Link to: Romans 12:9-21
“Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.”
There are questions in our world that have no simple answer. These questions have long been on the hearts and minds of humans seeking to make sense of the world. Some questions (“Why is the sky blue?”) actually have quite simple answers, even though they represent a larger questioning of the world. Some questions (“What is good?” and “What is evil?”) are much more difficult to find answers for. Whatever the questions, we are a curious people, a unique creation that tries to understand its existence.
Our search for answers has led to a plethora of amazing discoveries and advances. We know what we are made of, and how. We know what causes many diseases and how to treat them. We have harnessed parts of the universe that we cannot even see, but we are able to use them to power our buildings, make telephone calls, watch television, and surf the internet.
And yet, for all our knowledge and scientific discoveries, there are still questions we ask, over and over again, and it seems there will never be answers to certain questions. Why do some cancers respond to treatment and others don’t? Why is forgiveness so hard? When will peace come to war-torn nations across the globe? Why does violence prevail as human response to fear? How can we respond when we see or hear of suffering so far away from us geographically, and yet so close to our hearts?
These are the times when preachers struggle to find words. We know we cannot find answers. I have watched these past summer as my preacher friends have passed around articles and thoughts, blog posts and news clippings, all trying to find ways to respond to the hurting in the world. Whether in the midst of the Ukraine/Crimea/Russia situation, or the Gaza/Israel/Palestine conflict, or the Fergusson, Missouri, violence and protests, preachers across the nation and across the globe have been trying for months to find answers to the human questions, to speak a message of faith and hope in the midst of the chaos of humanity.
It would be nice if the answer were as simple as Paul puts it in our reading from Romans: “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.” At face value, those are simple words. But what is good? What is evil? Can we separate our hate for a set of actions from our Lord’s command to love our enemies?
So what, then, is the good news? Where is the hope?
Our hope is in Christ. Our trust is in the God who has led us to this place, who has given us a world that is scary at times, but is also the world of sunsets, families, and the internet. Our trust is in the promise of the one who says “I am with you until the end of the age.” Our hope is in the one who became human: the God who does not watch from afar, but who became one of us and walked among us and who loves us, no matter what, no matter when, no matter how.
God is love.
Thanks be to God.
Amen.
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