Total Victory

Friday, June 30, 2006 -- Week of Proper 7 (St. Peter & St. Paul)

"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.

Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117

An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this link -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html

Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 973)
Psalms 102 (morning) // 107:1-32 (evening)
Numbers 20:1-13
Romans 5:12-21
Matthew 20:29-34


Many years ago I became convicted of something that I couldn't really defend theologically. I'm not sure that I can defend it systematically to this day. So I hold to it as a personal conviction and hope rather than as a point of doctrine. My experience of the grace and wonder of God has been so wonderful, that it is virtually unimaginable to me that anyone can escape that immeasurable love forever. I became convinced that God's victory will be total.

It seems to me that Paul gets to a similar place in his writing today. He repeats the crescendo of wonder -- "If this ..., then how much more ...Christ." If sin came into the world through the one man Adam's sin, how much more is sin defeated through the one man Jesus. If death exercised dominion from Adam, how much more will life triumph through Jesus. If judgment brought condemnation, how much more will the free gift bring righteousness and grace. If Adam brought defeat, how much more has Jesus brought victory.

"Therefore just as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man's act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all For just as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."

It is hard to imagine anyone being excluded from Jesus' triumph. Life for all. That's what Paul says. (Or as some of my more literal friends like to say, "The Bible says, 'Life for all!' and that's what it means.")

If little old Adam's measly sin brought condemnation and death to all, how much more completely effective is the goodness and resurrection of Jesus the Son of God for all. This is Paul at his most expansive. His vision of Christ is universal. The triumph complete. That seems to be the way it is when the direction of our vision is cast toward Christ. His love is so expansive that it fills all.

There are other places where Paul does not seem so expansive. When he concentrates on human failure and obstinacy, he can get almost morose. (We're about to enter one of those times in the upcoming passages in Romans.) But over and over he returns to the wonder of the forgiveness, grace and victory of Christ which has overcome all -- and it is a free gift, not something to be earned.

For Paul (for me) that is motivation for living. All is given; so how can we keep on living so selfishly, so anxiously? All is won; so how can we keep living so fearfully, so violently? All is forgiven; so how can we keep living so arrogantly, so condemning? Live into the gift, the triumph, the love. That's the gospel good news.

Lowell
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The Rev. Lowell Grisham
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas