Big Letters. Galatians 6.

"See what big letters I make as I write to you with my own hand!" (Galatians 6:11 NET)

One of the drawbacks of being left-handed is that when you first learn to write, everything is oriented for right-handers. (At least this is how it was when I was growing up.) Letters should slant to the right, your paper should be rotated to the ... right or left, I'm not sure, and you should drag your pencil across the paper. Pretty tough to drag, when you're actually pushing the pencil with your hand curled up in a tight ball to try and get the slanting of the letters correct, and the rotation of the paper makes no sense in producing the correct output. Some lefties manage it. I never did. Those of you in class suffer when I get to the board.

My own struggles with handwriting help me relate to the end of Paul's letter. Here's the paraphrase I hear in my head as I read it: "Look, I want to finish up with something really important, and really personal. So I stopped using the computer, and am writing these final words by hand. I hope you can read it, but remember, this is important!" And then he closes the letter with a simple summary of what he has taught through it. Again, Jim's paraphrase: "None of this should matter. Circumcised, uncircumcised, who cares? We really shouldn't even be arguing about this, because what counts is that we have become new people in Christ. Made all over again. So let's act in accordance with that." And then he blesses them in his goodbye.

In case you're wondering, Paul probably didn't do the actual writing of his letters. Instead, he would have dictated the letters to a scribe. This was a common practice and scribes were professionals, trained to be able to write using small letters, getting large documents onto limited space. We don't know whether Paul was incapable of writing with small letters, or if he was using big letters for emphasis, but either way, it did provide emphasis.

I think I can do that too in this post, so I'll try it here.

This is the end of our reading in Galatians. Remember what's important -- we're a new creation. Peace and mercy be on you. Amen.

Free to serve. Galatians 5.

For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. (Gal. 5:13 NET)

It's our delight today to read through one of the richest chapters in all of Paul's letters, when it comes to devotional ideas, and passages to meditate on, and then apply to our lives. Even if this is your first time to read the book of Galatians, you've probably heard about the "fruits of the Spirit." And I would love to read anyone's thoughts about Galatians 5:22,23. Likewise, you may want to write about "living by the Spirit", which leads to the fruits.

I want to take a quick look at what Paul had to say about freedom. Freedom is a scary word. For those of us who grew up in the U.S.A., that may sound wrong. But if you think about it for a while, you'll realize that even in this country, there are forces that act as restraints against freedom, or liberty. Take, for example, the idea of free speech. In theory, we believe the right to say what we want is a good thing. On the other hand, there are certain kinds of speech that we may find so offensive and harmful, that as a society we prohibit them. Or we may prohibit their use in certain places, like schools. The classic case of this is, of course, yelling "fire" in a crowded building.

I don't want this post to be about the limits of free speech, so let me give you a more personal example of the scariness of freedom. Driving. More to the point, teaching a son or daughter to drive. For me, this turned out to be one of the scariest set of moments of my life, superseded only by letting a daughter go out on a date. There I sat, helping a daughter so that she could take control of 3,000 pounds of steel, glass, and plastic, and learn how to send it hurtling down the freeway at speeds no one experienced in all of history until the twentieth century unless they jumped from a cliff more than a mile high. What's at stake when your child learns to drive? Life? Limbs? Big-time damage? Money? And, more freedom? Yikes. And really, all of parenting is about building the skills, abilities, intelligence, disciplines, and moral values so that another step of liberty can be taken.

We express our concern about freedom by saying things like, "with increased freedom comes increased responsibility." The historian Will Durant said, "When liberty becomes license, dictatorship is near."

Paul too, understood that unrestrained freedom is not a good thing. But the restraint he proposed to the Galatians was not one of rules and regulations. He did say don't indulge yourself in all the fleshy stuff, but primarily as a contrast to how we are to use our freedom -- serving one another in love. He's quoting God's word, both written (Lev.19:18) and living (Mark 12:31). Paul says we do that by living in the Spirit which produces all that good fruit. I hope we can talk about what it means to live in the Spirit. Add a comment. Or if you're in class, bring it up next week.

But even if we have a hard time defining or grasping what it means to live in the Spirit, we do have good ideas about serving one another in love. So here's something I can do in response to what Paul has taught us today. Find a quiet place, and spend some time asking who I might serve today -- who really needs it today. And then ask for His help in spending the day in every interaction as a loving servant. We'll see what happens after that.

Backtracking. Galatians 4.

In our reading through the New Testament so far, there have been a couple of days when reading a single chapter seems awkward. For me, today's chapter in Galatians is one of those. It's clearly a passage of transition that depends on both the chapter preceding it and the chapter following it. So what do we do in that case. Clearly, one thing we can do is to read the chapter, think about it a bit, and then wait until the next day to see where the argument leads. Perhaps in the reading, there will be smaller parts of the passage that speak to us in a special way. Maybe even something as simple as this phrase, "... God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls 'Abba! Father!'," will affect you in a profound way.

