12/23/2008

So what?

  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. (Romans 12:9-15, NRSV)

             "So, what?"  At times, I must have been a bear to raise as a teenager.  My mother was very, very patient with me.  After messing up or doing something wrong, one of her usual methods of discipline included what she would call a "sermonette".  It usually involved a discussion (usually one way) about why my actions were wrong, why she expected better, and other points that she wanted me to remember.  Well, at times my sarcasm would overcome me and I would look at her and say, "Ok, but so what?"  Like I said, I must have been a bear to raise.  Anyway, beneath the sarcasm (deep beneath it) was a real question:  what specific actions were now expected of me?
 
            When Paul finally arrives to the twelfth chapter of Romans, the "so what" question is on his mind.  In the previous chapters he has outlined the brokenness of creation and human sinfulness.  Following this, he has described in utmost theological detail God's healing and restorative grace through Jesus Christ.  Now, it is as if some teenager has come along and said to Paul, "So, what?"  What does all this mean for me, today, for my life?  So, in chapter 12, Paul answers the "so what" question and describes the nature of the life to be lived in response to God's grace.  The verses here talk about how we respond to the gift of grace that God gives us, and that we claim, in Christ Jesus.
 
            In a couple of days, we will be past Christmas and the world will ask, "So what?"  What difference does it make that God dared to enter our world?  What difference does it make that the baby born in the manger becomes the savior on the cross?  What difference does it make that God so loves the world that he sent His son?  So what?  Paul invites us to answer the "so what" question with our lives offered back to God as living gifts, which are full of genuine love, hospitality, blessing and rejoicing.