Belinda Weatherly

Galatians 5:7-12  RSV
You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?  This persuasion is not from him who calls you. A little leaven leavens the whole lump.  I have confidence in the Lord that you will take no other view than mine; and he who is troubling you will bear his judgment, whoever he is.  But if I brethren, still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted?  In that case the stumbling block of the cross has been removed.  I wish those who unsettle you would mutilate themselves!

Reflection:
I was privileged to participate in the bedtime ritual of three of my grandchildren for an extended period of time. After they were put to bed I would spend private time with each of them.  As we cuddled I sang songs ranging through the musical genres including hymns. One granddaughter frequently requested – ‘the song about the shoulders’ – listed in the hymnal as The King of Love My Shepherd Is. Our favorite verse was “Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, but yet in love he sought me, and on his shoulders gently laid, and home rejoicing brought me.” It seems to me that this short verse encapsulates the gospel. The sheep does nothing but get lost. The shepherd does all the rescuing with no assistance required from the sheep. My granddaughter responded to this verse from her heart. I am reminded of Jesus’ instructions recorded in all three synoptic gospels that we must be like children if we are to experience the Kingdom of God. As a child, she had no real power or control over the circumstances of her life. She simply trusted that she was loved and would be cared for. Elton Trueblood said it when he defined faith as “not belief without proof but trust without reservations”. 

As an adult, I can so easily fall into the trap of redefining God’s saving grace into human terms. If I clean my plate I get dessert. If I do my chores I get my allowance. Over and over I must remind myself that the Kingdom of God does not operate according to our human terms. The salvation Jesus brought by his death on the cross required nothing from us in advance and we can’t make ourselves more saved by rituals or religious activities. God knew that we couldn’t do it on our own or the law would have been sufficient. 

The Galatians were being told that they needed to be circumcised to really be saved. Paul wants them to remember his teaching that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was a one-time and forever all-encompassing world-saving action. He feared that if they started with circumcision before long Christ’s saving action on the cross would be buried under lists of human actions. We may also start believing that our salvation is contingent on certain actions such as bible studies or fasting. Without the right motivation, this can be seen as a repackaging of the law. While these practices are excellent and worthy of our time their purpose is to deepen our relationship with the Savior so that we can more closely follow him through loving like he did. We are no more saved by them than the Galatians were through circumcision. If that were true Jesus didn’t need to die on the cross. Another old hymn says it best. “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.” So rest easy brothers and sisters, Jesus stands ready and able to carry us home.

Prayer:
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for knowing me and loving me anyway and doing for me what I cannot do for myself. Help me to rest easy in your arms and through being loved by you and loving you I can love more deeply, more widely and more often everywhere I go. In your name Amen.