A level playing field

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

           You should know of my penchant to let everyone know how much they are loved. Just the other day I was noting how much we need to realize we are worthy. There have been a few movie plots where a person was given away at birth only to find out later on they are of noble birth.  The movie The Princess Diaries comes to mind.  That is a rather good example too because while Ann Hathaway finally steps up to the plate, she isn't snooty or pretentious, she maintains her air of normality. She remains human and decent and loving.

            Well, we are all worthy because we are all of royal blood.  We are all worthy. Not in the sense that anyone is better than any other. We are worthy because we are children of the king of the universe, God the creator. I am reminded of the words I pray at the beginning of our family meals, baruch atah adonai eloheinu melech ha'olam. That is, blessed are you Lord God, king of the universe. We are all equal heirs with the rights and responsibilities thereof. One of life's questions is how we live up to that fact.

              Sadly, the world we live in is filled with people and even social structures that do not consider everyone equal.  Our founding documents may say that, the United Nations may say that, but economies do not necessarily reflect that. Certainly the attitudes of some people do not reflect that. The hierarchy of many churches do not reflect that. And so we have this passage that tells us that God will turn everything upside down.  Jesus certainly acted as a radical for his time, hell, even for our time. 

           The people God is talking about are the people in the street that the fat cats won't invite to their parties. The people God is talking about are the ones that many people consider sinners, low lifes. You know, the tax collectors, women and lepers of Jesus' time. Today that might be an immigrant worker or a gay couple who have no more of wish than to settle down and honor a commitment to each other for the rest of their lives. No need to convert, proselytize the "gay lifestyle", let us live in peace and love together. Many straight married couples can't seem to do that without cheating, lying or sleeping around.  The people God calls will always be the unlikely ones in may peoples eyes.

          The key to remember is that we are all co-heirs to the kingdom of God. All brothers and sisters, all equally loved.  No matter what some people say, it's a level playing field. Step up to the plate and show them what you got. Honor your calling.

Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’