In Romans 14 Paul is not writing about primary issues. He’s writing about secondary ideas of which many of us often disagree. He’s talking about matters of conscience. Specifically, he’s talking about food. He says, “One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him” (Romans 14:2-3). Some believe they can eat anything. They see no spiritual prohibition against eating meat. Others believe dietary restrictions are still in force. And what Paul is saying is that regardless of what you believe, in fact the specifics don't really matter at all, there's a motivation which grows in our hearts to not welcome each other, but instead despise and judge.

We may learn the new habits of a particular religion or social value system, but only Christ transforms us. Through Christ we are freed from the shackles of mammon and made worshippers who serve God, strangers who have been made saints.

As a covenant people we are marked by God’s grace through baptism. Here’s a few implications of this understanding for us at Church in the Square …

On Wednesday, February 22nd we’ll gather for Ash Wednesday. This gathering marks the beginning of the Lenten season; the six weeks leading up to Easter. We’ll have three identical services, each 15 minutes of singing, reading, and administering the ashes.

We've been blessed with an opportunity to help our neighbors in a profound way. Over the past number of weeks we've been supporting an important effort to resettle Venezuelan refugees in the city. But meeting needs is tricky. Therefore we ought to constantly open the Bible in order to interrogate our motivations, behaviors, and impact. Doing so will ensure we honor the Lord in our serving and acknowledge the dignity of those whom we serve.

There's much to consider today. Our annual remembrance of the life and ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. elicits a variety of responses. For some it's a sober holiday, reflecting on the suffering and resilience and dignity and strength of all who identity with the African diaspora, but especially Black Americans. For others it's a defeating reminder of how much further we have to go to achieve heaven's vision for racial harmony. For others still, it's a day off.

In Romans 12:9, the Apostle Paul exhorts his readers to, “let love be genuine.” He’s inviting them into a lifestyle of affection which is free from hypocrisy because it’s grounded in the truth. Specifically he says this brand of love abhors evil and clings to good.

I think we all agree on love. Few people deny the universal virtue and centrality of love. However, though we may agree on love we often fail to love. Regardless of our culture or spirituality, we agree on love but we fail to love.

Near the end of his first correspondence to the church in Thessalonica, the Apostle Paul gives his readers a joyful challenge. He encourages them to, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Paul says, in all circumstances, followers of Jesus ought to have this unwavering disposition, a strange cocktail of joy and prayerfulness and gratitude. It's the will of God. His instruction teaches us that thankfulness is not a response to our situation. Thankfulness is a response to our hope. Giving thanks, despite our circumstances, takes incredible discipline. Not because it's hard to find ways that God has been good and faithful and generous. It takes work because we get distracted, don't we? And we often fail to see with the eyes of faith.

In Christ we are given a new mind. Paul tells the church in Corinth, “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). Because of this new mind, you can understand the mind of the Lord. We can know God’s will. Think about that. God gives us a mind to understand his mind. He wants you to know his will. We are to resist conforming to this world, resist trusting the false promises of this world, and we are to be transformed by the renewal of our minds (see Romans 12:2). The very fact that we are given a new mind assures us that God is giving us what we need in order to understand his will. It's grace. It's love. It's mercy. Specifically, through salvation you have been given the mind of Christ. Specifically we can discern what theologians call, God's moral will.

Let's start with the big picture and then zoom in on something the Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:1 ...

A good starting point is simply acknowledging that God explicitly tell us to worship him, exclusively. The first commandment is clear, “You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:3). Moses builds on this teaching, instructing Israel, "It is the Lord your God you shall fear. Him you shall serve and by his name you shall swear. You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you..." (Deuteronomy 6:13-14). Jesus actually quotes this exact passage when Satan tempts him in the wilderness. Satan promises Jesus the kingdoms of the world if he bows down and worships him. Jesus responds, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve’” (Luke 4:8). At some level we should worship God because he tells us to worship him, exclusively.

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme court overturned our country's landmark ruling on the constitutionality of abortion. Of course that case is famously known as Roe v. Wade. That is, Jane Roe versus district attorney Henry Wade. Jane Roe was a pseudonym given to a woman named Norma McCorvey who sought an abortion in the state of Texas in the early 1970s. When she was unable to do so, she filed suit and the court ruled in her favor, setting into law one of the most divisive civil liberties in American history.