You probably know that the Jews in the first century did not particularly like the Gentiles. Some of them who became Christians still looked down on the non-Jewish Christians. In the epistle today, Paul addresses this problem by reminding them that Jesus died for all people, Jew and Gentile. And just as Jesus rose from the dead to a new life, the converts to Christianity were given a new life also. That new life of baptism joined them all to Christ, who lives in them, forgives them, and brings them peace. So why was that unity so hard to accept?

One reason is that as much as we complain about laws and regulations, many people like to live by them. We even make our own rules: “I always eat breakfast at 7:15,” or “I have to read the newspaper every morning.” Even though our rules may not be bad in themselves, if we get angry at anyone who interrupts our routine, those rules lead us to sin. But some of the Hebrew Christians thought that they still had to keep the laws and regulations of the old covenant. There is nothing wrong with keeping the Ten Commandments: They are simply examples of Jesus’ command to love God with all your being and to love your neighbor as yourself. So why not just do that?

The problem with only keeping commandments is that we can avoid doing evil things, but still not love God or my neighbor. For example, we can avoid using God’s name in vain and kick back and relax on the Sabbath, but still not really love God. We can keep from killing, robbing, or lying to our neighbor, without loving anyone. Fortunately for us, God loves us first; we need only respond to that love. And if we make the decision to love God and our neighbors, and base all our other actions on that love, we will not break any commandments, or even worry about breaking them. We will have the peace that Paul mentions in our reading, the peace that makes us all one in Christ.

-Tom Schmidt, Diocesan Publications

   

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   TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION                                 

“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while” (Mark 6: 31) must have been chosen for this summer season by a committee eager for a vacation. For the apostles, the promise of rest was foiled by the needs of the people who discovered their hideaway and pressed them into ministry. Some people do indeed use their vacation for ministry and mission, giving an intensity of service otherwise not possible. For most of us, vacation is a time when we can grow more aware of God’s plan and renew the bonds of love with family and friends in times of play and leisure.

The disciples learn in the Gospel that there is no place so out of the way that the life of worship and ministry is disengaged. Giving yourself to summer worship will enrich you, delight you, and give you a sense of the word of God’s progress in your heart. In today’s world, summer is the time when we are most acutely aware of the beauty of the world. Gratitude and wonder are fertile soils for God’s word to take root and prosper. Welcome the visitor today, and resolve that when you travel, you will be faithful to Sunday worship.                                   —Rev. James Field, Diocesan Publications