Responding to a Call to Change
Thoughts on the assigned reading, 2 Corinthians 7:2-12 (1/28/25)
When I read a text, I always struggle to apply it to myself, personally. I struggle because it is much easier to apply it to someone else. I’m guessing that has happened to others as well. I’m okay with good news in a text, but sometimes it hits a little too close to home; taking criticism is hard for me. Oh, I’m getting better at it, but if we are honest, few of us like being told that we are wrong or that we could do better. My ego gets right in there and begins to rationalize why or how I am right, that I had no other choice, so I can’t be blamed. My self image, my self importance my desire are challenged and I don’t like it.
In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul quite pointedly addressed a variety of issues that I’m sure the people of that time didn’t really appreciate, issues that reflected how they were (or weren’t) living out their lives as people of God. In this text, Paul is addressing that ‘dressing down’ he gave them, and he commends them that they took his chastisement to heart, repented, and were transformed; but this could have gone a very different way. I am particularly struck by verse 10 in which Paul describes two reactions to being confronted with our sin. (law)
‘…Godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death’ (10)
Godly grief: being upset by my sin, by my inability to live in God’s way of loving God and loving others.
Worldly grief: being upset about being corrected, challenged, being insulted or caught in a wrong act, at being told I was wrong.
Godly grief leads to: repentance, restoration, transformation, peace.
Worldly grief leads to: anger, ill will, revenge, division, tension.
When I think about my own experiences, these patterns play out over and over. Like I said, I’m learning, but I have a long way to go. As I thought about this, though, I couldn’t help but see this in action in recent days in a very public way. Pardon me if this upsets you, but I think that it has to be said. In her recent homily at the National Cathedral, Bishop Budde very gently but pointedly alerted President Trump to the fact that people were afraid and possibly harmed by some of his proposed policies and called on him to be merciful as he designed and carried them out. Considering that loving others, being merciful are primary concerns through out scripture, this is an appropriate theme. We, as I write this, are seeing the reaction to this played out publicly; a ‘worldly grief’ as a response to this call for mercy has resulted in anger, ill will, and tension. Prophetic voices in cultures and in scripture have been rarely commended but often condemned, and that appears to be the, at least public, response in this case. But, this is a good word for all of us to hear. We are all participants in a culture that needs to be called to act in mercy. The difference is an environment of peace, being transformed to loving God and loving others, or an environment of tension doubling down on our right to be right and to protect our self image and self-interests.
