Author: Wick

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

These words come as a great reminder to a world that loves “credit”. The mentality of getting something now, and settling an account at a later date. So popular in our world, not just in the realm of material things that we don’t really need, and can’t afford. But even to the point where it’s used in many cases simply to survive with the bills we’ve accumulated for the life/society.

Even when some of us can clear the hurdles of credit cards, we still find ourselves chained down by what is referred to as “good debt”, but to anyone making payments on these – they’re anything but. Car loans, student loans, and even mortgages can be things we owe others.

I’m not sure if Paul was making a large theological statement about our finances, or a statement that “good followers of Jesus will not take on loans”, although it can definitely be seen as a reminder to lean away from financial debts. Verse 7 talks briefly about taxes & revenue, but that’s the only mention of financial obligations in the entire chapter.

The verses surrounding 8 are focusing on the fulfilling of the law in how we relate to one another. What relational debt do we have to others? To LOVE them. It’s easy for us to relieve ourselves of any other relational debts. We sense a great relief at these words, realizing that simply in loving others (albeit a costly and active sacrificial love) we are FULFILLING the law.

To relate to other people in a way that the only thing we ask/expect of them relationally is that they love. Not simply in our head, but to actually actively communicate to them by our demeanor and language that our expectation of them is light and loving. That the man we meet on the street, our children trying to earn our pride, our siblings who look up to us, our co-workers who feel the need to posture themselves one way or another…no matter who it may be – to communicate to them by our very nature “your love is enough.”

May God help us to be people who release those around us from any burden or expectation other than to love…

I remembered studying him in college. I remember watching a movie about his life. I remember skimming through “Cost of Discipleship“. Since then, Dietrich’s presence has been an overall knowledge of his life, and a few short readings and quotes that have been inspirationally included in other readings.

A year ago, I checked out a condensed version of “Letters from Prison” from the library. It was a small book, and easy to read small sections at a time. That began what I would confess as my first true desire to learn more/read more about this man. But life became busy. My desire to revisit the life of Bonhoeffer faded.

Until recently I was searching for a good book, offering substance to chew on along with a good story to swallow. I’d been seeing Bonhoeffer in the sidelines lately, reading some of Hauerwas and Yoder, and so I looked for a fictional biography of his life. I posted a blog not long after beginning it, impressed even early in the story.

I have to say, I’ve been even more impressed by his life, writing and desires for Christ/His Church. Especially his attention to the Sermon on the Mount lately. So much so, that I’ve set a goal for myself in 2010. I am going to read through the entire Biography (non-fiction) written by Bonhoeffer’s close student and friend, Eberhard Bethge. Most resources I’ve found point to it as the definitive work/collection in it’s most recent, revised form. It’s almost 1,000 pages long, so it will definitely be an undertaking for me. Which is why I’m giving myself the entire year. No doubt readers of my blog, if I stick with this, will become a bit sick of my references to him. But my hopes are that God will bless the time spent in these areas of contemplation and prayer.

As February hits this year, many people will be buzzing around, talking about the Superbowl. Since it seems the Lions might not make it again this year, I’ll probably wait until that night to think much about it. Then I’ll watch a few funny commercials, a few minutes of the game, eat some snacks, hang out with people I love, and tune out. I’ll find out the score the next morning, unless it’s an entertaining nail biter.

But what I WILL be excited about, along with a mob of people, it seems, is the return of the show LOST to ABC’s line-up. We’ve been hanging on the edge of infinite mysteries, and this season promises to at least connect a lot more of the dots. Although that usually leads to more mysteries…which is the lure of the show in many ways. I have to say, even without getting into the shows’ presence in our every day world, advertising, magazines, radio, etc…without us realizing it often (seriously, there is so much more to this show than what we watch on TV)…it’s a great stand alone television show. Here’s a recent interview with the writers about the final season.

Remember to be watching Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, on ABC at 8pm CST. And just in case you were worried about that pesky Presidential State of the Union Address: