The letter to the Romans begins with a seven verse sentence all
of which serves as preface to “grace to you and peace from God our Father and
the Lord Jesus Christ.” It could be that Paul, like this blogger, likes run on
sentences because periods just waste time. Or it could be that grace to you and
peace is easier said than done and needs a seven verse sentence to remind the
Romans that while they are not nearly as conflicted as the Corinthians there
are some hard feelings between Jewish and Gentile Christians residing in Rome. The
promise beforehand through the prophets in the Holy Scriptures about the Son
descended from David (think Jew) is also declared the Son of God with power
according to the spirit of holiness for the obedience of faith among the
Gentiles, so that both Jew and Gentile might be called “God’s beloved in Rome.”
I think there a lot of things the church can get wrong and still claim the
cross of Christ but living together in grace and peace as God’s beloved is not one
of them. The inclusion of Gentiles into what was a Jewish religion goes beyond
any of the denominational divisions that define the church today and we would
do well to note that those outside the church see our inability to live
together in grace and peace as proof the Gospel is not worth the paper it’s
printed on. “Christian unity is not an ideal which we must realize; it is
rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate” or so
said Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Does that mean the divisions that define us are not essential
and we should all join hands and sing Kum
by Yah? Well, why not? Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Or in other words, Kum by
Yah.
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