Pentecost +9 – Year A
Romans 8:1-11
Hooray, Spirit-walkers! Boo, Flesh-walkers!
Aren't you glad that you are in this new family and not that odd old one?
This has been a strange week of dividing this part of the family from that part of the family. The early adapters get perks. But then they, in turn, become the old part that can't keep up with a living, moving, expanding G*D and are left standing on the outside or hardening, and further hardening, the rules to keep themselves perk-ful for at least their generation – the next will have to fend for themselves.
Is it not the case that if Christ is in you that your body becomes alive, regardless of its disability. A healing, if not a curing, goes on and a striving for meaning comes alive. In keeping with anonymous Christ-ians everywhere (who doesn't have Christ within?), it is time for our mortal bodies to come alive – to stop harming; to increase blessing; to deepen relationships. Until we get to a spiritual/religious "Esperanto" we are all anonymous others as well as honored members of our particular tradition.
The very dualism Paul writes about is the downfall of dualism and when we run out of our double, we run out of ourselves. This whole conversation is problematic and it is miraculous that what begins chapter 8 so divisively can end at a spot recognizable and affirmable by all.
Here's an advance copy of what I'm posting on Sunday's Child later this week: Paul to Y'all--
ReplyDeleteWe English speakers read "You are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit," and think "He's talking about me. He's making promises to me about my life." Well, so he is, but he's talking to the me that is part of us. The Greek pronoun translated as you is in the plural. Paul is talking to the Christian community. "Church, you're not in the flesh. Church, the Spirit of God dwells in you. Curch, God's breath gives you life."
Una -
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder about the plural aspect of all this. Even corporate bodies lose track of their connections. As this is written we are already splitting this sect of Judaism from that. All too soon the Christian branch will be in full anti-Semitism against other branches of Judaism.
May G*D's breath again give us life and life together.
Wesley