Whose Are We? Romans 14:1-12

I don't often preach on the epistles all that much, because I work with college students and find that they have very little knowledge of Jesus' most basic teachings. So, I spend more time on the gospels. I also spend time on the Hebrew Bible, because they don't always make the connection between the first and second covenant. But this week I will preach on Romans 14, because I want to remind others, as well as myself, that God is our caretaker, even when we try to define those with whom we disagree as being outside the realm of that care and love. Or, when things are going badly, we may come to think that God is not as connected to us as we had thought. Case in point: We have experienced the deaths of three student members of our college community since May, with the most recent death occurring last week. With three memorial services looming, I need reminding that God's care has not gone away. In order to encourage the campus community to feel as if they are in the care of a loving God, I have to reassure myself that is still the case. Of course, in my heart of hearts, I know that to be true. But the pressure of the activities of each day during this difficult time can sap the strength of even the most devout person of faith. I have always found enormous strength in the passage where Paul reminds us that, "if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." There are several interpretations that open up an expansive understanding as to what Paul was talking about in this passage. Those can be accessed elsewhere. In this time, in this place, I find his certainly that nothing takes us out of the realm of God's "ownership" to be refreshment for a weary soul. Sometimes, we need the simple reminders as to the efficacy of our faith to carry us through the truly difficult times.