Thoughts for the Day

For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.

For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, as it is written, ‘I have made you the father of many nations’)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall be your descendants.'

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

As a child I had many games to play (no tv, or social media!) and a favourite was hopscotch. If you've never played it you haven't lived! It can be played by adults or children and a lots of people can join in. (See Hopscotch) There are a number of variations and there can be many rules, so the group can shout "out" or "miss a turn" if you get it wrong, and there can even be time limits. The game gets harder as the squares get further away.

Obeying the Law of Moses, according to the Scribes and Pharisees was a bit like this game - pretty impossible. The Law of Moses, with the Ten Commandments and some 603 following commandments were bad enough, but then the Jewish leaders tried to clarify these, so not working on the Sabbath (ie on a Saturday), had 39 categories to define exactly what was work, and after that many further sub-categories. It is these thousands of laws that the Pharisees aimed to keep. It was well-meant but impossible!

Paul in his letter to the Romans reminds his readers that Abraham was made the "father of nations", even though at the time he had no children and was very elderly. He received God's grace not through following a Law, but through faith! As Christians today, perhaps we should take care not to fall into the same trap as the Pharisees, caring more about quibbles over church law than about our spiritual life and our faith in God.

Father God,
may we bring glory to You
in our praise and thanksgiving.
Help us to continue growing in faith
as we follow the path You have set before us.
May we become less critical of others.
who are following a different path,
and remember to live by the one Law -
Your Law of Love.
Amen.