Hello, my friend Dr. Brad Miller here with the Daily Bible Refresh.

This is your daily reading of the Bible from a progressive point of view.

In a bit I will read the New Testament lessons selected from the Revised Common Lectionary for this very day.

The reading is understandable.

I use the message version relatable.

Please listen to the points to ponder and applicable with action steps you can take.

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Here's today's reading.

Reading today from Romans 11:1 6 from the message the loyal minority does this mean then that God is so fed up with Israel that he'll have nothing to do with them?

Hardly.

Remember that I the one writing these things.

I am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham out of the tribe of Benjamin.

You can't get much more Semitic than that.

So we're not talking about repudiation.

God has been too long involved with Israel, has too much invested to simply wash his hands of them.

Do you remember the time Elijah was agonizing over this same Israel and cried out in prayer, God, they murdered your prophets, they trashed your altars.

I'm the only one left and now they're after me.

Do you remember God's answer?

I still have have 7,000 who haven't quit, 7,000 who are loyal to the finish.

It's the same today.

That's a fiercely loyal minority.

Still, not many perhaps, but probably more than you think.

They're holding on not because of what they think they're going to get out of it, but because they're convinced of God's grace and purpose in choosing them.

If they were only thinking of their own immediate self interest not, they would have left long ago.

That ends the rating.

Let's get into it here.

I just want to thank you first of all for spending a few minutes with me here on Daily Bible Refresh.

It means a lot to me.

In this passage here from Romans 11, Paul is asking the blunt question, has God given up on Israel?

Has God given up on me?

And then the answer is hardly.

God's faithfulness runs deeper than our fear, deeper than our deeper than headlines, deeper than cynicism.

So Paul puts the Story of Elijah front and center, who also felt completely alone.

And Elijah thought, am I the only one left?

And God responds, I've still got 7,000 who haven't quit.

And that Paul refers to that.

Then about this fiercely loyal minority, small but steady group convinced of grace more than self interest.

So let's get into this here in terms of trying to understand the implications for you and for me as we have this personal conversation, you and I, about this.

Let's talk about some points to ponder some teaching points here.

The first one is this.

God's covenant faithfulness calls us to reject anti Judaism and practice solidarity.

Paul is crystal clear.

God is not washed God.

God does not wash God's hands of Israel.

That matters theologically and ethically.

The church, I mean now the Christian church has a tragic history of anti Jewish rhetoric that we have to push back on.

And it starts right here at Romans 11.

Progressive faith honors the Jewish people and and rejects anything that's anti Semitic.

The idea somehow that the Christian church replaced Israel is just flat out wrong.

God's covenant love is bigger than our biggest, bigger than our narrow mindedness and deeper than our biases.

In practical terms, this looks like learning from our Jewish neighbors, resisting antisemitism and building bridges, not tearing them down.

Grace doesn't erase someone else's story.

Grace honors it.

When I think about my own family, my wife and my parents and my grandparents, when I think about those who come after me, my three children, my grandchildren, I think about legacy and heritage.

And I want those who come after me to inherit a part of a church that I inherited that tells the truth about our past and chooses solidarity over superiority.

A second point to ponder.

Don't despise the small.

The loyal minority sustains hope.

You know, Elijah felt alone.

It talks about it here in this passage, but God had 7,000 holding steady.

Not a majority, but enough.

Enough to make a difference.

Progressive faith takes small communities seriously.

Those groups who keep showing up for justice, inclusion and care.

When it isn't trendy.

I think of folks in my cancer support groups that I'm a part of who keep encourage one another with text and Facebook posts and by cooking meals together and driving people to appointments.

It's not glamorous, but it's holy.

On my weekly podcast about people impacted by cancer, we talk about coping with hope and humor.

And I've learned that a small group of loyal friends, what can keep you going can be the difference between despair and courage.

In church life and public life, the loyal minority keeps the flame of goodness alive.

In the last year or so, one of my main teams, the Indiana Pacers, had a great run, but the years before that, they had some lean years before they made the NBA Finals.

And this year they're having a tough time, too.

But I've been a loyal fan and many others have too.

And the good times and the bad.

The idea here is you cheer on.

No matter what your status is, you don't quit.

Loyalty is love.

That stays point to ponder.

Number three.

Grace, not self interest, is the center of calling.

Paul says the loyal minority holds on not because of what they think they're going to get out of it, because they're convinced of God's grace.

Get that?

They're convinced of God's grace.

And that line messes with me in a kind of a good way.

That progressive faith resists transactional religion.

You know, that says, I scratch your back, you scratch mine.

We're not here to climb a spiritual ladder or protect our brand.

We're here because grace found us and, and claims us.

And grace sends us.

And maybe, like me, you've had some days when you kind of felt like Elijah.

Ah, man, I'm the only one.

Or days where you want to cancel your plans, skip out on something with your family and just veg out watching TV for a while.

Grace doesn't shame you for that, but it invites you to take the next faithful step.

Not perfect, just present for sometimes for me, it's having being silly and having fun with my grandchildren, or to break some tension with a silly joke, or sitting quietly with someone who needs treatment because silence can be a kind of prayer.

So what do we do with this?

Let's talk about action.

Here's an action step.

Practice concrete solidarity with a loyal minority near you.

You know, people who have been put down, seen as the other.

Maybe that is people that you know in your community.

Immigrants is one group that you can be helpful to so identify.

Also, you can identify a small group that's doing some good.

Maybe it's a cancer support group, or maybe someone having to do with the environment or some mutual aid network like a food pantry.

Or maybe it's a patient advocacy group.

They're doing some good and maybe you could help do some good with them.

Do one specific thing that cost you just a little time, a little energy, and show up and be a part of it.

Or write a note of encouragement or make a donation of time or money, offer a ride.

Email somebody, a representative to support healthcare and dignity for all.

Keep it small enough that you'll do it Grace grows in small and steady steps.

Now a word for those of you who may be feeling alone right now.

Like Elijah.

If you're in an Elijah moment, tired, isolated, unsure.

Remember you're not the only one left.

And God is keeping a count.

Maybe a quiet count, but it's a count indeed.

And there are more allies than you think.

Maybe I'm one of them.

Even if your circle feels tiny, tiny circles can hold big hope.

We'll pray here in a moment.

Before we do, I want you to know we have a resource for you called the ABC 123 Bible study method.

Invite you head over to our website, voiceofgodaily.com pick up that free resource.

Let's pray.

God of covenant, love and quiet to courage.

Thank you for staying faithful when we feel shaky.

Thank you for loyal communities, the 7,000 you can't always see.

Or for the single caregiver who won Quit.

Heal our histories.

Teach the church to honor Jewish people, to reject harmful stories and to choose solidarity over superiority.

Give us grace to show up when no one is watching.

To cheer for goodness just like we cheer on our favorite teams.

Bless those impacted by cancer with companions, laughter and and the courage to take the next small step even when the score.

Bless those and make our ordinary lives holy.

Help unlock the moments of relief when you feel like Elijah.

Speak to us.

You're not alone.

I'm with you.

Keep going.

Amen.

My friend, I am delighted you chose to join me for today.

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My name is Dr. Brad Miller and I'll be right here tomorrow with your Daily Bible Refresh.

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Remember, God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up.

It's created new every morning.

Sam.