Romans 13:8-14

Advent 1 - Year A

Romans 13:8-14

Jesus doesn't know chronologic time. You, however, know kairotic time.

This is the time to wake from our cultural comfort of pleasure in privilege. We are to live honorably with every one, even those who might be taken away from Paradise Earth newly Heavened.

In clock time there is always an excuse as to why we cannot love beyond our current limits. In honor time it is always time to get on with not only doing one's best living, but doing so publicly.

With ticks and tocks we are working with escapement mechanisms that are always running down. Even batteries have their limit, solar chips their length of life, and mainsprings their fatigue point. This is similar to every law, whether social or physical, it sets limits and pushing those limits wears it out.

Fulfilling the law, rather than keeping it going, is a relationship with others that does no wrong. We don't have control about how the other party is going to act, but we are capable of choosing to first do no harm and to, secondly, do good (love) to others, and thus exemplify or fulfill our creation responsibilities and image G*D.

So how does a refrigerator chart look to you for the week so far. As you tick off the harm you could have avoided and the good you could have chosen, have you seen an improvement over the week? If not, extend the chart to Pentecost last year - progress has been made? Do you have to go back as far as Easter of some previous year to be able to note some movement toward using love to fulfill law?

There is certainly Advent work to practice. If you don't already have a chart, you may want to choose to engage growing in love through a practical use of a chart.