18 God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the ungodly behavior and the injustice of human beings who silence the truth with injustice. 19 This is because what is known about God should be plain to them because God made it plain to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, because they are understood through the things God has made. So humans are without excuse. 21 Although they knew God, they didn’t honor God as God or thank him. Instead, their reasoning became pointless, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 While they were claiming to be wise, they made fools of themselves. 23 They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that look like mortal humans: birds, animals, and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to their hearts’ desires, which led to the moral corruption of degrading their own bodies with each other. 25 They traded God’s truth for a lie, and they worshipped and served the creation instead of the creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
Reflection
Romans is probably the most famous and quoted of Paul’s letters. It was written around the year 57 so it was written a couple of decades after Jesus’ death. According to the book of Acts Paul was a Roman citizen because he was born in part of the Roman empire in Tarsus. In the beginning of Romans, Paul says that he is sending the letter because he plans to visit, but he can’t get there quite yet, so he wants to send some teaching to the Romans. He could have sent today’s reading to anyone though. He is voicing frustration with the fact that people don’t seem to believe in God or the power of Christ’s resurrection. He seems rather incredulous that people can look around and see all of creation and not believe in God. Ancient peoples had many gods that they attributed to many things in the world, but since the time of Abraham many people started to believe in one God. We now obviously have the knowledge to understand some things about how the earth was formed and how we came into being, but it is hard to imagine for me that when we think about how the earth was formed that a spiritual force didn’t start the movement from chaos into something. Personally, my brain has a hard time comprehending how any of us are here and how our bodies work as a system and how there is so much diversity in humans and how much diversity there is in the
animal kingdom and in the plant kingdom etc. I understand evolution, but I certainly can’t help but believe that there is something greater than all of it attached to it. When I watch my flowers change daily with sunshine and rain and know my aging story and watch the kids I work with and my own children and grandchildren grow and change every day, I am over-whelmed and would agree that it is hard not to believe in God. I didn’t even mention the landscapes around us. I have traveled some and have seen amazing sites, but there are so many more sites to see. I do have a hard time just thinking that all of these things don’t have a spiritual and holy touch on them.
Paul tells the people in verses 23-25 that people decided to worship idols instead of God – to worship statues of the things that God created instead of the Creator. He says that God then let the people do what they wanted. God did not drag anyone kicking and screaming to believe. God lets us to our own devices if that is what we choose. God may prompt us by having someone witness to us or showing us something in a way that makes us think. We know Jesus blinded Saul to make him see what he was doing was wrong and Saul was converted, but he could have said no – even with that obvious sign that he had been wrong, but he didn’t, he believed. Even as Christians we sometimes need a little more – we look for some sign, for some truth to maybe bring us out of a funk or to help us at a time when we feel God is far away. Sometimes all it takes is a trip to the beach or the mountains or just a day to rest and regroup. Sometimes it does take a lot more to get us back to our relationship with God or with the world around us. Getting out into creation can do wonders for our spirit and to commune with the Spirit!
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
When was the last time we really took time to look around at the wonder around us – even just in our backyard? We get very used to our surroundings and we take them for granted sometimes. Let’s try this week to get out (or even just look out if it is too hot) and appreciate the natural world around us. Look at the moon, look at trees and other plants, watch a bird or a squirrel and realize God is in it all.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you so much for the amazing world around us and all that you have created. Help us to stop and pay attention and to be appreciative. Help us to give ourselves some time out of the craziness of this world to just enjoy your creation and to come back or get closer to you. Amen.
