Concord Chronicle

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord." (Romans 12:17-19 NIV)

The text quoted above is a prime example of why I think that we as humans are upside down with respect to the morals and ethics of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Jesus started it all with the “turn the other cheek,” “if compelled to go a mile, go two,” “if a man asks for your tunic, give him your coat, too,” “repay evil with good,” “the last shall be first,” “to be a master, be a servant” teachings he is famous for. Paul, writing to the church at Rome is elaborating on this same theme, but guided by the Holy Spirit, we get some other insights into heavenly thinking.

We sometimes forget that apart from the Gospels, Acts, and Revelation, all the “books” in the New Testament are letters. They are from real people to real people. It’s as if we are listening to one side of a telephone conversation between the apostle and the people on the other end to whom the letters are addressed. And in the same way, we can deduce from the context some of the issues on the “other end” being addressed.

Obviously here Paul is addressing a “tit-for-tat” mentality in the Roman church. We don’t know if this was an internal problem between and among the worshippers or directed at unbelievers outside the church. In either case, Paul is telling them (us?), “Cut it out, guys!”

It seems obvious that repaying evil with evil directly leads to increasingly bad outcomes, but in our society today, people justify this kind of behavior with what I call “whataboutism.” It’s a form of deflection which says, “I know I shouldn’t, but what about what he did?” You see it in politics all the time when the poor behavior or hypocrisy of a leader of the opposite party is used as justification or absolution for reprehensible behavior on the other’s part. It happens in the church too, the moral failings of another do not justify laxity on our part. Paul might say, “cut that out!”

Paul’s advice is to “be careful” to do right.

“Be careful” here is a legal term very similar to what we have today in business law as “due diligence.” It means to “exhaustively explore” or to “leave no stone unturned” to ensure that those who see our actions will unequivocally judge them as “righteous.” This requires action and effort on our part to examine proposed actions, not some laissez-faire lazy attitude that says “like it or lump it.”

Paul is a realist, though. He knows that peace will not always be possible because of the attitudes, desires, or intentions of others. What he advocates is that at the very least it can never be said that we “started it,” because we have explored every avenue and means available to us to avoid strife. Interestingly, the word for “peace” here is “shalom” which is a verb, that is we should aggressively be “peace-ing” everyone! Again, action is implied. It’s not enough to say, “he doesn’t want to live peaceably with me.” We have to be actively seeking peace at the same time and exploring every possible means to do so.

I have long been intrigued by the end of Paul's admonitions here, “…leave room for God’s wrath.”

The implication is that if we try to take revenge we limit God’s potential to enact true justice. To "enact justice" is another way of saying “obtaining a righteous outcome” and righteousness is a defining characteristic of God himself. We might feel that we have achieved some form of justice in revenge, but in doing so we will have strangled the fuller justice God already had in mind. I don’t look forward to that performance review in Heaven!

As I said, we are listening to one side of a dialog with the church at Rome in Paul’s letter, and we don’t really know whether the main problem there was external or internal to the church. It is certainly sadder if it was an internal problem because that flies in the face of Jesus’ command to “love one another as I have loved you,” but either way these are eternal principles for every Jesus follower.

If you or your church is having this kind of problem, cheer up! - Help is at hand! Remember, the Holy Spirit was given to come alongside us and help with precisely this kind of thing.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5 NIV)

Above all, actively seek peace, it’s what Jesus-followers do!

Peace out!

Blessings on you and yours,

Jim Black

You've probably heard the expression "The Wisdom Of Solomon", well you can come and hear it first hand in our new sermon series for the next three months. See you in church! Sundays at 11:00 AM. We have our services in-person and streaming on The Salvation Army Concord Corps Family Facebook Page which is different from The Salvation Army Concord Church Facebook Page.

