What makes us different? Not different in race, sex, culture and so on, but what makes us Christian folk different form everyone else? The bible calls us to be different, markably different too, as in, people should know there is something unique about our lives...our lives as individuals and or life as a community of faith.
The bible tells us that the love we have for each other is a hallmark of Christian living, "they will know you by your love." What else? To be known for your love is kind of a loaded answer to a loaded question. There are some distinctions regarding that love.
Our passage for this week seem to indicate that what ought to be different about us is our wisdom, worship, and waywardness. The waywardness is also loaded, or as my Systematic Theology Professor from St.Paul, Dr. Chun would say, "It is pregnant with infinite possibility." Wayward is normally considered a bad thing, but hold on, there's more to it.
First wise. How are we wise, where are we wise, when are we wise. All the correct journalism questions. Our wisdom ought to transcend the perceived wisdom of this age. Our wisdom hails from a king, who's kingdom is like anything this world has seen. It must be a wisdom rooted firmly and only in the agenda of a loving, kind, compassionate and forgiving God.
Second worshipful. We are not a people who ought to fit snuggly into the prevailing religions of this age, both the fundamental "christian" religions that claim to know all of God's mind and will and who propagate a doctrine of intolerance and hate. And neither should we worship at the altar of greed and materialism. Our worship is rooted simply in one word, thankfulness. Our worship is centered in the eucharist (the Lord's supper) which in greek means thanksgiving. It is a thankfuness that recognizes our complete and total dependance on God.
Finally this term wayward. Wayward means to drift away from what is the correct path. I venture say that what we are doing is neither drifting nor the correct path, at lest as perceived by the world. We are wayward, in that our path is different, and we do not drift, but we are driven, driven by a conviction that life is exceedingly and abundantly better following the way of Christ.
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