This week's reading from Deuteronomy has some challenging words -
(Moses said,) "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, 20loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days, so that you may live in the land that the LORD swore to give to your ancestors, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." (Deuteronomy 30:19b-20)
My gut reaction is that as a Lutheran, these words are very challenging. Lutheran theology runs directly in the face of any kind of decision theology. So verses like this that command us to choose something in order to live or incur God's blessing. It's about what God does, not what we do, after all, and anything we might do that is "good" is just a response to God's great mercy and blessing of us, not contingent or required for it. Our salvation, our eternal life, is not up to us, it's only by God's great grace and mercy through Jesus Christ that we are saved. That is the most clear and wonderful thing about Lutheran theology! God is in charge.
My other gut reactions are - duh, choose life - who would choose death? But what kind of God is a God who would even offer this choice? I'm not sure it sounds like the God of the trinity, of Lutheran theology as I experience. Also, does our sinful nature even allow us to make the right choices? Isn't Moses a little frustrated with the people in this passage, by this point, as they keep wandering in their hearts from God?
What bible verses do you find most challenging or unsettling?
BUT I think that all of this week's readings - the gospel reading is about bearing our crosses - remind us that even though salvation is completely God's doing, and not in any way a choice or work of ours to achieve, God does care about what we do day to day, and the choices we make. Perhaps as Lutherans (or just Lutheran preachers) this is something that we are hesitant to talk about lest we make it sound like something you have to do. It's not. but there is such beauty in that God gives us rules, structures, and commandments that are given not to be strict for the sake of strictness but so that we might live more fully.
It makes me think of advice that parents or caregivers give and as a kid you totally reject or fight against. I know one small example of this was that when I was little I never wanted to wear my winter coat when I was going outside. Then when I was in middle/high school it was cool not to. But as I am older I realize that those rules were not given by my mom to be harsh or just constrain me, but that my life might be fuller and more comfortable. God gives us commandments and choices so that we might live more fully. Studying the path God has given us to walk as Christians is a blessed thing. God cares about our everyday lives. God cares about whether you have a church home on Sunday morning and if you are baptized so God can claim you as God's child, but God also cares for your everyday errands - how you think about people you meet at the post office, or how you consider the daily grind of your job. God is there with you each day, and this, as all things, is a great blessing.
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