Of Boldness and Boasting - July 22

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 40, 54; PM Psalm 51; Joshua 9:22-10:15; Rom. 15:14-24; Matt. 27:1-10

Today’s Reflection

I myself feel confident about you, my brothers and sisters, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another. Nevertheless, on some points I have written to you rather boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.  Romans 15: 14-18a

Oftentimes, confident people are misunderstood. Other times, confident people are questioned disliked because those around them see that, perhaps, they are unduly confident or that the source of their confidence is problematic somehow. Sometimes, we might even find humor in those who possess confidence that is out of proportion to their abilities and who, as a result, misread the situations in which they find themselves.

When I read today’s passage from Romans, scenes and snatches of dialogue from the U.S. version of The Office came to mind—in part because my daughter was watching multiple episodes of The Office just last evening. In nearly every episode I have seen, a key source of the humor comes from two characters, Michael Scott (played by Steve Carrell) and Dwight Schrute (played by Rainn Wilson). What makes Michael and Dwight funny, on their own but especially when they interact, is that both are very confident, often unduly so, in themselves. Much of the humor of The Office comes from how the other, more balanced characters (Jim, Pam, et al.) perceive them and respond to them, especially in their biggest, most out-there moments of egotism. And yet, we also find ourselves, against our better judgment sometimes, pulling for Michael or Dwight in a similar spirit as we might root for Don Quixote in some of his outlandish, windmill-fighting adventures.

Over the years, I have been drawn to the voice of Paul in his letters to his friends and supporters scattered around the Mediterranean region. More than anyone else in the Bible, I feel like I have been able to get to know Paul as a person through his letters. Yes, Paul has many flaws, of which he freely admits—and yet he also comes across as very confident in himself and the abilities God has given him. Some readers of Paul find this confidence to be over the top and frustrating—to them, his self-confidence is off-putting and detracts from his being a good messenger of the Good News.

However, these readers are not reading Paul’s letters closely enough. At multiple points in his letters, Paul acknowledges that the source of his confidence is the grace and love given him by God. We hear this in today’s passage from Romans 15. Paul feels “confident” in his friends because of they are “are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able to instruct one another.” And he acknowledges that “on some points I have written to you rather boldly.” But ultimately what is the source of Paul’s boldness and the confidence he places in his friends? Paul speaks boldly “because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God.” As he argues convincingly, “In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”

As Paul declares elsewhere, in his letter to the Galatians: “May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world” (Galatians 6: 14).

Becky+

Questions for Reflection

Recall a time when you boasted about something not that you had done but on something good you observed or experienced that was clearly a glimpse of God’s grace and love. How does boasting about God and his creation and ongoing presence with us in the world feel different than boasting of something for which you are giving yourself the credit?

Daily Challenge  

If you would like to reflect further on boasting, listen to this recent sermon, “May I Never Boast,” given by the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, London, on July 3, 2022. It begins around the 26:50 mark.