by Neil Bergmann
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Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2).
Read Romans 12:1–8
Romans 12:2 is one of my best-loved Bible texts. It asks us to examine what our society values and to question whether this is actually what God wants for his people.
What Paul calls ‘the pattern of this world’ is actually difficult to define, and there isn’t really a single pattern. Instead, there are competing patterns based on myriad different social, political, historical, national and international factors. However, here are two patterns that I think are pretty widespread:
- Wealth and material prosperity are drivers of happiness, and they should be eagerly sought – the best house in the best neighbourhood, the best car, the best appliances and the best holidays.
- Our social responsibility is first to ourselves and our family, then to our local friends and community (including our church), then to our nation, and then, if there is anything left, to the world’s disadvantaged.
Jesus had a lot to say about both of these patterns of this world. He taught that worldly riches are often an obstacle to Christian discipleship, and they certainly don’t bring happiness. He also taught that we are first called to care for the poor and disadvantaged since God’s love extends equally to all people, and so should ours.
In the latter part of today’s reading, Paul offers some ideas about how to live counter-culturally. He calls us to think humbly, so that we don’t judge ourselves as more important than we are. Paul also asks us to consider our gifts and how we can best use them to serve others.
Often these different gifts (for example, prophesying, teaching, giving) are discussed in terms of how we can use them to serve our local church community; however, I think this is too narrow a focus. We need to look beyond our congregations to consider how each of us can utilise our gifts to serve those most in need, wherever they are.
Father, forgive us when we think too highly of ourselves and when we judge our success by the patterns of this world. Give us the humility to abandon our own self-centred plans for happiness and instead renew our minds to follow your will. Amen.
Neil Bergmann worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He enjoys cooking, reading and doing cryptic crosswords.
by Neil Bergmann
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Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgements, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33)
Read Romans 11:25–36
The first section of today’s reading continues Paul’s discussion about the relative roles of Jews and Gentiles in God’s plan for salvation. In summary, it explains that God’s plan is for all humanity to be saved regardless of our origins, background and obedience to God’s will. Salvation does not depend on what we do; salvation is all God’s work.
Here is a version of a poem from author Kurt Vonnegut’s novel Cat’s Cradle:
Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; People got to sit and wonder ‘why, why, why?’ Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; People got to tell themselves they understand.
I believe this poem expresses two deep truths. Humans are naturally curious about how everything works, and we are also intellectually proud enough to think that we understand. Maybe we don’t all individually understand astrophysics or molecular biology; however, as a species, at least a few of us have got it figured out.
As Christians, we naturally want to explore all that we can about God and his plan for salvation, and that is a good thing. But our knowledge is always incomplete, even if we tell ourselves that we understand. Paul calls God’s salvation plan a mystery (verse 25). Then, in the key text above (verse 33), Paul reinforces the fact that we can never fully understand God’s plan.
Our intellectual pride when we think that we individually – or even corporately as a church – understand God’s plans is misplaced. We are called to intellectual humility and to accept that we cannot fully understand God’s ways.
Instead, in a confusing world of multiple faiths and competing denominations, we are freed from determining who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’. Instead, we are free to share the love that God has for all that he has created. As verse 36 proclaims, ‘For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.’
Unsearchable and unknowable God, thank you for your revelation in Jesus Christ, and thank you for the sure and certain knowledge that through Jesus, I am saved to live with you forever. Amen.
Neil Bergmann is a lay deacon at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland. He is a member of the Institute for the Study of Christianity in an Age of Science and Technology (ISCAST). He enjoys ISCAST biennial conferences about science and faith in conversation.
by Neil Bergmann
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Do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: you do not support the root, but the root supports you (Romans 11:18).
Read Romans 11:13–24
In today’s reading, Paul writes to believers in Rome about the relationship between their new community of Gentile believers and the Jews with whom God has ancient covenants as his special people. Among the Jews were those who accepted Jesus as Messiah and those who rejected him. How do they all fit into God’s plan for salvation?
Christians have been arguing about the place of the Jews in God’s kingdom for 2,000 years. Unfortunately, passages like today’s have been misused in the past to justify religious persecution. With tensions in the Middle East currently at extreme levels, anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim rhetoric are again on the rise around the world. Peace seems impossible.
