly, and finding joy in that kind of life? What helps you see whatever riches you have in time, talent or money as gifts meant to bless others, not just to cling to for your own sake?

Prayer: Lord, remind me that “this is my father’s world,” that I am a steward of some of your world rather than the owner of any of it. Help me to find your joy as I keep my values aligned with yours. Amen.