Two other approaches we might take are: one, to continue reading into the next chapter until there's an appropriate breaking point; and two, backtrack and review the thoughts that led up to this chapter. In the latter case, you might decide to go far enough back to capture a second thought from previous reading. Or you might spend extra time on a particularly rich passage. Or you might concentrate on the thread of thought that's currently being developed, in anticipation of the next day's reading.

I decided that for this post, I would attempt to write down some of my thoughts that developed out of spending time thinking about what Paul wrote in chapter two -- that he was crucified with Christ. In part, those thoughts are connected to the idea of Abba, Father, so it turns out that technically this post is about something in Galatians 4. (Okay, that's a stretch.)

"Lots of noise. Just wait. Abba, Father, what do you want me to learn from these words of Paul's? How dead is my old self? How large is my passion to live for Christ, compared to those first moments my life was changed? Compared to the passion of Paul as expressed in his letter?"

Today I have to confess that our society is a tough one to live in, and follow Christ whole-heartedly. We're not under direct persecution where the choice is clear, but we face hundreds of decisions to make on a daily basis. I confess that there are too many moments where it's not God living in me, but me choosing what to do. Without the daily disciplines of prayer and Bible reading, the power of the Spirit within me would be quenched all too quickly. Without the joy of meeting with my brothers and sisters, I'd be just another lone sheep, ill-equipped to face the wolves and lions outside.

I'm thankful for each of you who meet on Sundays, to grow in your knowledge of God's word, and His nature, and how He wants you to live, through discussion and study. I'm thankful for all those who committed to read through the New Testament this year, and am hopeful that this online place will add to the richness of that experience. And I am thankful for the fundamental change Jesus has made in my relationship with the Father, even if there are too many moments when I don't live like that. Thankful for the Spirit that lives within me, and cries out on my behalf, "Papa, Father."

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's chapter, when Paul completes his thought about freedom in Christ, but will continue to meditate on what it means to be "crucified with Christ."

Are the women sons? Galatians 3.

I don't have time to develop this topic fully, so you can check back over the weekend and I may update it. But the usage of "sons of God" in verse 3:26 really stuck out, especially in light of what Paul says next. Here are the verses that changed an empire:

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-28 NET)

There is no doubt that in the Hebrew culture, women were not equal to men. I'm not talking about the difference between male and female, but their status in their society. In some ways, the Greco-Roman culture provided more rights to women, but their society, too, was male dominated. Something we should pay attention to is how Jesus and the church elevated women in the sight of God. There is a powerful expression of that idea in this passage, which proclaims both freedom and equality in Christ. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female - for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."

The removal of status and hierarchy was perhaps the most powerful witness of the good news in Christ, and the most effective demonstration of what it meant to be a Christian. Imagine a slave enjoying the same status before God as the master. Imagine what is was like for those who had always served, to be served. Turn that around, and imagine those who had always been served, now acting as servant. (As Jesus taught and demonstrated.) Here was a truly new thought, a new way of living that overcame the obstacles to becoming a Christian. (And there were many... we'll watch a video sometime this year that explains this more thoroughly.)

This is not to say that immediately all the slaves and servants were given their freedom, or that women no longer lived in a male-dominated culture. Even within the church, there were distinctions made between men and women. This is something we're still debating today, to see if we properly understand what Paul wrote about this, and, yes, we'll be discussing this when we get to the appropriate place. Nevertheless, as Paul said, any distinction before God, any thought of hierarchy in Christ, is wrong.

So why sons? Some new translations use the word "children." The Message bypasses the issue entirely, translating the Greek word into "direct relationship." In our society we miss the import of Paul's use of son. Fortunately, he describes why it's important that we, men and women, slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles, why all of us are sons of God. It's significant because we are the heirs to the promise to Abraham. In Paul's culture, inheritance was through and to the sons. We are all heirs. Since in our culture we typically don't distinguish between male and female when it comes to inheritance, "children" is an appropriate translation of the Greek. But for the full effect, an understanding of "sons" helps us see that Paul is elevating everyone to what his society considered the exalted position.

We too can change an empire. Think about what it means to be clothed in Christ. Now get dressed, go out, and do it.

Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Galatians 2.

I belong to the first TV generation, more so than some my age, because my dad's business was selling and repairing televisions. I grew up on Saturday morning cartoons. If you have a truth about life you want to express, I can probably find an analogy in some cartoon situation. As I was reading the second chapter of Galatians my mind was drawn to the coyote and the road runner. Here's how it happened.

Think about what we've read up to this point, in the broadest of terms. In Mark, we have the narrative of Jesus' life, ministry, teachings, death, and resurrection. God entered into history as a human being, to make sure that we could be restored to full relationship with Him. The message given was to enter into His Kingdom. In Acts we see that Kingdom in action on earth, with the coming of the Holy Spirit, birth of the church, and the message carried forth, first to the Jews and then the Gentiles. In the process, we saw how God made sure His salvation was understood to be available for everyone, in spite of the inevitable tension between Jewish culture and practices, and Gentile ones. He made sure, even to the point of dramatically calling one of the chief prosecutors of all Christians, Paul, to the work of taking the message to the Gentiles. In Hebrews we see the connection between the old covenant and its practices contrasted with the new covenant. The writer shows the need to sever the ties to the old covenant understanding and practices, except as precursor to the new covenant. And finally, in Galatians we see Paul having to combat the forces that are pressuring the Galatian Christians to return to old covenant practices and understanding.