Paul reminds us in today’s reading that it is not our job, as individuals or as religious communities, to decide who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out’ in terms of God’s kingdom. We are the branches, and we receive our spiritual nourishment, including our eternal salvation, from God, who is the root of all life.
We often view the world through a very simplistic philosophical lens. We think that there must be exactly one correct way to understand God’s plan for salvation through Jesus Christ, and (not surprisingly), this one correct way just happens to correspond to our personal understanding. The reasoning goes: if my interpretation of God’s plan for redeeming the world is correct, then all others are, at best, human-inspired superstitions and, at worst, schemes of the devil to thwart God’s plans. Or like this: if my Lutheran understanding of God’s self-revelation in Christ is right, other denominations (or even other Lutheran synods) with different understandings are in error and should be avoided. Really?
Instead, I believe that we are called to intellectual and spiritual humility, since the mysteries of God are beyond our ability to comprehend. We know that we are saved through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are called to spread that message throughout the world. We are also called to respect, care for and love all of humanity, whatever their faith, because God loves and cares for all.
Father of us all, you are the root of our life and salvation. Help us to love what you love – all people, all creatures and all of creation. Amen.
Neil Bergmann is the chairperson of Lutheran Earth Care, Australia and New Zealand. A retired computer engineer, he worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Rochedale, Queensland.
by Neil Bergmann
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For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 14:11).
Read Luke 14:1,7–14
As Christians, we believe that our eternal salvation is assured through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We also understand that there is nothing we need to do – indeed, nothing that we can do – to contribute to that salvation. Jesus has done it all.
However, there is plenty that we can do in loving response to that gift of salvation. When we read through the gospels, Jesus frequently discusses how to live as his disciples. Jesus doesn’t just teach about life after death, but he teaches how to live fulfilled lives here on earth.
Today’s parable explains that we should live humbly rather than proudly. Assuming that we are important and worthy of special treatment is likely to end in humiliation when we are shown not to be quite as important as we thought. Humility is not how our society expects us to behave. We are expected to value success and to appreciate recognition of our achievements. Our society has numerous awards in the fields of arts, entertainment, education, science, the military and civil society. Every aspect of society seems to have winners and losers.
While most of us are humble about our achievements and even embarrassed by public recognition, I’m not so sure we are corporately humble about our congregations, agencies and church. How would you respond if you were asked, ‘What are you proud of in your congregation, school or agency?’ Should we be ‘proud’ of anything? I am sure there are many good and worthwhile aspects of all of these, and, surely, we should act in our vocations to the best of our ability. But should we be ‘proud’ of the outcomes? I am not sure. What is the appropriate balance of rightful encouragement and gratitude for the work of our family, friends and colleagues, and what is inappropriate pride and hubris?
Living humbly is hard, and it seems that it doesn’t fit well in today’s society, just as it didn’t fit well with the world in which Jesus was preaching.
Jesus, your parables invite me to look at myself humbly and honestly. Send the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart through your words, and guide me in how to live a humble, fulfilled and happy life here in your kingdom on earth. Amen.
Neil Bergmann represents the Lutheran Church on the Queensland Churches Environmental Network (QCEN), which has produced a free smartphone devotional for the Season of Creation (1 September to 4 October), available from the Apple and Android app stores.
by Kathy Matuschka
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Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous (Psalm 112:4).
Read Psalm 112
All week we’ve been ruminating on the righteousness that is ours through Christ alone, and now we encounter a psalm that seems to suggest that ‘good things happen to good people’ – the law of karma. What do we make of this?
If we zoom out a little, we might notice that today’s psalm mirrors Psalm 111, which is about the grace and compassion of the Lord. Commentators suggest that the two psalms are intended to be read together. The two psalms begin by praising the grace and compassion of God and conclude by describing how walking in God’s light tends to affect a person.
Psalm 111 ends with the words: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom …’ Psalm 112 is not about justification, but about our sanctification. The way we see ourselves and the world changes as we seek God’s truth. As we seek God’s meaning in the ups and downs of life, we learn to notice how God is under, beside and within us in all things.
