Zetland Park Methodist Church Pastoral Letters
27 March 2011
"Should good be repaid with evil?" Jeremiah 18:20a
It's not a scenario with which I am familiar, but the statement from the O.T. prophet declaring God's Word intrigued me when I read it recently as part of my Lenten discipline. It throws up some thoughts and I wondered whether as a Christian minister I should have such thoughts, after all, should not all actions, words, thoughts and purposes be for and by the Lord who called me and whom I seek to serve?
Should I even think of entertaining such thoughts of malice toward a fellow traveller or in fact, anyone else?And yet, are there not times when we have felt, or indeed maybe been the victims of, someone literally throwing something back at you, when you had delivered it with all good intension in the first place? When intended 'good works' are repaid with abuse, physical or verbal … Of course we would NEVER get ourselves in such a position … Surely?
But are we absolutely certain?The Prophet was engaging the people: God's chosen people: in a debate as to how they reacted to the Lord's generosity in such a vile and pugnacious manner, and asking some very pertinent questions of those who read or heard this word. Maybe our response would be this … well, typical of the day, is it not … after all, those stories from the Old Testament have no real relevance now … Are you sure?
"Then God said … Let us make man in our image … let them rule over …. All the earth …" Genesis 1:26We have inherited a God-given responsibility: a wonderful, generous gift from the goodness of the heart of God, and how have we repaid it? We cannot, and must not, avoid the teachings from the Old Testament for herein are words that have shaped our lives from the dawn of Creation and we still have not got it right.
How we have treated the good gift of God …We are ALL culpable …