Daily Liturgy and Scripture

Having laid out what we have walked away from in our following of Jesus, now Paul describes what we walk toward and in: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. And above all, love. These aren't goals in themselves, but become the fruit of our lives when the Spirit is present.

The Kingdom of Christ does not neutralize the things that make us unique. Paul's decree that there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, etc., does not mean a loss of cultural identity. It means that all of those things are caught up in Christ, and that everything is reframed in light of that. This is the same Paul who says he is "all things to all people," so he definitely doesn't think we need to all look alike!

The Kingdom of Jesus has been given a life to observe so as to know what God expects of us, and this is the Way we follow. He is also the power at work around us, working with the Father and the Spirit to bring the world back to wholeness. This is also the work we mimic.

Why was it such a big deal to tell the early churches he was doing on their behalf? Was Paul tooting his own horn? Maybe, but even more importantly, he wanted them to know that what they were part of was important. Living lives in Jesus was more than a new book of rules, it is a Kingdom that comes to life in the life of its citizens.

Walking in the Way of Jesus, aware of the Sprit, with a heart bent toward worshipping God: this is our part of life in the Kingdom. God is recreating all things, holding all things together in Jesus, until resurrection can fully restore the world.

In Romans 12, Paul talked about living sacrifices. Here again, he uses language that might have been familiar to those who knew the Jewish system of sacrifice: "a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." This isn't the blood of animals, but the shared love between believers. It was money in this case, but there are certainly more ways that we can sacrifice for one another, living out the Way of Jesus.

Heavenly citizenship has earthly connections. Those who claim such a citizenship spur one another on to be more like Christ, as Paul unpacks here. The reward is already ours, and pressing on toward it is our daily work.

Sacrifice is taught to us by Jesus himself, and Paul models it in this verse. People who preach the gospel in order to defy Paul? That's a pretty twisted motive, but Paul's focus remains steadfast: if the Gospel is there, then he doesn't mind to be a casualty.

This community of which Paul is so fond is not together by accident, they're the body of Christ. The humility of Christ is their playbook, and the glory of God is their goal.

This inside look at the love shown between members of the early church is kind of inspiring. Sending people to care for others? Taking time away from your home to look after someone else? This is a vision of the true love Christ gave us to share with one another.