An Apostle’s Resolutions
Some of you might remember this column; I decided to pull it out of storage for a new year. While we’re still in January and before the notion of new year’s resolutions fades from our mind entirely, I want to offer some thoughts from Paul the apostle. In these days of contention and discord, and on January 6, which is both Epiphany and the anniversary of one of our nation’s ugliest moments, his words might just bring some light to guide us into 2022.
In his Letter to the Romans, Paul spends 11 chapters proclaiming, explaining, and wrestling with, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ. It’s all about the extravagant grace of God, the new life found in Christ, a new experience of God’s Spirit in the depths of our being, a new humanity(!), and the new community born of this unleashing of God’s power. But wait, there’s more. He then gets down to the nitty-gritty by tossing out one simple word in chapter 12—“therefore.” What follows are some simple but powerful ethical guides for life in God’s grace, i.e., some suggested resolutions.
Start right after the “therefore” in chapter 12 (My translations here are all NRSV, unless otherwise noted). “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds,” Paul writes in verse 2. OK, I admit that’s a pretty broad resolution, but wait, he gets more specific.
He then calls us all down from whatever high horse we have chosen: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think” (v. 3). Instead, Paul says, consider the needs of the people around you. “Let love of the Christian community show itself in mutual affection. Esteem others more highly than yourself” (v. 10, REB). Now, that doesn’t mean you should spend the next year putting yourself down. To the contrary, Paul wants you to know you are God’s gift to the church, a wondrous part of the body of Christ, with important gifts to share. But share you should.
Paul moves on to a series of wonderful admonitions, each a noble resolution for 2022:
“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (12:15).
“Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are” (12:16).
“If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (13:18).
“Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions” (14:1).
“Let us, then, pursue the things that make for peace and for mutual upbuilding” (14:19).
“In a word, accept one another as Christ accepted us, to the glory of God” (15:7, REB).
Do these resolutions still seem intimidating? Hard to grasp? Fear not, for they can all be summarized in a word, Paul says: Love. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (13:10).
And love, in the end, is a resolution that can transform your mind and—who knows?—maybe even the whole world. If we’re making resolutions, we might as well aim high.
SPECIAL NOTE: Please help us spread the word that we will have only one in-person worship service on January 9 and 16, at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary. With uncertainty stirred by the high number of Omicron infections, we want to avoid the smaller space of the chapel. The sanctuary offers room to spread out with good circulation of air. Masks are required, of course. The 11 a.m. service will also be available via live-stream, and Brent Huckaby and Jordan Grassi will offer a more contemplative service online at 5 p.m.
In Christ,
Rev. Mark Westmoreland