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Glass half full?
‘Lost
in America’ is one of those kinds of films that invites those lingering moments
of thinking; are we willfully lost in ourselves or are we willingly lost in the
journey of Grace that God is shaping us through? Like clockwork it seems yet another summer
goes by—wringing out with lots of stress, pain and tremendous challenges… Speaking for myself, I don’t like summer time
for the most part, for the “promise” of the fall and its productivity, clean
aire and many things, the Old Nature within me loves to seek.
There
are two powerful, striking statements in “Lost in America,” one of which I
introduced last week—“let’s go back to New York and Eat $#&!” They did, and we don’t necessarily see much
after that except for the film credits.
Life sometimes though, is a lot like driving in the town you used to
live in long ago. As you wind through
those shadows of your former self, do you hear God’s voice whispering in your
ear, Words of Grace, Love? God: “Do you know why I had you go through this? For
certainly, your faith is built around Me; isn’t it?”
The
other statement comes near the beginning where Albert Brooks character
announces that he and his wife have dropped out of society and are seeking to
do things purely for themselves, more or less. What kind of promise were they
seeking? It makes you kind of
wonder. Which reminds me of my
grandmother… she was a character, no one was sure if she actually just suffered
from some kind of perpetual depression or not.
But anything and everything that came across her table or confronted,
challenged her… she never held a positive attitude. The glass was not half empty, it was in fact,
dry with the pale lines of hope marking the edges of the glass. What faith she once held was withered and
dried by her misplaced faith that she could control where God was leading
her. Or in more familiar family terms,
she just had that “old world Deigo” attitude.
I loved my grandmother but wondered if she ever allowed God to come
through that narrow door? Did she ever
see the promises of the Gospel, where she would be seated at that great table
in the Kingdom of God?
We
all are tempted by the best of intentions seemingly coming from God to rule our
destiny, to be our own “disciplinarians.”
Life doesn’t work that way.
Speaking of the turn of phrase, did Jesus inadvertently invent a form of
Murphy’s Law with this verse? “30Indeed, some
are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.” In this day and age, it is more than easy to
hear these Words with an aire of sarcasm or worst yet, cynicism. Cynicism is the opposite of belief. It is the willfully, deconstructing efforts
of the evil one himself to tempt you—to tempt you into tearing down and build a
mighty idol to the world and journey of the self. Luther said: “Faith justifies not as a work,
or as a quality, or as knowledge, but as assent of the will and firm confidence
in the mercy of God. For if faith were
only knowledge, then the devil would certainly be saved because he possesses
the greatest knowledge of God and of all the works and wonders of God from the
creation of the world. Accordingly faith must be understood otherwise than as
knowledge. In part, however it is
assent.”
So if faith was only knowledge, how could we understand God’s
GRACE working in, with and through our lives?
We’d always be looking back, lamenting and grieving the choices we’ve
willfully made over willing, confident, obedience to God! Discipline or
discipleship in, through and under the light of the Cross of Christ is tough
work. Speaking from experience, closing
year number 5 shortly to be moving into year number 6 in seminary studies, am I
counting those grey hairs or am I holding to God’s Promise written upon my
heart? There’s no shortened path or
something “to invent,” all is planned as you grow and go by the Holy
Spirit. God’s timing doesn’t follow our
parameters, OR our Old Nature promises to ourselves that there is something
above and beyond justification by faith through GRACE. Our lives are to be strikingly simple. The
simplicity is a three letter Word and Triune person; guess who yet? GOD. He is the one to be at the center of our
lives, our consuming fire to answering His call; the Lord of our lives!
Let me leave you with a story about an old friend I know who
obsessed about time and her plans for the future. She was a fellow student at the Art Institute
when I was there working on my first degree.
She used to do large scale paintings about the years of her life laid
out. They were ornate time lines in many
ways. Each little box represented a
month within the year. The sky above
represented the turbulent “rough” weather she’d experience and the sea below
was filled with many things. It was
almost as if it was a “soup” of anxiety, wonder & seeking… She wasn’t Christian (neither was I at the
time) she was Jungian. Jungian
psychology actually has some interesting things to share in how we encapsulate
our “time” into worlds. The microcosm of
the self would naturally appeal to my friend, because for years her art was
nothing more than these little worlds seeking but not defined. It’s like running down a tunnel where you see
the light at the end but the light as soon as you draw nearer goes farther
away. She always hoped that the end of
the year would reveal the success she tried to plan in trying to create a
smooth journey for herself into the world of Art. As to this day, nothing has happened for her
the way she planned. She’s now past the
age to have children as well as she never got her feet firmly planted on the
ground….
I asked her once when she was lamenting yet another “empty” year
as she put it: Do you feel as if you’re
in Hell? No, she replied with a quip of
sarcasm… I’m in “BoHo limbo…” How Low
can I go! She burst out laughing. At the
time, 15 or so years before my conversion experience, if I would’ve been able
to go back in time to help her as a Christian; I wonder how much of a
difference it would’ve made in her life.
For I know with my own, how much my faith in God has been the greatest
gift my life has ever realized. Faith
has created a New Person with the love of God as fuel to my passion for
ministry. Loving Him, loving neighbor by
being, doing, going and growing with all God has given me!
I recently chatted with her, nothing much has changed except
that her boyfriend talked her into coming to church. Where the future lies for her will be in how
well she opens that narrow door… “28Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be
shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with
reverence and awe; 29for indeed our God is a consuming fire.” And as Jesus says: “29Then people will
come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of
God.30Indeed, some are
last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”
Planting our feet firmly on the ground, building a solid faith
is a life time’s journey. There is no
quick or planned path for God’s time is not our own, neither are His promises.
Let Us Pray:
Loving, Gracious God
May we never not be grateful
For where the road may turn next on our journeys
Help us live in, with and under the light of Grace
Radiating from your Cross
May it be a consuming fire in our hearts to motivate us
To grow as we go about in the world
To serve you and neighbor
In Your most Holy Name, we pray—Amen.
August 25th, 2013; Lectionary 21; 14th Sunday after Pentecost; Proper 16; Year C; SOLA Lectionary
Psalm 50:1-15; Isaiah 66:18-23; Hebrews 12:4-29; Luke 13:22-30 Nicole Collins
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