After thirteen chapters of Hebrews, the idea that there's another book devoted, in part, to the combat of the influences to return to Judaism made me think of Wile E. Coyote. Wile E. is obsessed with the road runner. Long past any point of rational behavior where a real coyote would just find some other prey, Wile E. orders yet one more product from Acme in the hope that this time, he'll be successful. That's what makes the cartoon funny, even though at its foundation, it's about obsessive behavior. In fact it's one of the rules of the cartoon -- "the coyote could stop anytime -- if he wasn't a fanatic."

So... is Paul like Wile E. Coyote? Or flipping it around, were the judaizers? Sooner or later, all analogies break down, this one sooner than most. But even if, on the surface, we see an argument that has long since been decided and without relevance to our own lives, the coyote in pursuit of the road runner one more time, Paul's pursuit of this issue is an essential part of the development of the church. It also provides relevant teaching to us today. I think we all see how important it was in the early church, so I'd like to focus on a teaching for today.


Starting in verse 15, Paul writes:

We are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:15-16 NET)

What's the significance of this to us today? We certainly don't try to follow the Old Testament law. Seemingly, we understand that it's faith in Jesus and God's grace that clean us up from the dirt of sin. But do we? One thing that jumps out in what Paul wrote is that we are "justified", or made right in spite of our wrong, by Christ's faithfulness, not our own. When we put our faith in Jesus as the justifier, it's not our act of faith, but his faithfulness to accomplish the task that is important. Sometimes we get that backward. But also, it's inevitable that as humans we tend to tie our goodness, our justification, to following certain rules, having certain behaviors and attitudes, and generally translating what we read in the Bible and hear from the pulpit into a set of guidelines for life. Think not? Well, then, how about reading the Bible every day? (Jim says, don't stop doing it, that's not the point.) Reading the Bible is, in fact, a good principle to follow, a good practice to cultivate. But it's not about justification.

To Paul, it's critical that we get this straight. James will deal with the flip side of this tension between what Tenney calls, "the ethic of Christ" and "transformation of the individual by the grace of God." But for Paul, understanding that we have freedom in Christ is intrinsic to a correct understanding of the good news. If we don't realize that it is Jesus' death that took care of everything once for all, that we can't get to God any other way, then we still don't get it. In one sense, Paul's road runner, the goal he did fanatically pursue, was a correct understanding of the gospel. Thank God he did, and that he was successful, unlike Wile E.

And just to be clear that freedom doesn't imply we have license to act any way we want, I need to point out that in the midst of the discussion between Paul and the Jewish-Christian leaders, both groups agree that it's important to take care of the poor. That teaching alone is worth everything in the entire chapter as a setup to what is essential for us to know, be, and do, as followers of Jesus. Even though doing it doesn't get us justified.

Beep. Beep.

Image from original cartoon Copyright by Warner Bros. and used under Fair Use guidelines.

Grace and peace to you. Galatians 1.

Today we begin reading a new letter of the New Testament. Unlike Hebrews we know both the author, Paul, and the recipients, the churches in Galatia. In this first chapter we learn more about Paul's history, and you may want to go back and review the events of Acts 9. We're also introduced, almost immediately to the reason Paul is writing this letter. Some group is messing with the heads of the Galatians, teaching a mistaken version of the good news, so mistaken it's not the good news at all.

Paul will continue to develop this idea throughout the letter, describing exactly what the error is in the message of these false teachers. (And you've heard it before.) First, though, he describes how egregious this error is -- even if the angels brought this false message to the Galatians it would still be false. Even if Paul himself brought this message, he should be condemned. Whoa.

Paul then has to establish his credentials. Evidently those bringing the message were claiming the authority of the Jerusalem church, and so Paul shows that he received his teaching directly from Christ, an authority equal to the Jerusalem church. And that's pretty much what we learn in this first chapter.

I'd like to focus on Paul's greeting this morning -- "Grace and peace to you." This is not unique to this letter, and is one of the distinctives of Paul's letters. Grace is usually defined as unmerited favor, or a gift or blessing. Paul takes that word of general usage and infuses it with the powerful theology of God's gift of salvation through His Son, in contrast with anything we can do to earn salvation. But in its simplest form, it's a greeting of blessing -- may God be kind to you.

While Paul wrote in Greek, the word peace is better understood from the Hebrew form - salem; or as we hear today, shalom. This would be a standard greeting between the Jews of the day -- peace to you, shalom. It's still a greeting today in the middle east, including the Arabic version, Assalamu 'Alaikum. Thus Paul's greeting to the Galatians could be roughly translated as "May God the Father and Jesus the Son be kind to you, and give you peace."

It's a great way to start a letter, isn't it? It would be probably be weird to greet each other this weekend with the words, "grace and peace to you," but don't be surprised if you hear it.