Let's Start the Discussion Now
Have you ever feel the need to prove your love to someone?
How did it make you feel?
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. - Romans 5:8-9
In today's reading, Paul explains the death of Jesus in terms that are disturbing. And we repeat these words almost without thinking.
God so loved the world, we say, that he gave his only son.
What if we have a problem with the whole premise? What if we think that God doesn't have to prove his love for us, and if He wanted to do that, why would He choose such a horrific way?
I think the problem lies in the way we talk about Jesus and our relationship to our God, our Creator, our Father.
Jesus taught his disciples using parables. He uses one in one in today's Gospel reading where he describes what the kingdom of heaven is like.
Once more Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying: 'The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come." - Matthew 22:1-3
He wants his followers to think about the wedding banquet as an example of something greater, their relationship with God, perhaps.
If called to come and celebrate with Him, would you go? Or would you ignore the invitation?
Paul is telling us why we shouldn't ignore it. God has sacrificed Himself for us so we can be saved, he says. But do we need the threat of damnation to want God in our lives?
In the parable, Jesus tells us those who didn't come to the banquet will be lost, and the one who comes but does not truly respect the King, will be thrown out.
These are all disturbing images, and that is why we need to talk about them, just as the disciples did.
Unfortunately, we don't gather to have those conversations as often as we should or could. So, when we are challenged by our children or friends to explain what is confusing to them, we have trouble. We don't know what to say because we never really gave our faith the test it deserves.
If we believe that Jesus came to reconcile us to God, we need to know what that means for us. Are we reconciled simply because Jesus died for our sins, whatever we think that means?
How about looking at it differently?
Because Jesus lived, we have a way to get closer to God, through Him.
Because Jesus died, we have to look at what we are doing that is killing God in our lives.
Because Jesus rose again, we know whatever we have done, God can and will forgive us, if we choose to come back to Him.
Let's start there, and let's have a big discussion about that.
More to come...