Just
this past Friday my husband and I celebrated the 4th at my parents’
high-rise apartment building in Hinsdale, Illinois. Being an unusual location for a high-rise in
the middle of suburban Chicagoland...
The view was fantastic on many levels both for seeing nearly every
Eastern suburb and the city proper’s fireworks exploding across the night time
sky.
Another
aspect of this view from my parents’ current balcony ironically connected me to
today’s texts. As mentioned, the view is
somewhat surreal... where off in the distance appears the “light-floating
island of Chicago” some 19 miles due east and the thick brush/ forest of dense
trees as far as it seems to be. Sitting
at the little bistro outdoor table set, one’s eye matches the edge of the railing
where the brush/forest of the land meets the boundless depth of the sky &
of course the strange island of Chicago at the center.
For a
moment one could imagine both how we are bound to our Old Nature aspect of
ourselves spiritually—the forest & the railing bars and the sky with its
floating metropolis being that inward drive to seek and live into the New
Nature—our identity in Christ, “off in the distance:” A destination somewhat
unknown, as the trees/brush leave hidden challenges lying wait for us to experience
and grow from.
There
is a saying that you can never really go home again... this is true on one
level but vastly different when we think about WHOSE we are, what He gave to us
and the reality of the lifestyle of Grace incorporating, remembering baptismally—our
renewal and tension to be obedient even to suffering—our call to discipleship.
For
over 20 years I lived both physically and spiritually in the city of Chicago;
which through Christ’s work in my life has now revealed to me that this is the Old
Nature’s landscape to my former self. A
landscape that didn’t remember yet understand what Baptism was, until my
conversion to most literally hearing the Lord’s voice CALL and commission me to
as he mentions even in today’s text: “28“Come to me, all you that
are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take
my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and
you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy, and my
burden is light.”
The
Lord with His instruction and guidance in my life has helped me to persevere by
continually dying to my Old self and Rising into the New person, New life He
wants me to take part in. The Living
Word of God connects to us most definitely daily in our experiences. What makes the Word living is seeing the
paths of Grace woven into its fine tapestry that the Holy Spirit most
definitely guides and connects to our daily experiences in this world, but not
of it!
Even
the day before the 4th of July had that same “landscape and sky
perspective” to it as I hung an art exhibit in a Downtown Joliet café. This originally came about from the prompting
of the pastor at the 3rd church I have been serving at this summer
in order to finish my studies. He’s an
artist in his own rite and encouraged me to take on doing the exhibit as a
fundraiser which is a few blocks away from his church.
It’s
only been about a decade since I last exhibited as well as the Lord helped to
strengthen me in spiritually seeing my life in a New way. Looking at the handful of sculptures and
reliefs I brought down had me see both sides of myself yet again: The Old—now in
some senses, death and the New—preparing my family to venture into the valley
of the Sun.
The
tension and paradox of struggling to strive for being and becoming the New
Person Christ wants you to become; exampled itself in seeing the former self in
the spiritual encapsulation of art that couldn’t speak, couldn’t move except “BE.”
We
can just stay with the reality of “BE/being;” or Become the disciple Jesus
wants us to be by taking on the yoke of burden needed to grow and go with the
Gospel!
Be-coming
into the New Nature is not only a baptismal reality it requires tenacity where
in some ways you become a prisoner to HOPE—this is that yoke of burden,
carrying our cross we all must do as both saint and sinner and a part of the priesthood
of all believers.
I don’t
know what all lies waiting for my husband and I in the valley of the Sun... but
I must HOPE upon hope that God’s thread of Grace continues to guide me along
even when it truly becomes the valley: “11b.... , I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 12Return
to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; today I declare that I will restore to
you double.”
The
Psalmist speaks to our goal on the journey: “8The Lord is gracious
and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9The
Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. 10All
your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your faithful shall bless
you. 11They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of
your power,
12to make known to all people your
mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.”
Sojourning
to the Valley of the sun is our physical journey ahead but sojourning to the
valley of the Son is a life time’s for us all.... Think about our founder, Luther’s own
journey. Did he expect anything like
what would eventually take place? He
dropped his service as a monk and became an amazing transformed person who inadvertently
spurred on the Reformation!
He
even proclaimed in defending his position on how we are to understand and grow
in Grace as: "If you are a preacher of mercy, do not preach an imaginary
but the true mercy. If the mercy is true, you must therefore bear the true, not
an imaginary sin. God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a
sinner, and let your sins be strong (sin boldly), but let your trust in Christ
be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the
world. We will commit sins while we are here, for this life is not a place
where justice resides. We, however, says Peter (2. Peter 3:13) are looking
forward to a new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign."
A New
heaven and a New earth are to be built by our unwavering obedience and
commitment to strive to, as Pastor Dawson would say: “Do the Do’s of the
Gospel.” Doing the Do’s of the Gospel
means fighting off Satan’s efforts to want to dwell in our self-contained,
sinful desires and needs. Daily
remembering our Baptism is that discipleship process of Reflection, confession,
repentance and renewal. There are many
stumbling blocks to help aid our avoidance of being accountable through Christ
for the Kingdom of God...
The
only victory to come from this perpetual, spiritual warfare battle is the
spiritual fruits of Grace your New Nature lives strive to achieve! Hope is the wonderful blessing from faith to
BE strong and become salt and light for His glory, His will and precepts for
our lives as children of GRACE.
GRACE
much like HOPE needs to be an all-caps, extra-bold, Hollywood sized sign
reality in your life. I am grateful for
everything the Lord’s Grace has revealed to my heart to grow. All I could ever do is to follow and know
that He shepherds me, and His Holy Spirit—enlightens, empowers, enables and encourages
me to continue for His Sake and for my neighbor.
Let
Us Pray:
Heavenly
and Gracious Father,
May
our hearts be and become gracious to Your Will
Help
us to not shy away from being and becoming freely responsible servants
May
our heart knowledge be led and fed by Your Holy Spirit’s tapestry of Grace
Weaving
our lives together for Your Glory and honor and Blessing
May
we come to rejoice greatly being bound to a Hope that will shape and transform
the World!
We ask
all these things in Your Most Blessed Name—
AMEN
Sunday July 6th, 2014;
4th Sunday after Pentecost; Year A; SOLA Lectionary Nicole Collins
Psalm 145; Zechariah 9:9-12;
Romans 7:14-25 & Matthew 11:25-30
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