Galatians 6:9-10
So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. Galatians 6:9-10 (MSG)
Both the protestant Reformation that we prepare to celebrate this Sunday and our text for today, are good examples of times when someone bothered the traditions of the Christian church with major changes as a result.
Forty to 50 years after Jesus’ death, Paul wrote a letter to the church he started in Galatia. There was division between the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians about whether Gentile converts were required to follow the Mosaic Law given by God to be saved (not only the Ten Commandments but also the 613 laws in the Torah), or if you are saved by grace through Christ. Paul’s bothering of the new church opened it to all people to follow Christ.
This coming Sunday is Reformation Sunday, a day when we remember another time of division in the church. Martin Luther, a Catholic monk, challenged some of the beliefs of the Catholic Church, most notably that you could buy forgiveness from the church (indulgences), that the Pope is the infallible and universal leader of the Christian church, and that doing good works is a requirement for salvation. Martin Luther’s bothering, also the beginning of the Reformation, brought about the belief that we are justified by faith alone. Only God can forgive. Only God is infallible. Only faith in God saves us.
These are big examples of bothering. What does bothering look like in your life and mine?
- I’ve written about our older son with whom I disagree politically. We certainly bother each other. We also learn from each other.
- Being bothered by a school headmaster in Tanzania resulted in the first scholarship student we sponsored.
- Bible studies and conversations have bothered what I thought I knew and helped me grow into a deeper understanding of my faith.
Overall, I think this is such a positive description of how we can all be “botherers.” Credit to Jo Sheets!
“We are made to pray with persistence, to be holy troublemakers in the face of injustice, and to have the kind of faith that won’t quit.”
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you ever been bothered? Did that change you in any way?
- Have you ever been a botherer? How did that feel?
- Do we need to see results to believe that God is active in our bothering?
Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for grace unimaginable and for brothers and sisters who bother me in all the best ways. Show us the way to use your nudges to share your love and grace with all those in need – which is all of us, right? With faith and thankfulness. Amen.
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