Divine Dynamite: Romans 1:17 - Fifth Sunday of Easter

 Earlier this week, the Writers Guild of America went on strike—and until the strike is resolved, you’ll only be able to watch reruns of some of your favorite shows.

 

But the writers are striking over more than just fair pay. There is a concern that artificial intelligence will eliminate their jobs. Already, artificial intelligence has created and released a song called “Heart on my Sleeve” by pop stars Drake and the Weeknd. But Drake and the Weeknd had nothing to do with the song, even though the voices and the music sounded exactly as you would expect from these two artists. 

 

If you’ve called a customer service hotline recently, you may have been talking to artificial intelligence. If you’ve posted a resume on a job search website, it’s going to be reviewed by artificial intelligence. 

 

As the technology becomes more sophisticated, there is a fear that artificial intelligence will develop and surpass our ability to control it—and the next thing you know, we’ll be living in a science fiction dystopia portrayed in films like The Matrix. 

 

Ever since the Garden of Eden, humankind has sought power to control resources and dominate other people. 

 

For the early Christians, the power they feared most was Rome. Jesus lived and the church was born at a time when Roman Empire was at the peak of its power, bringing peace and prosperity to much of the world. But this was a costly and fragile peace, maintained through conquest, oppression, and violence. The crucifixion of Jesus is a prime example of this. Not only did crucifixion inflict maximum pain on its victims, it was a message to the public: mess with Rome, and this will happen to you.

 

Christians quickly became a nuisance to Roman civilization—because they did not do as Romans do. They didn’t worship Roman gods or follow Roman customs. They lived by a completely different set of rules. 

 

So, it’s astonishing to think that a church would exist in Rome, the lion’s den. Yet Paul’s exuberant words in his letter to the Romans suggest that the Roman church was thriving, because a greater power was active among them. This power was the Gospel, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” This Gospel radically transformed the lives of the believers. Instead of doing what Romans do, they did what Jesus does.

 

Knowing this, why would Paul write, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel?”

 

If we think of shame from the standpoint of power, someone who is ashamed lacks power. This could be due to power structures which oppress or exploit because of race, religion, or social class. Perhaps their power was taken away from them; or they did something to lose their power. 

 

To be a Christian, however, is to renounce the kinds of power that the rest of the world desires. This includes the power of wealth, the power of social position, the power to compel someone of lesser power to do your bidding. You seek justice instead of privilege. You seek peace instead of victory. You pray for your enemies instead of fighting them. You forgive instead of seeking vengeance. You make friends in low places instead of high places.

 

For many in the Roman world and in the modern American world, this is weakness. This is stupidity. 

 

The way I see some Christians behaving, I wonder: what kind of God do they worship? A just and compassionate God, or a vindictive, wrathfulGod? Do they want a Savior who emptied himself of his power and died in humiliation? Or one who’s not going to take it anymore?

 

Living as we are in a time of secularism, economic decline, global unrest, and bitter division, my biggest fear for the church isn’t that we will lose membership until the point that we cease to exist. My biggest fear is that we lose faith in the Gospel and the power of love. 

 

We are a culture that loves violence, that worships raw force, and that seeks power to dominate. These were the Roman Empire’s values, and we all know what happened to them. Rome collapsed from within.

 

The powers of this world are good at blowing things up, taking things by force, and tearing people down. But the Gospel is the power of God to save us from our suffering, to save us from evildoers, and even to save us from ourselves. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel, and you shouldn’t be either.

 

God in Jesus Christ does for you what you cannot do for yourself. He was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; and he rose again so that sin, death, and hell would have no power over you. God’s power is made perfect in weakness. It doesn’t prevent you from suffering, but it saves you amid suffering. 

 

The Gospel welcomes in those whom the rest of the world has shut out. It bridges the divides and conflicts we invent, reconciling us to each other and joining us together to build up what has been torn down. 

 

The Gospel is the power of God which raises us above the challenges and losses which afflict us. The Gospel is the sweet music we hope to hear from our carillon once again. It is spoken in your words of prayer and encouragement. It’s the work of your hands that meets the needs of the neighbor. It is the grace which will draw new generations to faith in Christ, so that we may continue to be mutually encouraged by one another’s faith. 

 

The Gospel is divine dynamite to blow up fear, despair, and hate, and in its place to create hope, peace, and promising futures. It’s not something we lack; it’s right here for us to take and put to use together: the power of salvation which rescues us from all evil and destructive powers and makes us a new creation together in Christ. Earlier this week, the Writers Guild of America went on strike—and until the strike is resolved, you’ll only be able to watch reruns of some of your favorite shows.

