FROM THE PULPIT: CHRISTIANS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OWN ACTIONS

So far we've been blessed with a lovely, mild winter. Our local, seasoned, meteorological prognosticators, warn me, "We're going to pay for this nice weather someday."

The thing that bothers me the most about winter is the hazardous road conditions. Growing up in Minnesota, I learned to drive in ice and snow fairly well. I wasn't so concerned about my driving as much as it was the other people. As far as it depended upon me, I could only drive as safe as I knew how and hoped I stayed out of the way of other drivers.

The Apostle Paul uses that same phrase, "as far as it depends upon you," to hold Christians accountable for their action. Other people may work against us, insult us, spread false rumors about us, malign our actions unjustly, and outright attack us. It's not what they do, but how we respond that is important to Paul.

"As far as it depends upon you, " Paul writes in Romans 12:18, "live peaceably with all." We are called to proactive reconciliation instead of vitriolic retribution.

When Paul wrote this letter, it was distributed to a Christian community that did not live together in love. Instead, these small, independent communities lived in separation, distrust, and even outright hostility, much like a few of our modern day denominations.

As far as it depends upon us, we can only do what we can do. We cannot control the actions of other people, we can only live justly and lovingly. We bear the responsibility for love, affection, hospitality and peaceableness no matter what others may do. And this completely contradicts our human nature.

In a brief poem attributed to Mother Theresa, we hear the application of Paul's advice. It's been a meaningful poem for my life because at times I'm that other offensive person. As far as it depended upon people, they have still been loving to me, and I am gratefully numb