One of my favourite expressions is: ‘Experience is what you get just after you need it.’ None of us is born knowing how to negotiate the most challenging or complex issues that come our way. When Christians appear to be skilled at negotiating dark times and places, it is because they have learnt through experience that they are never alone. Having learnt that God is with us in the darkness, we have confidence to face the next challenge.
So when the psalmist says: ‘They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord’ (verse 7), they are not describing some super-believer who never fears or doubts, but someone who has learnt through being in God’s presence that with God, bad news is never the end of the story.
How have you experienced this truth in your life?
I praise you, Lord God! You are gracious and righteous, and you keep your promises. Blessed be your name forever and ever, Amen.
Kathy Matuschka works as a hospital chaplain and worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church Rochedale in Brisbane. As parents of three adult children, Kathy and her husband Mark have been taking great delight lately in learning how to be grandparents.
by Kathy Matuschka
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So, too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace (Romans 11:5).
Read Romans 11:1–12
As a child, I first heard the word ‘remnant’ to describe leftover fabric. A remnant was a short piece of fabric left at the end of a roll or a section that had some sort of fault that prevented it from being sold at its regular price. Although not large enough to make a full project, it could be used in various ways. For example, one could use a remnant to add a frill to lengthen a favourite dress that had become too short. And, of course, an interesting piece of fabric can be used in a game of imagination – this never changes!
As a child, I loved looking through remnants for the most interesting fabrics and patterns. They were like buried treasure! But they were also accessible because I had enough money in my purse to buy a piece if I chose to.
Do you consider yourself (or your congregation) as a remnant in the way Paul describes believers in today’s text? And if so, how do you feel about this calling? Are you a leftover scrap that may never be noticed or used, or are you buried treasure? Perhaps your feelings about this calling vary!
When he wrote to the Romans, St Paul didn’t know what was to become of the Jewish remnant – the far-too-few Hebrew people who accepted Jesus as the Messiah. Today, too, we struggle to understand what God plans for the church. Like a short piece of fabric, we may not feel of much use.
But God’s word reminds us that we have been chosen by grace. To highlight what this means, Paul goes on to say: ‘And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace’ (verse 6). We land again on the centre of this beloved book: we are chosen by grace and remain citizens of God’s new kingdom by grace. It is not because of anything we may or may not be able to do, but by God’s mercy.
And mysteriously, it is only because of God’s grace that God chooses to establish and constantly renew the church.
Dear Jesus, sometimes I feel a bit scrappy and bewildered about how I came to be where I am. I wonder what I’m doing and how I might be of any use in your kingdom. Thank you for choosing me by grace. Help me to live each day in your love, Amen.
Kathy Matuschka works as a hospital chaplain and worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church Rochedale in Brisbane. As parents of three adult children, Kathy and her husband Mark have been taking great delight lately in learning how to be grandparents.
by Kathy Matuschka
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Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world (Romans 10:18b).
Read Romans 10:14–21
Romans 10:18 (above) is a quotation from Psalm 19:4. While the psalmist was referring to the way the heavens bear witness to God’s greatness, Paul uses it to refer to the voices of the gospel preachers that have gone out into all the earth.
Previously, Paul lamented the way the Israelites rejected Jesus, but now he celebrates those who have heard and believed. Now the reading gets juicy: Paul hopes that the Jewish people might be stirred with envy about the blessings in Christ these new believers are receiving!
What about those of us who have traditionally carried the Christian faith, perhaps over many generations? The gospel message has truly gone to the ends of the world. It is now common for us to encounter Christians from non-western nations worshipping our Saviour Jesus Christ alongside us.
Having been born to missionary parents in Papua New Guinea (PNG), I love to hear Christians (often Lutherans) from PNG preach the gospel to me when I meet them through my hospital work! I am also humbled when people who have so much less materially than I am accustomed to having share their conviction that God will provide for their every need. I am inspired by the stories of LCANZ members continuing to teach and serve wherever they know faith is ready to be fanned into a flame, whether in Australia, New Zealand or beyond our shores. By God’s Spirit, the gospel has gone out and continues to go out to the ends of the earth.
