Every knee shall bend

Romans 14:7-12

           There is an interesting Facebook note that is making the rounds.  It notes that Gandhi was not a Hindu; Jesus was not a Christian and Mohammad was not a Muslim.  I find it interesting because I like to note think we are all brothers and sisters. God made everything and as such we are all brothers and sisters. I also beleive God reveals himslef (or herslef) to people in different ways. One religion does not trump another, each has a message and a vision of God that is very valid, informative and loving.

           In today's passage it says that "every" knee shall bow to me.  Is this speaking of Jesus who to me is the second person of the Trinity?  When Jesus stands next to God on the judgement day, will he stand there as a Christian? As a Roman Catholic? Jesus was and still is Jewish. Will Jesus judge us as a devout Jew? 

        As a Christian, I believe I will be judged on my heart and whether or not I lived the two great commandments. I believe I may be judged on what I did with what I was given both as a person and the core being of who I am ( as I was created, a gay man ) but also what did I do with the tools I was graced with - money. To capture my point though, I believe that other religions, who may not use the words "two great commandments" have some similar words or  the essence of such that reveals the same truth. In that way we will all come before God as equals. 

          So in the matter of "every" and the two great commandments, how did I treat our brother and sister? Did we welcome our brother and sister? This was a an absolute tenet of Judaism. In Genesis, the lack of hospitality and selfishness was the case of God's actions towards Sodom and Gomorrah.  The antithesis of their selfishness is portrayed in Lot who welcomes the strangers (angels). Lot welcomes them, feeds them, gives them rest and true hospitality. 

       Would we welcome our brother and sisters in such a manner?  Perhaps it seems impractical, perhaps it would be asking for trouble in today's world. I am sure however there are countless ways we can make people feel welcome. Neighbors, people of different faiths? Foreigners? Gay people? Right wing conservative nut jobs? How have we been welcoming? Conversely what have we done to offend and turn away people? What have we done to make someone, anyone, feel unwelcome?

        If every knee shall bend it's not just us, it's them, it is all of us. Something to ponder as we walk through our day.

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. 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. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgement on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgement seat of God. For it is written,
‘As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me,
   and every tongue shall give praise to God.’
So then, each of us will be accountable to God.