To read: 2 Peter 2:4-21
New Revised Standard Version Bible,For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of deepest darkness to be kept until the judgment; and if he did not spare the ancient world, even though he saved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood on a world of the ungodly; and if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction and made them an example of what is coming to the ungodly; and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man greatly distressed by the licentiousness of the lawless (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by their lawless deeds that he saw and heard), then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment - especially those who indulge their flesh in depraved lust, and who despise authority. Bold and willful, they are not afraid to slander the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not bring against them a slanderous judgment from the Lord.
These people, however, are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be caught and killed. They slander what they do not understand, and when those creatures are destroyed, they also will be destroyed, suffering the penalty for doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their dissipation while they feast with you. They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! They have left the straight road and have gone astray, following the road of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of doing wrong, but was rebuked for his own transgression; a speechless donkey spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.
These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm; for them the deepest darkness has been reserved. For they speak bombastic nonsense, and with licentious desires of the flesh they entice people who have just escaped from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for people are slaves to whatever masters them. For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, after knowing it, to turn back from the holy commandment that was passed on to them.
copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
To think about:
I
am a mother of two children, aged 10 and 12. One of the many things I've learned is that parenting is a continual learning process for adult and child. As soon as you imagine that you've "figured out" the designated stage of your child and the appropriate parental responses to accompany that stage, the children move on to the next stage. (Sometimes this happens with such dizzying speed and dramatic change, I'm not sure what to do!) Yet one parenting technique has remained helpful in each stage - discipline through natural consequence. Here's the theory: a child's inappropriate choice results in a natural consequence to the action, which discourages the child from making such a choice again; e.g. not studying for a test resulting in a poor grade. If there is no natural consequence, the parent imposes one. The goal is teach children to be responsible for their actions. Simple enough, yet it seems that in our culture today there is not enough ownership of inappropriate behaviors and choices, not enough responsibility for actions. There is a disconnect between personal choices and personal responsibility.
The Scripture selection for today has no disconnect between actions and consequences. In the letter of 2 Peter the church is warned to be alert for false teachers and evildoers inside the church. They have lost their way. They can be a negative influence on believers, because their actions have negative, even destructive consequences for which they will be held responsible. This teaching strongly reminds us that our actions matter. Our behaviors/choices can be for the up-building or tearing-down of the community. Lent is an appropriate time of the year to be honest about our actions that have brought destruction rather than life, confident and hopeful in the forgiveness that Christ offers. St. Francis of Assisi is supposed to have said once, "Preach the gospel at all times; if necessary use words." May our actions reflect the life of Christ.
To pray:
Heavenly Father, we admit before you our wrong choices, our inappropriate behaviors. We praise you for your gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ. May your Holy Spirit transform our hearts to seek to do those things which are pleasing to you. Amen.
Assistant to the Bishop, Delaware-Maryland Synod