Galatians is a fascinating text. First off, Paul comes off as desperate. Desprerate to prove that his version of the gospel is right and those who are preaching a rival gospel are wrong. Desperate to ensure that the communities that he founded remain faithful to the message he preached to them. Desperate to ensure that the DNA of the community doesn’t morph into something he would view as unhealthy. And desperate he may have been.
Paul is hearing rumors that the community in Galatia is moving toward legalism, exclusion, control and dis-unity. All in all, he imagines this to be a death-blow to the gospel that he preached. A gospel of freedom, inclusion and unity.
I feel Paul’s desperation. I understand it. As a co-founder of a community, I understand what is at stake if the DNA begins to shift and produce a wholly different community than the one hoped for. And so it is with great importance, and a hint of desperation, that I too hope we can wrestle along with Paul to ensure our DNA, our identity propels us into the gospel of freedom, inclusion, unity and love. More to come on Sunday…