“Tightly or Lightly?”
Romans 12, as rendered in First Nations Version: An Indigenous Translation of the New Testament
So I went down a rabbit hole last week, which—if I’m being truly honest—is one of the many things I enjoy about sermon writing and writing in general. It is an excuse to explore various rabbit holes in search of an illustration, a story, or, most often, just a better understanding of something or how different things are connected.
I’m a bit embarrassed to say that it was only after I chose from Romans 12 the line you see on the cover of your bulletin—“Hold on tight to what is good”—that I realized it suggests the exact opposite of something I’ve been working hard at lately, which is to hold things lightly.
Lightly or tightly: Is this the question? Is it always better to hold things lightly, or are there some things to which we should hold onto with every ounce of strength and stubbornness we have?
I’ll say more about that in a moment, but first let’s notice the wealth of riches in the 12th chapter of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome. So rich and deep and important are all these marks of new life in Christ that a few years ago Marla Killough facilitated two or three different Bible study sessions on this chapter. There’s a lot to take in! There’s a lot to try to become. There’s a lot to aspire to and wonder about.
And there’s also a lot of guidance and reassurance, which is why I chose this reading for our lesson today. Not because we need to be told how to love each other, not because some unresolved or unspoken conflict is silently tearing us apart. Thanks be to God those things are not happening here right now.
But the thing that is happening is a big change. And when big, unsettling, uncertain change is afoot, we can get anxious. We can start sweating the small stuff and, in the process, forget the basics and the what-fors.
That’s nothing to be ashamed of; it’s totally normal. And it’s all the more reason to ground ourselves in what it means to be made new in Christ so that we might continue to become a sacred community of love and belonging.
So . . . back to the tightly vs. lightly question:
Based on what I found when I went down the rabbit hole, plus my own study and life experience, which includes some helpful learnings from our Buddhist friends, I want to suggest this morning some meanings that the phrase “hold on tight to what is good” may not immediately bring to mind. And I want to invite us to consider not only what it means to hold on, but also which things we want to hold on to.
But. . . . before we get to that:
I want to draw our attention to something else about this chapter:
Notice that Paul is not writing to an individual. He is not speaking of the faith journey as a solo vision quest, something we figure out all on our own.
He is very clear in saying that this business of following the Jesus way toward both a new life for ourselves and a new world for all is something we do together. To become the kind of beloved community that offers an alternative to the me-first and my-people-only ways of our economy and politics, we need the gifts and support of everyone. To grow in faith and understanding, to make it through the many storms of life, we need the perspectives, empathy, strengths, and companionship of others.
Give what you can to those in need, Paul says. Put others first. Open your homes and your hearts. Weep with those who weep, rejoice with those who rejoice, or, in the words of the First Nations Version: Dance with the ones who dance for joy, and shed tears with the ones whose hearts have fallen to the ground.
To which I would add: If you cannot walk in their shoes, take time to listen to their stories. Be curious. Wonder why they think and act the way they do. Seek to understand. We need each other—not only for the sake of the church, not only for the sake of the world, but also because we cannot become all we’re meant to be without the presence, compassion, witness, encouragement, strength, and authenticity of others.
And sometimes that means staying grounded when others cannot. Sometimes that means projecting a sense of calm when others are anxious. Sometimes it means being honest about our struggles when we would rather seem strong.
Which brings us back—again—to this idea of holding fast, or tightly, to what is good. We keep coming back to this admonition because it is important, and we keep coming back to it because it is hard. In any aspect of the spiritual life—or just life itself—we need more than to be told what to do. We also need methods or practices for how to do those things, and we need the support of dear ones and community to keep us going when we’d rather give up.
Unfortunately, Paul does not—at least in this chapter—say exactly what he means by “hold tightly.” Unfortunately, he doesn’t tell us exactly what that looks like or how to do it.
But I think we all understand the importance of staying grounded when everything around us is changing. We have the scriptural image of a large tree whose roots go down deep into the earth, keeping it alive even in times of drought, keeping it upright amid even the strongest winds.
That’s what I think Paul means when he says “hold on tightly to what is good.” In practice that might looks something like this:
Yes, there is a corrupt and authoritarian conspiracy to disable our democracy so that the schemes of wealthy white nationalists will take precedence over everything else.
Amid the reasonable fear, anger, destabilization, and uncertainty that these actions produce in people like us, we must hold on tightly to what is good. We can begin to do that by looking around and noticing all the good that we still have, everything from the United States Constitution and the power of the people, to movements for justice and peace, and our faith in a God of love and justice who is yet at work in the world.
And, yes, there is change afoot even in our beloved church community. The imperfect but long-suffering pastor some of us thought would be here forever is going to retire from full-time ministry, and we don’t know what will happen after that. Amid all the feelings and questions that brings up, we can hold on tightly to what is good. In this case, that means giving thanks that this community is made up of truly remarkable, deeply committed, and wonderfully gifted people. It means building up that community by, among other things, checking in with each other, honoring our feelings, supporting one another, and praying with hope for the new things God will do among us and for us.
And, yes, there is way too much hardship and uncertainty in our lives right now. Serious illnesses. Heartbreaking losses. Financial struggles. Moves. Job changes. The challenges of aging. Family members and friends who have lost their way.
I get it. I am dealing with the grief of how hard it will be to leave you, the sadness of my parents’ declining health, the reality that my sweet old dog, Scout, may not last much longer, and lots of uncertainty about the future.
But we can all hold on tight to one another. We can ground ourselves in God’s goodness and the gifts of community. We can develop the spiritual practices of prayer, meditation, trust, love, and regular engagement with the beauty of nature and the needs of the world. We can choose to find meaning in what is and stability in the things that do not change.
What “hold on tight” doesn’t mean istrying to keep things from changing or denying the reality of what is. This is where we need to learn to hold all things lightly so that we might hold tightly to what is good and lasting.
To hold something lightly simply means caring about it without trying to control it. It means understanding that the “present moment cannot be different than it is,” and noticing that our power in each moment comes from our capacity to decide how we will be in that moment. Will we resist what is—perhaps causing ourselves unnecessary suffering—or will we decide to look for what it might teach us, or where God is in it, or how we will pray to accept it?
To hold something lightly is not about being passive or resigned to whatever is sad, unjust, scary, or unsettling. It is about acknowledging that it is what it is and then seeking to discern how to be with it. It is about letting go of our illusion of control, keeping our hearts and minds open, and trusting that God’s love is with us in more ways than we know.
If it is within your power, Paul says, walk the road of peace with everyone.
May it also be within our power—as we hold on tight to what is good and hold lightly all that is—to also be at peace with God and with ourselves.
