Good Book Club 2019--Romans 1:18-32

When Paul gives warnings against worshipping false idols and false Gods, he's making an incredible statement about God and the creation:

[They] worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator (1:25).

When you think about the glory and beauty of nature, it makes sense that people might be in awe of these sights and confuse them with God. An eagle soaring on the wind, a colorful sunset, even the human figure all contain awesome beauty. This beauty, however, points beyond the thing itself and toward the creator. God's "eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made" (1:20). Paul writes these words in order to move people away from false idols toward the one true God. I also think that there is an invitation here to know God better through the creation. We cannot see God face to face, but we can know something about God through the eagle, the sunset, and through one another.

At Old Swedes Church in Wilmington, we have a labyrinth that I like to walk when I need to think or pray. I love being outside and hearing the sounds of the city mingle with the sounds of nature around the church: squirrels running, leaves rustling, birds singing. Through meditation on the creation, I find myself closer to God. The same can be said of any activity that utilizes our senses. God can be found in the taste of a ripe strawberry. God can be found in the softness of a warm blanket. God can be found in the scent of someone we love lingering on our clothes after a hug. Each of these things, especially when considered collectively, leads us to a fuller image of God.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


The next section of today's text, focusing on sexual ethics, presents some challenges, particularly among those of us who affirm the beauty and grace in same-sex relationships. While I want this blog to be more of a devotional reflection on the scriptures than an exegesis, I also don't want to ignore verses that have been used against LGBTQ+ people. The Oxford Annotated Study Bible notes that these passages have more to say about unbridled passion than they do about homosexuality--a way of categorizing people that simply did not exist prior to the 19th century. Many biblical scholars such as Dale Martin and James Alison have written long treatises on this that would serve better than anything I could add in a short blog. I commend their work, or the commentaries of most serious biblical scholars, to you for further reading.