| The
Umpire Within |
| Welcome those who are weak in
faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.
Some believe in eating anything, while the weak eat only
vegetables. Those who eat must not despise those who abstain,
and those who abstain must not pass judgment on those
who eat; for God has welcomed them. Who are you to pass
judgment on servants of another? It is before their own
lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld,
for the Lord is able to make them stand. Some judge one
day to be better than another, while others judge all
days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their
own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor
of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord,
since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain,
abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. We
do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die
to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die,
we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived
again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the
living. Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister?
Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For
we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For
it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee
shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to
God." So then, each of us will be accountable to
God. |
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| Romans 14:1-12 |
| We often disagree about practices of faith and biblical interpretation
with one another. “We” meaning those of us who proclaim
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our congregation included.
We are the people Paul is speaking to in today’s text.
Every Christian throughout time has needed the theological rebuke
he has for us today. “Welcome those who are weak in faith,
but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions.” |
| Welcome has nothing to do with judging one another! Jesus
himself called us to be a people of welcome, leaving no room
for “quarreling over opinions,” a.k.a. judging.
Paul isn’t talking about our disputes over paint colors
or whether we should have purple or orange choir robes. His
guidance on welcome is intended to put a lid on the umpires
within each one of us who want to judge each other’s faithfulness
and make the call on whether you and I are in or out on matters
of ultimate importance! |
| The “opinions” he refers to point to our differing
theological views as reflected in our religious practices. We
are not the only church to disagree with one another’s
theology. The earliest churches believed in variety of scriptural
interpretations which lead them to carry out of the good news
of Jesus Christ with differing emphases. To one the good news
meant eating any meat any day they wanted to, in honor of freedom
in God found in Jesus Christ. For others the good news meant
moderation and the creation of sacred days and ascetic ways
of living such as vegetarianism. This was considered obedience
to the sacrifice of God in Jesus Christ. “One group insists
on making sharp distinctions, whereas the other group sees shades
of gray…one sees a crucial point at stake; the other doubts
whether this one point is the single axis on which the whole
religious universe turns…Paul makes no effort to harmonize
them or impose uniformity…our diversity is under the scrutiny
of the Lord of the living and the dead rather than under the
watchful eye of those bent on making us in their own image and
in their own likeness.” (1) |
| Paul usually has specific guidance for the communities he
writes. Just two chapters ago he had a whole list of actions
for us to follow to live in Christ. One would expect that in
today’s text he might have judged which group was honoring
the good news and which one had passed too far from the bounds
of Christian living. He gave plenty of guidance in other places
in his letters. But here in today’s text we find no such
judgment on the community’s varied practices. Paul is
more interested in addressing another more alarming church matter,
judgmental Christians. Christians who take judgment into their
own hands thwart the good news of Jesus Christ and wreak havoc
on ourselves and others as we try to keep the keys of a duty
which is not ours. |
| Paul is addressing the “ump” within each one of
us. The one armed and ready to call someone else into our understanding
of the good news and our accountability system. It seems we
each have a little judging beast that pops to the forefront
of our minds when our own biblical interpretations and practices
are challenged. This umpire begins to assess others like one
with authority. But we have no such authority, only limited
human vision. We don’t have a small space in front of
the catcher to stare at like a baseball ump does to call the
pitches of others! So we construct walls and name them in our
out. It’s more secure this way. |
| There is a difference between acknowledging varying theologies
and practices, and judging. Theological and practical disagreement
leaves room for the other to also have a faithful response.
We interpret differently, but acknowledge the room is full of
people who confess a triune God and that God is judge. Judgment
claims the other has fallen outside some boundary of faithful
response. Joseph of Panephysis, a fourth century desert father
told those who came to seek his advice on basic Christian living,
“In all circumstances say, Who am I? and do not judge
anybody.” (2) |
| One of our historical Presbyterian tenets sums up what Paul
is saying in our passage, “God alone is Lord of the conscience.”
(3) No one else is accountable for your actions, or
mine, before God. Just me alone. Just you alone. So when we
are tempted to judge by our umpire within, our individual accountability
to Christ puts things in perspective. “We do not live
to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves.” We live
and die in Christ who is the only Lord of the dead and the living.
To judge others is to arrogantly appropriate God’s work
and make it our own. Within the church there is room for a wide
variety of theologies to be known as faithful responses to the
gospel. |
| What Paul articulates in this text gives us guidance for dealing
with different religious practices and convictions. One thing
is clear. He calls the weak, who are in this text those
with strict observances, and the strong, who in this
text take liberties, to live in Christ together! We are
not allowed to judge one another’s faith in our life together.
Instead we are called to WELCOME without fear all who believe.
For God has welcomed them. They stand before God alone and will
be upheld because God is able to make them stand. Trust in God
and we will have no inner need to judge our neighbors. |
| We are all believers. Do not give into the umpire within.
But when it happens, let us ask for mercy, and say to ourselves
with the full assurance of grace, “Who am I?” instead.
Then engage your neighbor in welcome with no intention of quarreling
over opinions. |
| Amen |
| Beth E. Godfrey - September 11, 2005 |
| Central Presbyterian Church, Geneseo, New
York |
| (1) Fred B. Craddock, John H. Hayes, Carl R. Holladay, Gene
M. Tucker, eds., Preaching Through the Christian Year:
A, (Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 1992) 440-1. |
| (2) Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, eds., Resources for
Preaching and Worship: Year A, (Louisville: Westminster
John Knox Press, 2004) 238. |
| (3) PC (USA) Book of Order, 2004/2005, Form of Government,
Historic Principles of Church Order (G-1.0301). |
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