The Waning of Personal Responsibility; Jeremiah 31:27-30

“The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of humans and the seed of animals. And just as I have watched over them to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring evil, so I will watch over them to build and to plant, says the LORD. In those days they shall no longer say:
‘The parents have eaten sour grapes,
     and the children's teeth are set on edge.’

But all shall die for their own sins; the teeth of everyone who eats sour grapes shall be set on edge.”

Jer 31:27-30 (NRSV)

 

A recent article published by the Knight Ridder Newspapers  proclaimed, “Personal Responsibility Waning, Experts Say.”  And then proceeded to bemoan the fact that not only do we no longer claim responsibility for our actions, we blame our faults on society. Among the other reasons cited were:  the rise of self-absorption (it’s all about me and my needs), the increased emphasis on entitlements instead of responsibility, and the rise of celebrity worship.  The article can be accessed at the following link:  http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/krwashbureau/_bc_responsibility_wa .

Once upon a time, society was responsible in God’s eyes for the sins of the individual.  When one sinned, the whole group was disciplined.  In Scripture, this is most often seen during the wanderings of Israel in the desert.  The actions of a few resulted in retribution upon the many.  Abraham, negotiating with God for the few righteous persons to be found in Sodom and Gomorrah s a good example of this.  In fact, the second of the 10 commandments teaches us that “I the Lord, your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquities of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who reject me” (Ex 20:5).  This probably led to the expression about one bad apple spoiling the whole bunch. 

As time went on, Jeremiah and others revealed a better understanding of God’s wrath.  In essence, what he stated was that all of us are responsible for our own actions.  This meant, and still does, that we each bear responsibility for the wrongs we commit.  In other words. “If you do the crime, be prepared to do the time.”  It was an addition of personal responsibility to the societal responsibility that was outlined earlier in God’s relationship with Israel. 

I believe, that many of these woes can be directly attributed to a loss of balance in society.  We have shifted our focus from personal responsibility to group responsibility with the exclusion of any personal awareness of  how our actions impact every other person on the planet.  We have lost all focus on God’s words that say, “I am a jealous God… and will punish children for the iniquities of the parent.”   And we have further ignored the warning “…all shall die for their own sins…”  Personal responsibility will not be reclaimed until we reclaim societal responsibility.  And societal responsibility will not be reclaimed until we are willing to acknowledge that what happens to one of us matters to all of God’s children.  May we recognize this need before it is too late.

Fruits worthy of Repentance, Luke 3:8:14

^“Bear fruits worthy of repentance… Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." “

Luke 3:8-14 (NRSV)

            What is the saddest thing you have ever heard?  Was it a story, a phrase, a disaster?  For me, the saddest thing I ever heard was a complete misunderstanding of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is an often used phrase among Christians.  We are to grant forgiveness when sought by another.  We are to seek forgiveness when we wrong another, and we are to make restitution in the process.  We are filled with joy in the knowledge that our many sins are forgiven by God through the blood of Christ.  But is that all there is to forgiveness or are we missing something in the equation?

            A number of years ago, Jonathan Edwards preached a message which sparked a Great Awakening of religious fervor in this nation.  It was a sermon titled, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”  It was required reading back in the Dark Ages, when I was a High School Student.  Edwards was ill the day he delivered that message, but the Holy Spirit wasn’t.  It was reported that people were climbing the pillars of the church in the hope of escaping from God’s wrath.  Somehow we’ve lost that aspect of God in our religious practices, that sense of fear (not just awe) of the Lord.  God still has the capacity for wrath.  However, to our great joy, He chooses to act in mercy instead.

            I imagine when I read this passage that some of the same things were happening in Israel.  John and others preached on the impending arrival of the Kingdom of God (Jesus) and many of the people knew that it could/should mean their day of judgment.  The day when as sinners, they would face the wrath of God’s anger.  Now, I am not a big fan of preaching that tries to scare us to Christ, as it were, but there is something to be said about getting the attention of folks who may only pay lip service to their faith.  I believe John’s preaching, like Edwards’ did just that, it got through to people and made them understand the sad state of their souls.

            The truth of the matter is that throughout history, when a prophet (and John was indeed a prophet) delivers a message of God’s warning, there is always a kernel of hope pointed out.  Abraham when he was pleading for the welfare of Sodom and Gomorrah is a good example of this.  So is the reaction of the King of Nineveh to Jonah’s message.  The books of Isaiah and Jeremiah are full of examples of the promised wrath and the hope for reconciliation, forgiveness and healing. 

John spells out this hope pretty clearly for us all.  God’s grace is offered to al and is sufficient to forgive the sins of all humanity throughout all history; past, present, and future.  When asked what it takes for us to gain access to that forgiveness and mercy the crowd was told to; “Bear fruits worthy of repentance…”  In other words, change the way you live as a sign of your repentance from the evils you have committed.  John didn’t stop there.  He made it perfectly clear to the different groups, exactly what evil they needed to change.  And it is in the change that the truth of our repentance is found.  In other words, we cannot go to church on Sunday, seek forgiveness, and then continue to live the same sinful ways on the rest of the week.  It just doesn’t work!

Al of this leads me to wonder; what are the fruits worthy of repentance in my/our life?   What do I/we need to change to bear the fruits worthy of repentance?  These are questions that can only be answered in our time with God.  The time when we are completely open to the one who knows us better than we know our self.  I hope and pray we all find the answers while there is still time to change.

