in the pasture to a very protective mother. Although the cow had plenty of milk, Christian couldnt seem to figure out how to nurse. Larry and I got him away from his mother and got him to drink a bottle of colostrum mix; we were sure that a calf with a full stomach and a willing mother would be just fine. The next day, however, Christian still looked hungry. Larry tied up the cow and held him up to her, and Christian drank his fill. That evening, Larry tied up the cow again. Christian still wouldnt eat unless the (teat) was literally put in his mouth. It was decided that Christian was simply too stupid to be trusted when Larry and Peggy had to leave town, so he is now a bottle calf. Of course, I still have to go in the pen and straddle him, feeding him the bottle from behind, if he is going to eat. How could God let an animal who cant even figure out how to fulfill his most basic needs without human intervention be born? As you may have guessed from the calfs name, I see a connection between his bull-headedness and the human response to God. In Romans, Paul is trying to explain why we should try to live good, moral lives even though all of our sins have been forgiven through Christ. If following the rules doesnt earn us any credit in heaven, and Jesus came to abolish the law, what is the point of doing so? It is easy to get bogged down here, as it is any time that we look at laws and law enforcement. For example, Michael Bennett, who plays for the Seattle Seahawks, is one of the NFL players who has chosen not to stand for the national anthem. He recently reported that he was caught in the middle of an incident in Las Vegas where shots were fired. During the police response, he was treated roughly and ended up on the ground with guns pointed at him. He feels that this happened because he was judged as guilty of being black in the wrong place at the right time. In my opinion, it is virtually impossible to have a meaningful conversation about this for several reasons: 1. We werent there, so we have no understanding of exactly what happened. 2. We arent one of the participants in the incident, so we cant share the lens through which they experienced it. 3. There is too much pressure to choose sides for or against law enforcement. If we cant talk reasonably about the divide between law enforcement and people of color, how can we possibly be trusted to interpret divine justice? In todays gospel reading, Paul tells us, you know what time it is. This isnt a warning that the end is near, but a reminder that the promised new beginning is near. Salvation is now nearer to us than when we became believers. The natural response, according to Paul, is love. We love one another, not out of a sense of obligation, but out of sheer joy. Martin Luther saw no spiritual gain in following the law simply to avoid consequences -- he called that the civil use of the law. On the other hand, he said that the believer without any coercion and with a willing spirit, insofar as he is reborn, does what no threat of the law could ever have wrung from him. Discussing President Trumps executive order ending the Dream Act, a legislator said, We dont want those who came into the country under this act to be punished. On the other hand, we dont want to reward them with citizenship either. Lets leave the rewards and punishments to God and simply do our best to love one another! AMEN