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To
manifest means to materialize into reality and GRACE is a gift as well as a
state of being. Needed to start out
broad there because we need to see, hear and ponder the Word—being, as well as
the Word— GRACE. BE-lieving is the
process of faith. BE(ing the) attitude
is Jesus series of statements concerning the living, breathing reality of the
Kingdom of God. “Being” the attitude of
GRACE is the epitome of the spiritual treatise Christ presents to us with the
Sermon on the Mount.
Christian
Existentialist Soren Kierkegaard outlines the spiritual warfare battlefield, we
all face: “You wanted God’s ideas about
what was best for you to coincide with your ideas, but you also wanted him to
be the almighty Creator of heaven and earth so that he could properly fulfill
your wish. And yet, if he were to share your ideas, he would cease to be the
almighty Father. When you had doubts about what came from God or about what was
a good and perfect gift, did you risk the venture? And when the light sparkle
of joy beckoned you, did you thank God for it? And when you were so strong that
you felt you needed no help, did you then thank God? And when your allotted
portion was little, did you thank God? And when your allotted portion was
sufferings, did you thank God? And when your wish was denied, did you thank
God? And when you yourself had to deny your wish, did you thank God? And when
people wronged you and insulted you, did you thank God? We are not saying that
their wrong thereby ceased to be wrong-what would be the use of such pernicious
and foolish talk! It is up to you to decide whether it was wrong; but have you
taken the wrong and insult to God and by your thanksgiving received it from his
hand as a good and perfect gift? Did you do that?”
Living
into the reality of GRACE as both gift and lifestyle is taking up our crosses
and following the one who freed us from sin, death and the devil: Christ Jesus! Being the “attitude of gratitude” is just one
step in the process. Gracious living as
we see in the lives of the saints and martyrs is a hard road. Part of what makes that road particularly
difficult is its biggest obstacle—ourselves.
Why wouldn’t it be Satan? He’s
there of course, as the father of all lies and temptations… constantly working
on us to fall away, turn our hearts away from God… The opposite end of that ongoing daily battle
is Jesus beckoning our hearts to a prayerful obedience which fruits bear the
true bliss of heaven: (Galatians 5) “22… the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness,23agentleness, and self-control. 24And those who
belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25If we live by the
Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.” St. John concludes St. Paul’s treatise in
today’s epistle: “4Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is
lawlessness.5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in
him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either
seen him or known him. 8bThe Son
of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”
Wow, those are tough Words to hear yet alone take to heart as a
spiritual goal for as we know all too well, being both saint and sinner, we
will always fall short of the glory of God…
That doesn’t mean that we stand idly by, but BE-gin to live into the
call of discipleship that comes with a great cost. The beautiful “attitudes” Christ preached to
the hearts of the multitude upon that mount or plain is the walk of faith. There are no short cuts for there is really
only one true path… The Way is Jesus
Christ who is Lord of our lives opened by faith, a manifestation of GRACE. GRACE cannot get any greater than how that
cross took the totality of our ugly, sinful world within itself and restored
our relationship with God the Father.
The restoration work is an ongoing re-formation= transformation
that as seen by the lives of the saints, takes a revolution of sorts. A revolution against the grain—a revolt
against idolatry, greed, indifference and all the ugly fruits the devil tempts
us to cave into in thought, word and deed. 20th century martyr
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was on one level, merely a Lutheran pastor living in America’s
WWII society. He had every chance to
stay home on the sidelines and pray for a peaceful end to Hitler’s satanic path
of destruction and devastation… Instead
he had to live into his convictions. He
was definitely diving into taking on his “cost of discipleship,” to the point
of death!
We all can’t be martyrs or saints for that matter but what are
we called to BE? There is a lot of
discernment that needs to obviously take place when one considers becoming a
pastor of Christ’s church. BE-ing a
leader, needs one to allow themselves to BE lead. The Holy Spirit guides our steps as the GRACE
of God builds the foundation of the internal church within our hearts to come
and follow Him. Conviction and
intentionality are married spiritually when living into the reality of GRACE.
For who am I? Is better said as for whose I AM.
Whose I am is that of God—I am a loved child of God. I am blessed, for everything in my life has
exampled movements of His GRACE working within me and around me. It is too profound of a reality to truthfully
claim to understand but KNOW deeply WHY I must BE-lieve. Belief leads one to be
living into the light of God’s GRACE.
GRACE is a tangible place for those who marry their hearts to the Will
of God—willingly and with great passion. The “Passion” of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ was His cross and resurrection for our New life, New creation.
The battle-cry statements of the Beatitudes Jesus ordains his
disciples through are also our ordination Words, along with our Baptism, into
the priesthood of all believers! All
walks of life are called to Him—whether they BE artists, actors, writers,
workers and laborers to realize the Kingdom of God. Luther says it best: “He leaves nothing out
that will help to strengthen and console us, whether it BE His Word and promise
or the example and testimony of all the saints and of Himself. What more would you want and need? With such
comfort, should we not put up with the anger and spite of this world and the
devil for His sake? What would we do if
we did not have a righteous and divine cause?
For the sake of the Gospel, there must be some suffering; it reinforces
the faithful and advances them to their promised comfort, joy and bliss, and it
punishes and damns the wicked—enemies of the Gospel.”
Purpose is the internal, existential battle between the self and
God. It is one that can take many forms
as well as one that can be distorted by the evil one to the point of
nihilism. Are you built by idealism or
by value? For everything we DO can be
brought into question—why do we gather, why do we need to pray, why do we need
to cry for our neighbor… Why do we need to Love God! In that same breath, why do we need to LIVE
then, if we don’t want to hear or avoid God’s call to us; God’s ordination upon
us?! Jesus Christ defines our purpose as
well as has given us New life: GRACE.
GRACE is the total sum of purpose, the point of BE-ing as our
lives grow for the sake of the Gospel.
We are children of GRACE, created to be creating out of our faith for
the Glory of God. My life has re-formed,
transformed purpose—for Christ Alone—my tenacity cannot be trampled upon, not
by people, not by Satan.
AMEN
Sunday November 3rd,
2013 All Saints Sunday; Year C; SOLA Lectionary
Psalm 149; Revelation 7:2-17; 1
John 3:1-13; Matthew 5:1-12 Nicole
Collins
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