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December 9, 2020 | Leave a Comment

Love or freedom? Lessons on in-person worship from the meateaters of Corinth

Buried deep in the New Testament is a story of Christians being called to choose between love and freedom. In the city of Corinth, meat was being sold that had been sacrificed to idols. By all accounts, it was good meat and cheap, so Christians were heading to the bbq.

Beginning in 1 Corinthians 8:1, we find a chronicle of Paul’s response to the meateaters:

“We all possess knowledge,” the meateaters said.

But knowledge puffs up while love builds up, Paul responds (8:1).

“An idol is nothing at all in the world,” they kept on, “There is no God but one” (8:4).

You’re correct, Paul makes clear, “But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food, they think of it as having been sacrificed to a God, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled” (8:7).

You see, love takes precedence over freedom.  Paul concludes, “Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (8:9)

This week, in response to a decision of the Supreme Court, the State of Colorado announced that it was dropping capacity restrictions on indoor worship attendance in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic (https://www.denverpost.com/2020/12/08/colorado-churches-covid-restrictdions/). The First Amendment, after all, restricts the government from making any law which prohibits the free exercise of religion.

Churches have been told what we can do. Now, we consider what we should do. We have a right to worship in person. Now, how do we exercise that right in ways that love our neighbors? The Constitution, after all, is not our final authority.

Different churches will come to different conclusions based on their convictions about the meaning and purpose of worship (the sacraments in particular). Those conclusions will depend upon the conditions in their community:  the prevalence of community spread, stress on first responders and medical staff, and the particular members of the congregation and their needs.

John Inazu teaches Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis, and he put it this way:  “Of course, questions of law and governmental policy speak only to what houses of worship may do, not what they should do. At a time when much of the country is sick and suffering and much of the country is partying and dining, many houses of worship continue to comply voluntarily even when orders have exempted them. That’s a tangible sign of loving one’s neighbor, even at great cost” (https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2020/november/scotus-gets-it-right-religious-liberty-church-is-essential.html).

Right now, in our community, our case count continues to climb, seemingly unabated.  Our hospital is stressed (https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/09/944379919/new-data-reveal-which-hospitals-are-dangerously-full-is-yours), even having to take the extraordinary step of ceasing COVID testing because of a staffing shortages (https://www.lajuntatribunedemocrat.com/story/news/2020/12/08/colorado-backs-off-worship-service-limits-due-covid-19/6495233002/). Our first responders have been stretched thin.  While we’ve thankfully had no congregational exposure take place in worship, many of our own church family have been or are sick or quarantined even now.

Can we worship in person?  Yes, of course, we can.  Should we?  That’s another question completely, and the leadership of this church prayerfully determined that the answer—for now—is no.  In such an environment, we are not loving ourselves, each other, or our neighbors well by creating yet another gathering space in which transmission can occur.  Other churches in our community are coming to other conclusions. It’s their right to do so, and we will support them with our prayers.

Some will strongly disagree with this decision. We pray that those who disagree will seek out myself or one of our elders or ministry staff for discussion and prayer. We’ve disagreed before, and we’ll disagree again. Let this not be the decision that divides us.

The Christ Child was born in Bethlehem, in a world just as broken and hurting as ours. He brought peace. May that peace be ours today and always.

Church, Courage, Criticism Tagged: 1 Corinthians, COVID 19, meat sacrificed to idols


September 19, 2020 | 1 Comment

This black swan event

Halloween, 2019.  I had the collar, I had the robe, why not? Of course, I outweighed her by thrice, but, you know, I pulled my hair back and did my best.  RBG.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death is heartache for her family and many Americans.  It’s a cause for celebration for a handful of others.  

More to the point, her death is being called a black swan event. That was a new term to me.  I googled.  A black swan event is “an unpredictable event that is beyond what is normally expected of a situation and has potentially severe consequences (Jim Chappelow, “Black swan,” https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blackswan.asp).  Is any death really that unpredictable?  No.  Was RBG’s death unpredictable, given her long battle with cancer?  Not at all.  

Yet, does her death have potentially severe consequences?  I fear, yes.  I fear it will unleash even further vitriol, during a season of such meanness and spite within America as I have not witnessed in my lifetime.  I fear that ugly things I will hear and read out of people whom I have, until now, known to be kind of soul and demeanor.

I wonder if, instead, this black swan event may in fact be an opportunity for us as people of faith to walk our talk.  Love your enemy (Matthew 5:44).  Practice mercy (Luke 6:36). Love our neighbor as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30). 

My prayer for followers of Jesus in America is this:

  • That we followers of Jesus will put our allegiance to Him above party loyalty
  • That, out of that allegiance, we will recognize that every person–even those with whom we profoundly disagree–is a child of God, made in His image
  • That, out of that recognition, we will commit to stopping the name-calling and mud-slinging and yet be brave to speak the truth in love without fear of public shaming
  • That, out of that commitment, we will witness to the goodness and grace of our Savior and His hope

I invite others to join in this prayer, this allegiance, this recognition, and this commitment, so that Jesus will be glorified indeed.

Courage, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Truth Tagged: black swan event, prayer, RBG


July 16, 2020 | 2 Comments

Practicing caution in an age of fear

When my son was very young, he developed a fascination with electrical outlets.

Yes, yes, we used the outlet covers, and, yes, yes, inevitably, he’d find the one recently used outlet where we’d forgotten to replace the cover.

It all stopped, though, the night he decided to see what would happen if he put tweezers in the bathroom outlet where I’d just been drying my hair. After a loud crack and a scream, we found him on the other side of the room in a heap, unharmed, but wiser. He never went near another outlet again with small metal objects.

By trial and error, cracks and screams, it could be said that we learn what to fear and what not to fear. 

The Savior Jesus teaches again and again to fear nothing. In Luke 12 alone, he teaches on fear three times. “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more” (12:4), and again, “Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life” (12:22), and again, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32).

But, my son needed to fear electrical outlets, didn’t he? Fear is good, isn’t it, if it keeps us safe? 

No.

To fear something or someone is to give it power over us–at times, more power than God. Raw fear cripples us. It makes enemies of friends, and it rips neighbors apart. Raw fear makes us stupid.  [Read more…]

Courage, Family, Fear, Gospel of Luke, Jesus Christ, Parenting, Uncategorized Tagged: COVID 19, electrical outlets, Karl


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This is the day that
the Lord has made;
let us rejoice
and be glad in it.

– Psalm 118:24

Rev. Dr. MJ Romano

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John 13:35
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