Do you sometimes envy the faith of those whom the gospel has reached in more recent times? Or perhaps you are a newer believer, and you wonder why Christians who grow up in the west do not treasure Jesus more and why their faith is not more vibrant? Today’s reading tells us that the bearers of the good news have beautiful feet (verse 15b). That sounds like a good remedy for envy!
Loving God, how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news! By your Holy Spirit, please fill me with envious hunger for a deeper understanding of you and your ways. Please give me the grace to listen to and learn from those you call to speak. May my feet carry your good news to the places you call me to be. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Kathy Matuschka works as a hospital chaplain and worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church Rochedale in Brisbane. As parents of three adult children, Kathy and her husband Mark have been taking great delight lately in learning how to be grandparents.
by Kathy Matuschka
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).
Read Romans 10:1–13
The Christian church in Rome likely consisted of both Gentile and Jewish converts to Christianity. This may not strike us as remarkable, but in the first century, it was unprecedented that Jews and Gentiles might share a common faith, on equal footing with one another! Paul exhorts the congregation to grow in unity with the following words: ‘For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him’ (verse 12).
There is no difference. Verse nine above is addressed to all readers, regardless of their backgrounds. Paul explains that no matter where you have come from, you are set free – you are right with God – through faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection for your sins. Paul says that ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’ (verse 13).
As today’s reading began, Paul prayed that the Jewish people might submit to the righteousness of Jesus Christ to be saved, instead of seeking to ‘establish their own righteousness’ (verses 1–3).
How about us? How do we seek to establish our own righteousness? Do we add conditions that allow us to categorise our fellow Christians into different levels of faithfulness? Of course we do!
There is no limit to the ways we as humans can foster discord and division within the body of Christ when we add our preferred conditions to the gospel. St Paul knows this from his own experience. In the first case, he failed to recognise Jesus as Lord, and then he grappled with the idea that Gentiles as well as Jews might be chosen. That’s why he returns repeatedly to the centre: ‘For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’
Triune God, thank you for the gift of faith in Jesus. Please forgive me for the ways I seek to establish my own righteousness by adding conditions to your gift of salvation. Please help me to see and honour my fellow Christians just like you do. For Jesus’ sake, Amen.
Kathy Matuschka works as a hospital chaplain and worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church Rochedale in Brisbane. As parents of three adult children, Kathy and her husband Mark have been taking great delight lately in learning how to be grandparents.
by Kathy Matuschka
Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.
… See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame (Romans 9:33).
Read Romans 9:19–33
St Paul knows what it is like to stumble: to trip over his best intentions in his pursuit of righteousness before God by following the law. In today’s reading, he continues to process his bewilderment about how God’s plan of salvation has played out, citing Hebrew Scriptures to help him make sense of what he has heard and experienced.
He even goes as far as to wonder if it was all a setup. Maybe God didn’t really love the Hebrew people, but used them to demonstrate how not to become right with God! Was this a case of Paul using irony – or maybe spitballing a little – as he grappled with how to understand and describe the new things God was doing in the world?
Paul knows what it is like to stumble on the rock of Jesus, because he has stumbled himself. He now understands to the depth of his being that his only hope of being right with God is to trust in Jesus’ work, not his own, and he keeps returning to this central theme.
What are some of the ways we as Christians stumble over Jesus today? One stumbling block is pride. We can become so delighted in the ways we can use our God-given gifts in God’s service that pride sneaks in and takes a lead role.
At other times, we trip and stumble because we are too focused on things that are not mission-critical. They might be important and worthwhile things, but they are not central.
Just as St Paul did, we can become our own worst enemies as we serve God. Sometimes we, too, need to be confronted by a ‘stumbling stone’ in a dramatic way before we realise that we have been making it all about us and our perspectives.
Dear Lord Jesus, you have rescued me from places of darkness into your glorious light. In your great mercy, you keep catching and restoring me when I stumble and fall. By your Holy Spirit, fill me with trust in your salvation and the grace to reflect your light into the dark places around me. Amen.
Kathy Matuschka works as a hospital chaplain and worships at Our Saviour Lutheran Church Rochedale in Brisbane. As parents of three adult children, Kathy and her husband Mark have been taking great delight lately in learning how to be grandparents.