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Galatians 5:22-26
BY DAEWHA PARK

It?s hard to forget a conversation I had with a woman several years ago about the 'West Virginian norm.'

'Pastor Park, you gotta know about the 'West Virginian norm, if you wanna be successful with us,' she said

'What?s that?' I asked, because I didn?t get what she was talking about. She repeated it, and I whispered to myself, 'What on earth is that?'

In the months that followed I discovered what she was talking about.

The 'West Virginia norm,' is tradition, shaped by decades of a 'we?ve-always-done-it-this-way culture, and molded by a group of well-intentioned people to explain why things are the way they are.

It?s a complex kind of intuition that can tell a person what church money should be spent on, what topics of conversation should be avoided at church dinners, what are the right hymns to sing, and how changes are accepted or denied.

Like the Baltimore norm and the Washington norm and the Every Place U.S.A. norm, the West Virginia norm gbwc_superuseres people?s thoughts and actions.

Our society grows weary with this syndrome, forming each one?s unique norm to isolate one another. One is against the other. One envies the other and competition rises. Ironically, the more people create norms, the more they are trapped. Paul?s letter to the Galatians talks about it.

Many early Christians lived in central Asia Minor, where the population was primarily Celtic ? called Galatians in Greek. They were offended by some leaders, mostly the Jewish Christians, who insisted that members accept circumcision and take on the obligation to obey the Law of Moses in order to be a part of God?s redeeming community.

From his letter to the Galatians, Paul points out a norm, the perverted gospel misled by some leaders of the church. Surprisingly, there were some apostles and other leaders of the early church, like Peter or the followers of James, who confused the early Christians (2:11-14) with their own norms.

According to Paul, however, true freedom is given by faith in Christ ? trust in God?s promise, not by human achievements nor by any desires of the flesh. Paul then nails down the kind of life true followers of Christ need to seek out. It is a fruit-bearing life.

Again, what makes it fruit-bearing is a serious question not only for Paul?s audience but also for those of us living in the 21st century. Only those who are under the Spirit bear fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are completely different from the works of the flesh he listed earlier.

No law or norm should be against fruits of the Spirit. These fruits can be borne only by those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit. These people belong to Christ Jesus, who died on a cross for our sins.

They don?t compete against one another. They don?t envy one another either. Their life is completely different from those who are under the bias, law, norm, or any sort of tradition. They live with the gospel of Christ, Christ?s norm ? 'the will of God setting us free from the present evil age.'

Rev. DaeHwa Park is the associate pastor at Oakdale Emory UMC.

 

A DEVOTIONAL for the Discipleship Adventure

Daily challenges: Identify a bias, norm, or tradition that we as leaders of the church have been creating, confirming, or promoting without knowing it. Listen to others. Honor others? norms. Love those who are different from you as yourselves. Seek out the Gospel of Christ, Jesus?s norm.

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes to see your will. Send us the Spirit of Christ, the Counselor and soften our heart and mind which have been hardened to others, that we may live with your love, Christ?s norm. Amen.