Merciful Lord, you provide many chances for us to change our lives.  Help us this day, to recognize the changes that are the fruits worthy of repentance.  Forgive our sin and guide us in your ways this day.  Amen.

1 Corinthians 15:35-58 - Thoughts on Terri Schiavo and Pope John Paul

“But someone will ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?" Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body…  There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly is another…  So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable…But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual... What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?"   The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

1 Cor 15:35-58 (NRSV)

In recent weeks people around the world have followed the case of Terri Schiavo, the woman in Florida whose suffering became the focus of court cases, and state and federal governmental actions.  Blessedly, for Terri, her days of suffering have now ended.  However, for the family, death has not ended the bitterness and pain.  Terri’s husband and parents are now enemies and who knows where that will lead.  Half a world away from Florida, in Rome, the attention of the world is focusing on Vatican City. Pope John Paul II is gravely ill and as of this morning has suffered heart failure on top of his other ailments.  The Pope, has stated he did not wish to go to a hospital but insisted on receiving care in his quarters.  As millions of Catholics watch and wait, the Pope has chosen, to place his future in God's hands.  Both of these cases, the Pope and Terri Schiavo have called to the forefront end of life issues for many people.  And as reported in the New York Times; "On the most pragmatic level, she has been the instrument of thousands, and probably millions, of intimate conversations in which family members told one another what they would like to happen if their own bodies outlived their minds. In countless other cases, people recalled the days on which they had said goodbye to loved ones, and perhaps many came closer to peace in dealing with their own great losses."

In June of 1990, my Dad collapsed at home.  In New Jersey, the law required (and still may require) that if someone started CPR it could not be stopped unless a doctor told them to.  When Dad collapsed, a neighbor, who was and is an EMT came in to help.  She began CPR on Dad and after 30-45 minutes got him breathing and his heart beating again.  Dad was then taken to the hospital and placed on all the wonderful machines that were available to sustain his life.  In all honesty, we would expect nothing less to be done. We give thanks every day for every effort that was made in those first days and hours to help him.

As time went on, the doctors did the usual tests, CAT scans, MRI’s, and a host of others to try and determine what happened and what help/hope remained.  The word was not good.  Dad did not have a stroke, but the extended period of time without oxygen to his brain, left only minimal brain function.  Much like Terri Schiavo, he was not quite brain dead, but very close to it indeed.  The doctors told us that they could not and would not remove any life support equipment unless we directed them to do so (Remember Karen Quinlan?   Her case was decided within 20 miles of my folk's home.).  So the decision fell to my mother.

I come from a large Roman Catholic family, there are eight children and each of us is different in our own way.  There are very few things we all agree about in life.  One of them is that all life is very precious, something to be cherished and not wasted.  I imagine that in any election our votes would absolutely cancel out one another.  However, we all agreed, that what was needed from us when Dad was comatose was not fighting or bickering, not disagreements or indecision, but support for Mom.  We agree to support Mom’s decision, whatever it might be regarding Dad’s treatment and care. 

It should have been a simple choice, but neither Mom nor Dad had ever really talked to us or one another regarding end of life issues.  What was she to do?  Eventually, Mom decided to “No Code” Dad.  This meant that he would be fed, but would be removed from the respirator and other support equipment.  His recovery (in this world) was in God’s hands.  For the next two weeks we watched him fade away.  And then, blessedly, he was gone and with the Lord.  We mourned and had the funeral. 

Honestly, I remember little of the funeral service and more of the days of visitation before it.  A friend who worked with Dad came to the visitation.  He mentioned that he and Dad had spoken about just this type of situation not more than a month or two back.  It turns out Dad never wanted extraordinary measures taken. His faith in God led him to believe the words of Paul, "...flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable."  The result of those few words was visible in my Mom's demeanor immediately.  It was as if the weight of the world had been lifted off her back.  In an instant, I became a strong believer in medical powers of attorney and other end of life directives. 

I can't say if the same thoughts were on Terri Schiavo's mind, or her husband's.  That is something between them as husband and wife.  However, we do know, that Terri never made her wishes known and so we have had a public spectacle.  Pope John Paul, by contrast is being very clear about his desires.  And I believe it is the healthiest thing for all of us to do.  To be as clear as possible with friends and loved ones concerning what treatment we wish or expect, when we cannot make decisions for our self.  The time to have these discussions is now, not later.

Out of all of this, I have come to appreciate Paul's wisdom.  This body is of little importance.  What matters most of all is how we use the life we have to glorify God.  The Pope has devoted all his adulthood to serving the Lord our God and has never hesitated to live his faith.  Terri Schiavo's husband, acted with love in the decisions he made on behalf of his wife, regardless of whether or not her parents agreed.  He was her husband and the decisions were his to make.  Terri's parents acted with love as well, refusing to abandon hope in their daughter and God's healing powers. My Mom acted with love when she made the decisions regarding my Dad. 

God sees all these things. He knows how we anguish and our pain.  Paul's words are words of hope and comfort from God, reminding us that, "When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?"   The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”  What more can we add but, "Amen."

 

Lord, we struggle so with all the issues of death and dying.  Help us, comfort those who mourn each day.  Grant them the knowledge that death is not final for people of faith.  Let them know that because you live, we too shall live.  Hear our cries, in the name of Christ our Lord.  Amen.

 

- I have included the link to the NY Times piece for those who wish to read it. - Andy

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/01/opinion/01fri1.html?ex=1270011600&en=a1ce0fa5aeede22e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt