Today’s Scripture Reading (November
25, 2014): 1 Thessalonians 1 & 2
One of my
favorite historical people (the answer to the Party question – who in history
would you like to sit down and have lunch with) is Gregory the Great, the late
sixth (and early seventh century) pope. Admittedly, the answer to the party
question is really a fairly long list of fascinating people; there are a lot of
people in history that I would love to have a coffee (okay, in my case, a Diet
Coke) and a talk with. Part of the attraction for me is that Gregory the Great
seems to be one of the first to argue that Mary Magdalene and Mary of Bethany
just might have been the same person. It is a line of argument that has always
intrigued me.
But I am
also intrigued by the idea that he is a reluctant Pope. The Papacy is filled
with men who have craved the power that went along with being elected as the Bishop
of Rome and the successor of Saint Peter. And I question anyone who is foolish
enough to want to advance up the ecclesiastical latter. The responsibility of any
kind of priesthood or pastoral position is something that I am not sure that
anyone should want to run into. We respond because God has called us, and we
recognize the call. So I question the
integrity of people who desire that responsibility. But that would not seem to
include Gregory. In fact, Gregory was a monk who had a lot of things to offer
the church, but he was quite content in his monastic lifestyle. So taking
church office was never something that he craved because it took him away from
the quiet study that he enjoyed.
The story is
told of the day that Gregory was elected to the Papacy. When Gregory heard the
news, his reaction was to run into the forest and hide – believing that, maybe,
if they couldn’t find him, they would give up and choose someone else. But,
eventually, he was found and dragged back to Rome to take up his position as
the new Pope. In spite of ill health, Gregory quickly proved that his election
was exactly what the church needed. And while it was not the position that Gregory
had desired, eventually he chose the papacy that had chosen him.
The concept
in 1 Thessalonians that is described in this translation as “he had chosen you”
is the idea of election. Election has been one of the most hotly debated issues
in Christendom. For some of our brothers and sisters, election means that God
has chosen some to be his children while at the same time rejecting others. For
these people, the concept is so clear that there is no discussion over it. Some
would even go as far as to declare that this is the real Christian position,
and any other belief is pure heresy.
But others
are offended by this idea of election. There is absolutely no doubt that the
Bible teaches election, and that God chooses some people, and apparently not
others. But they stress that there is nothing intended here beyond a mutual
choice – God chooses all who dare to choose him. For these people, God desires
everyone, but he is unwilling to have his soldiers go out and drag people back
to him. He offers himself to all of us, and when we make the decision to choose
him, he chooses us.
Election is
really just the story of Gregory the Great. Election always takes two. The
election of Gregory the Great to the Papacy was not complete, until Gregory
decided, even reluctantly, to choose the Papacy. And God’s election of us is
only complete when we decide that we choose – or elect - God. Election really
is that simple – with God and with every other area of our lives.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1
Thessalonians 3 & 4
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