SUNDAY:

• 9:00 AM - Junior Praise Team Practice - Chapel
• 10:00 AM - Sunday School - Small Classroom
• 10:00 AM - Corps Cadets - Library
• 10:15 AM - Prayer Meeting - Prayer Room (in the Courtyard)
• 11:00 AM - Worship Service - Streaming on Concord Corps Family Facebook Page and In-Person
• 12:15 PM - Singing Company Practice - Chapel
• 1:15 PM - Junior Band Practice & Music Electives - Chapel
• 7:00 PM - Corps Council Meeting - Zoom

TUESDAY:

• 6:00 PM - Men's Bible Study - Fireside Room
• 6:00 PM - Women's Bible Study - Hybrid, Zoom & In-Person
• 7:00 PM - Songsters Practice - Chapel
• 8:00 PM - Senior Band Practice - Chapel

WEDNESDAY:

• 10:00 AM - CAMEO: Planning Meeting - Zoom

FRIDAY

• 6:00 PM - YouthForce - Check YouthForce Facebook Group for details

When: Every Sunday at 10:00 AM

Where: Prayer Room

We are going to relaunch the Sunday morning Prayer Meeting now that we have Pamela Johnson taking the lead. Prayer is such a crucial part of our faith and there is definitely power in prayer. This will be an opportunity to pray over the fellowship's concerns, a time of intercessory prayer, and a designated time to ask the Lord to fill our worship time with His presence. Please join her for this time.

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people." (Ephesians 6:18, NIV)

"I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer." (Psalm 17:6, NIV)

See one of our lovely Corps Cadets who will have tickets for purchase. Funds will benefit youth programs - retreats, outings, and service projects.

This will be our annual kick-off for this event. The young people will serve the luncheon and there will be live entertainment from the Jazz Combo, Night Pond, consisting of music students from Diablo Valley College.

What a wonderful way to celebrate fellowship and friendship! We hope to have your support!

If you don't want to stay for the meal, but would like to contribute to the fund. We will kindly accept any and all donations.

Cost: $10 for adults; $5 for children (0-11)

RSVP by February 9th.

Theme: Love ...

"To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God." (Micah 6:8)

When: February 19, 2022

Location: Suisun Kroc Center, 586 E. Wigeon Way, Suisun City, CA 94585

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (Registration at 9:30 AM)

Cost: $10 includes lunch and activities

This day will be filled with music, games, certificates, workshops, food, and God's Word. Delegates will safely rotate and enjoy the amenities at the Kroc Center. (CDC guidelines will be implemented.)

Registration is due by February 10th. Let Major AnnMaguerite Jones know if you want to go. Delegate forms must be signed ahead of time.

mailto:annmarguerite.jones@usw.salvationarmy.org

Theme: Fashioned by Grace (Titus 2:11-12)

"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "no" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age." (Titus 2:11-12)

New Date: March 12, 2022

Time: 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

Location: Concord Corps

Cost: $10 per person and includes lunch (craft workshops may require a fee)

We are hosting our very own women's day retreat! Please feel free to invite your friend, a neighbor, and family. They don't have to attend our church or any church for that matter. The program includes an Over the Top Hat Fashion Show and a homemade Hat Contest. Prizes awarded!

Our guests include Colonel Donna Igleheart, Major Pam Brackenbury, Major Candi Frizzell, and Major Dianne Madsen.

There will also be an accessory and clothing exchange. Bring gently used and in good-condition items to swap with someone else's items. You can get 1 item for every item you bring in. Maximum of 10 items. After that, you can purchase additional items for $1 each.

RSVP with Major AnnMarguerite Jones by March 7th:

mailto:annmarguerite.jones@usw.salvationarmy.org

Theme: Zest for Life

Dates: March 13-15, 2022

Location: William Jessup University

Cost: $75 which includes housing, food, materials, and a t-shirt

There will be workshops, fun activities, inspirational worship, and fellowship. They are even putting on a Prom! So start getting your outfit together!

Registration is due April 13th.

See Major AnnMarguerite Jones or Major Willdonna Rich if you would like to attend.

Dates: March 22-24, 2022

Location: Camp Del Oro, Nevada City

Current Emergency Disaster Service volunteers, new prospective volunteers, church members, and community members are welcome to attend. This training is intended to grow and advance Corps Disaster Deployment Teams and get them ready for the next activation for incidents both divisionally and locally. Training is being organized by the Divisional Disaster Services Team.

More information and registration details to come. This is a SAVE THE DATE announcement.

Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of 4 free at-home tests from USPS.com. Here’s what you need to know about your order:

• Limit of one order per residential address
• One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
• Orders will ship free starting in late January

Here is the link: https://special.usps.com/testkits

Email: annmarguerite.jones@usw.salvationarmy.org
Website: https://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org
Location: 3950 Clayton Road, Concord, CA, USA
Phone: (925) 676-6180
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tsaconcord