 

But the writers are striking over more than just fair pay. There is a concern that artificial intelligence will eliminate their jobs. Already, artificial intelligence has created and released a song called “Heart on my Sleeve” by pop stars Drake and the Weeknd. But Drake and the Weeknd had nothing to do with the song, even though the voices and the music sounded exactly as you would expect from these two artists. 

 

If you’ve called a customer service hotline recently, you may have been talking to artificial intelligence. If you’ve posted a resume on a job search website, it’s going to be reviewed by artificial intelligence. 

 

As the technology becomes more sophisticated, there is a fear that artificial intelligence will develop and surpass our ability to control it—and the next thing you know, we’ll be living in a science fiction dystopia portrayed in films like The Matrix. 

 

Ever since the Garden of Eden, humankind has sought power to control resources and dominate other people. 

 

For the early Christians, the power they feared most was Rome. Jesus lived and the church was born at a time when Roman Empire was at the peak of its power, bringing peace and prosperity to much of the world. But this was a costly and fragile peace, maintained through conquest, oppression, and violence. The crucifixion of Jesus is a prime example of this. Not only did crucifixion inflict maximum pain on its victims, it was a message to the public: mess with Rome, and this will happen to you.

 

Christians quickly became a nuisance to Roman civilization—because they did not do as Romans do. They didn’t worship Roman gods or follow Roman customs. They lived by a completely different set of rules. 

 

So, it’s astonishing to think that a church would exist in Rome, the lion’s den. Yet Paul’s exuberant words in his letter to the Romans suggest that the Roman church was thriving, because a greater power was active among them. This power was the Gospel, “the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith.” This Gospel radically transformed the lives of the believers. Instead of doing what Romans do, they did what Jesus does.

 

Knowing this, why would Paul write, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel?”

 

If we think of shame from the standpoint of power, someone who is ashamed lacks power. This could be due to power structures which oppress or exploit because of race, religion, or social class. Perhaps their power was taken away from them; or they did something to lose their power. 

 

To be a Christian, however, is to renounce the kinds of power that the rest of the world desires. This includes the power of wealth, the power of social position, the power to compel someone of lesser power to do your bidding. You seek justice instead of privilege. You seek peace instead of victory. You pray for your enemies instead of fighting them. You forgive instead of seeking vengeance. You make friends in low places instead of high places.

 

For many in the Roman world and in the modern American world, this is weakness. This is stupidity. 

 

The way I see some Christians behaving, I wonder: what kind of God do they worship? A just and compassionate God, or a vindictive, wrathfulGod? Do they want a Savior who emptied himself of his power and died in humiliation? Or one who’s not going to take it anymore?

 

Living as we are in a time of secularism, economic decline, global unrest, and bitter division, my biggest fear for the church isn’t that we will lose membership until the point that we cease to exist. My biggest fear is that we lose faith in the Gospel and the power of love. 

 

We are a culture that loves violence, that worships raw force, and that seeks power to dominate. These were the Roman Empire’s values, and we all know what happened to them. Rome collapsed from within.

 

The powers of this world are good at blowing things up, taking things by force, and tearing people down. But the Gospel is the power of God to save us from our suffering, to save us from evildoers, and even to save us from ourselves. Paul is not ashamed of the Gospel, and you shouldn’t be either.

 

God in Jesus Christ does for you what you cannot do for yourself. He was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell; and he rose again so that sin, death, and hell would have no power over you. God’s power is made perfect in weakness. It doesn’t prevent you from suffering, but it saves you amid suffering. 

 

The Gospel welcomes in those whom the rest of the world has shut out. It bridges the divides and conflicts we invent, reconciling us to each other and joining us together to build up what has been torn down. 

 

The Gospel is the power of God which raises us above the challenges and losses which afflict us. The Gospel is the sweet music we hope to hear from our carillon once again. It is spoken in your words of prayer and encouragement. It’s the work of your hands that meets the needs of the neighbor. It is the grace which will draw new generations to faith in Christ, so that we may continue to be mutually encouraged by one another’s faith. 

 

The Gospel is divine dynamite to blow up fear, despair, and hate, and in its place to create hope, peace, and promising futures. It’s not something we lack; it’s right here for us to take and put to use together: the power of salvation which rescues us from all evil and destructive powers and makes us a new creation together in Christ. 

Supermassive Black Hole by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Flickr. CC BY 2.0