Romans 7. 14-25
For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me.So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.
If Clark hadn’t fallen from his roof while stapling 25,000 twinkle lights; if Cousin Eddy hadn’t parked his rust bucket on wheels in the driveway; if Snot hadn’t lapped up all the Christmas tree’s water; if Uncle Lewis hadn’t taken a break from dinner to light a cigar; if that pesky cat hadn’t gnawed on an electrical cord…. You get the picture. If families were perfect, they wouldn’t be much fun. And if all of God’s children (that’s us) lived up to his expectations from Day 1, the adventure we all call life would lose so much of its zest.
Paul’s words give us a strangely uplifting notion to ponder this month: We are all slaves to sin, incapable of living the lives God wants us to live. But in this Advent season when we strive to better our lives in the coming year (and to finally mold our families into the iconic Norman Rockwell paintings we all strive to live in) Paul’s message liberates us.
No, we aren’t perfect. And we never will be. Our families will always be a little more Griswold than we care to admit, and no matter how hard we work to honor God’s will, we will often fall short. But there is great joy to be found in aspiring for greatness and purity. So when we gather for Christmas in a few weeks from now we can still fret over the small things. We can sweat all the details—working so very hard to make everything just right. And then as we watch my dreams of a “perfect” Christmas disappear quicker than you can say “Jelly of the Month Club” let us all strive to find comfort in Paul’s words and understand that only by first acknowledging our weaknesses can we fulfill God’s expectations for us.
(If you’ve yet to meet The Griswolds, tune in to ABC Family on Wednesday, December 11 at 8 p.m.)
Noah Bunn, FirstChurch Communications Consultant, UrbanLife member
