[Mcgregorpage] McGregorPage #611, Pentecost 3, 6/1/08

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Pentecost 3 – June 1, 2008

Psalm 46
Genesis 6:11-22; 7:24; 8:14-19
Romans 1:16-17, 3:22b-28 (29-31)
Matthew 7:21-29

We Are All In The Same Boat

For God to take over ark design could be construed as micromanagement. But then to think Noah knew anything at all about boats would be presumptuous. This scene has the look of a father and son garage project. Who knows which one is the more excited. To borrow a line from the famous parable of Jesus, “for this son of mine was dead and is alive again” and paraphrase it “for this human creation of mine was dead and is alive again.” The limits of God’s love had been tested sorely, and love had won. Let all the preachers zealous to call down the wrath of God on our sinful generation take note. God can be both loving and angry, but can God both love us and willfully kill us? Consequences are built into creation. Floods drown people. Sin kills people in various ways as well.

The earth will change and the natural consequences of our sinfulness will continue, but God’s love does not change. Love is where God dwells, and he is immovable from that position. Therefore, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1)

Since within the heart of God love has won, faith is the only requisite response from Noah or any of the rest of us. Paul puts it this way: “For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one; and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” (Romans 3:29-31)

What was it like to be a devout Jew listening to Paul preach? “Or is God the God of Jews only?” In order to get the original feel of Paul’s radical preaching I have to change it this way: “Or is God the God of Christians only? Is he not the God of non-Christians also? Yes, of non-Christians also, since God is one; and he will justify the Christian on the ground of faith and the non-Christian through that same faith. Do we then overthrow the Christian religion by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the Christian religion.”

Now listen to Jesus. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. (Matthew 7:21) So, just knowing how to name the savior doesn’t not obtain salvation. Christians do know how to name God who is savior and are blessed to do so, but the common denominator of the heavenly kingdom is based on what we finally do. Does this mean all good people go to heaven? It is interesting that we have Jesus and Paul seeming to say opposite things. Jesus describes the common denominator precisely thus, “the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” And who does the will of his Father in heaven except the one who has faith in that same Father. Since God is one, anyone who has faith in that one (idols excluded) and does the will of that one will enter the kingdom of heaven. If this kingdom is not for Jews only, then it must not be for Christians only. Remember the lesson of Noah, God’s love won. We are all in the same boat.


May these thoughts strengthen you. 
 
An Open Letter to Fellow Pastors 
>From Roland McGregor, United Methodist Pastor 
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