Mtr Kelli Joyce

"Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good."

Dear Friends in Christ,

Both parts of what Paul instructs us to do in this section of today's reading from Romans 12 are difficult in their own way. It's easy to become desensitized to the evil we see in the world around us and in our own lives - we may not embrace it, but we shrug our shoulders and say "that's just the way things are." On the other side of the same coin, it can be difficult to hold fast to what is good. It can seem idealistic and naïve to insist on seeking after the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control) when pragmatism calls us to cynicism, cunning, ambition, self-sufficiency and self-interest, and compromise.

And yet, this is what Paul calls us to. Not subtle nuance in the face of good and evil, but clarity and courage. This kind of clarity requires us to do the work of discernment. We cannot simply say "knowing whether this is good or evil is above my pay grade." The follower of Jesus is not called to judge other people, but we are called to carefully examine patterns of speech and action in ourselves, others, and the world, and determine whether or not they are in accordance with the will of God as revealed to us in Christ. To hate evil and hold fast to the good, we first have to know what those things are.

The three best tools I know of for doing this are prayer, the study of Scripture, and conversation with faithful friends. God doesn't expect us to simply figure it out on our own - we have been given the Spirit and the Word and the Body to help us in this task. Thanks be to God.

In peace,
Mtr Kelli