Friday the Thirteenth Week of Pentecost

September 1, 2023
Today's Reading: Daily Lectionary: 2 Samuel 1:1-27, 1 Corinthians 7:25-40
So then he who marries his betrothed does well, and he who refrains from marriage will do even better. (1 Corinthians 7:38)
In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. We love when things are straight-forward and are logical. Opposites make sense. You are hot or cold. There is up or down. You turn left or right. We like to think in absolutes, put everything in its proper box, and usually give it a label. We do this with our neighbors too. ‘Those sinners’ and us, the good people. ‘Those making all the wrong choices,’ and us, making all the right ones. ‘Those who keep voting wrongly and us,’ who have our politics in order. It can be quite easy to fall into the temptation to group ‘others’ in relation to us. 
In the 1 Corinthians reading, it might seem like Paul is trying to create a logical ‘either or’ statement. However, he also seems to be getting things mixed up. He says marriage is a gift. But he also says that singleness is a gift. He says that getting married is not a sin, but also speaks very highly about remaining single. What’s the deal, Paul? Why can’t you make up your mind? 
In our desire for logic and reason, we usually see options in contrast to other options. For example, you can’t be married and also stay single. However, what if God has given us two good options? What if God, in His bountiful goodness, allows for marriage and singleness to both be good gifts? What if, instead of pitting the gifts against one another, we rejoice in the ways in which God has given us to love our neighbor? 
The Law is good. It shows us right from wrong, good from evil. However, when we apply the Law to situations in which it doesn’t speak, we create division that is not good or helpful. Marriage is a gift from God; from the beginning of time, God created Eve for Adam and gave them, one to another, in marriage. Singleness, though, is also a gift. The single person is able to devote time and energy to caring for other neighbors in their life. Both of these vocations are good! God gives good options for His people. 
Whether single or married, your identity is as a Baptized child of God. You are part of God’s family through Jesus’ death and resurrection; that is what sticks for eternity. Rejoice in the opportunities you are given to love your neighbors - either as a married person or a single person - knowing that both vocations are good. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.
Hear us, dear Father, when we pray  For needed help from day to day That as your children we may live, Whom You baptized and so received.  (LSB 865:3) 
-Deaconess Sarah Longmire is the bible study editor for Higher Things.
Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.
Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.