Galatians 2

I heard a great homily today.

My college has a daily chapel service. Attendance is not required, but is encouraged. Often, the chapel is hardly full with the faithful few. Today was an exception. There was a lot going on. A favorite history professor was preaching. Our choir sang a song. We also had a presidential candidate in the audience (for president of the college...I wouldn't want to inflate our college's importance in your eyes). Today was a day of good attendance.

Anyway, the reader got up and read from Exodus, Joshua, and Galatians. The theme was spying. Every passage was about spies. The history professor described the mission and the effectiveness of the spying mission. However, he noted that in Galatians, the people were spying on themselves. He compared this to our own situation today in the US. Then, he brought us to the crux of the message, in Galatians 2:5

We did not submit to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel might always remain with you.

This professor pointed out that even if Jesus isn't your thing, this message is still important. Just substitute the word "democracy" for "gospel". You can keep doing this around Galatians 2. He then decided that we can send a message to those who are spying on us by reminding them of the message of Galatians 2. He told us that we should close every email and phone conversation with "Galatians 2" (much like that guy who always has the John 3:16 sign). Then those who are reading our email and listening into our phone conversations will understand that we will not be moved, but be faithful people. We even practiced typing them in our invisible lap tops and talking on our pretend cell phones.

While wildly entertaining (which this professor always is), it gave a great spin on a contemporary situation we find ourselves in. I'm clarifying what the "good news" might be. As I think about it, I think it drives us to another letter of Paul's. We may be the victims of spying, of discrimination, of mistrust, and of ridicule...at the hands of our government, society, families, and institutions.

BUT...

I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate up from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Thanks be to God.