Thursday February 26, 2009

Read Titus 1:1-16

For this reason rebuke them sharply, so that they may become sound in the faith.—Titus 1:13

In this scripture reading, Paul addresses his colleague Titus, who was left on the island of Crete to guide the new community of Christians there. Paul does not have a high opinion of Cretans. He advises Titus to guide them strictly and firmly, calling the Cretans “detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.”

This passage makes me uneasy. It sounds like many complaints I heard in the middle school teachers’ lounge, especially regarding the 8th graders who were about to go on to high school. But even worse, it sounds like Paul expects Christians to hold each other accountable for their own actions, and to confront each other directly when one believes another is misbehaving. Worse yet, Jesus himself describes this process in detail in Matthew 18: 15-20.
Personally, I don’t know if I want other people to judge my behavior and get in my face about it. The Church has a well-deserved reputation for being intolerant and judgmental; there are far too many so-called Christians who think they have the one and only true answer. I frankly am not interested in their opinions, let alone their condemnations.

However, this is Lent. It’s a time of self-examination, humility, and sacrifice. Perhaps I need to examine my resistance to being held accountable; maybe I need to sacrifice my attachment to my own interpretations and beliefs; it could be that I need humbly to solicit the insight and advice of Christian people whom I trust. I know I’m far from perfect. Hearing what I need to correct or improve might not be so bad if I know that I am loved by the community of faith. I might even be able to make some changes.

Pray: Blessed and Beloved Spirit, by your holy grace give us the faith and courage to examine our pride, to sacrifice our unwillingness to change, and to trust that we are loved. Amen.

Becky Browne is an inconsistent gardener who enjoys baking bread and thinks that kids are going to the dogs only if they are volunteering at the Humane Society.