A Patio Party – Romans 14:1-12

A text – Romans 14:1-12

14:1 Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.
14:2 Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only vegetables.
14:3 Those who eat must not despise those who abstain, and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those who eat; for God has welcomed them.
14:4 Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand.
14:5 Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds.
14:6 Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God.
14:7 We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.
14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
14:9 For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
14:10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
14:11 For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God.”
14:12 So then, each of us will be accountable to God.

A reflection:

If ever there was a passage of scripture that argued for letting God alone be the judge, here it is. Paul learned that various members of the new Christian community were passing judgments on others in their community for their diets and for how they kept the Sabbath. Paul does not question the faith in Christ of any of these folks, old or new. He says they are all living to the Lord, because the Lord has all gathered them into one body. So to each his own in matters of diet or observance, says Paul. Be as one.

Good advice, but easier said than done. In these polarized times and places, where both behavior and thinking can become extreme, we too are prone to judge others based on the way they live out their beliefs. It can be extremely difficult for long-time church members to accept newcomers who have different faith backgrounds and practices (or perhaps no experience of living in a faith community at all).  It is one of the main reasons that young people, even those brought up in faith communities, refuse to join a congregation today. They know they will make some mis-step, which someone will find disturbing, they will be judged, and perhaps their children will experience this judgment falling upon them.

If you wanted a few neighbors to come over to inaugurate your new patio, you’d try to make them as welcome as possible with food and drink and even things for their kids to play with, right? You’d want them to have a happy time, to trust you, and to together create an experience of community. And you’d say “Welcome” and mean it. Churches that behave this way, telling of the open and welcoming love of God and living it out by welcoming strangers, they can be places even reluctant young families will visit.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us Paul’s letters to early Christian churches who, it seems, had the same trouble we have welcoming new people. Help us to learn from their mistakes and be kind and glad and say “Welcome” from the heart, the generous heart that you yourself give to us.   Amen.