September 29, 2002

To the child whose "BAD" sister gets an ice cream cone just like she does, life does not seem fair. It seems only fair for sinners to be punished, but the God in today's Scripture gives everyone, the bad and the good, an equal opportunity to receive and to share God's faithful mercy.

A naughty sister gets an ice cream cone. Someone lets a rude driver in ahead of you. The slacker in your work group gets just as much credit as the rest of you for the great presentation the group makes. Maybe it's not fair, but the examples in today's Scriptures show us that it is the way of God and the way to build the reign of God in the world.

We are free to hold on snuggly to our self-righteousness and miss the life giving opportunities that await us in God's reign of mercy. We are free to hold others accountable for their sins against us and their guilt before God. Yet, God offers each of us an equal opportunity every day simply to turn away from our sins, to turn to the Lord and live.

Paul reminds us that everyone has an equal opportunity to "regard others as more important than yourselves." This is what Jesus did when he "did not regard equality with God something to be grasped." Jesus showed us the way to share the mercy we have received, not by vain or glory, but by looking out for the interests of others. How do we, in our Church Assembly, offer God's mercy to all?

SO THE QUESTION: WHO IS IT THAT YOU BELIEVE DESERVES TO BE PUNISHED? THEN ASK GOD TO HELP CHANGE YOUR MIND.

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