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I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. This is one of those wonderful statements every Christian on their journey needs to repeat deeply in their hearts. It's been a long road, one where you feel you haven't hung onto the ride tight enough... It has been difficult for me to feel confident that God is enabling me to will and to work for His good pleasure. As I’m sure many of us, here, can share together on our faith journeys. From the very beginning of time, we were born from the earth—“Adams and Eves;” we’ve had to face that challenge of either keeping our old “clothes” on or putting on the New.
The
conditional if, comes as anxiety fills in around that confidence, we need, to
be truly wedded to the cause of Christ. This is the evil one’s efforts to chip away at
the Christian's heart. For we must not
forget our knowledge in Christ is built through the heart first before lived
through the head, hands and feet. It's disconcerting when others can't see your
heart and where it is being and becoming in, with and through Christ Jesus.
Rest assured, our heavenly Father knows everything our hearts hold!
I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me is humble affirmations. It is
built upon a cross that a disciple truly bears, owns up to and is accountable
to, most profoundly. This past week, I was walking through the empty home of a
retired pastor already gone he left so much of himself there it was like
walking into a cemetery. I saw his glasses on an abandoned lampstand, much like
looking at a loved one who’s passed on, I felt grief as well as promise.
I
came to that church 12 years ago with someone who’s name was Adam—meaning earth
in Hebrew. Upon moving on from this person, the pastor who had just literally
started there a year later, began to encourage me to then move up the street to
the church I would have my conversion experience at. This image and memory came back crystal clear
when thinking for a moment; how this man saw, lived into his commitment to
Christ as a pastor for Christ’s Bride—the church. I have been indebted to him ever since for
those early days of discernment.
When
we truly and truthfully look through the eyes of Christ in all that we do, say,
be and become for the Glory of God and the Gospel... We CAN do all things through Christ when our
hearts don that wedding robe... Do we bind ourselves, however, our hearts,
hands and feet and throw our lives into the outer darkness of despair, lack of
purpose and commitment?
The
view through these lens that this pastor wore may seem clear upon just a
surface glance, but through them this person lived and emanated the light of
Grace... “14 For Many are called, but few are chosen...”
One
of the words I really didn’t care for much in my pastoral ministries classes
was the word legacy. To me, it smacks of
ego, “accomplishments” and truly a worldly understanding of how we are to operate
within the earthly family of Christ. We are not to be leaving legacies more
than we are to be empowering, encouraging, enlightening and nurturing one
another. Paul’s beautiful words to his
beloved congregation in Philippi say this best:
“9Keep
on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in
me, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Basically he’s telling them to keep up the good work as a shepherding,
nurturing pastor would. He continues: “12I
know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any
and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going
hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. 13I can do all things
through him who strengthens me.”
The secret Paul speaks of is heart
knowledge. The heart is the tabernacle
of the Holy Spirit’s work as well as it is the place of planting, the place of
vision. This place of vision and
planting needs to be tended to, and God is the initial gardener. Our task however, onward is to own up to this
commitment. Owning up to the commitment
has its challenges as Paul said earlier on...
“6Do not fret or have any
anxiety about anything, (he says) but in
every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite
requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.7And
God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its
salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content
with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all
understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus.”
“That tranquil state of a soul
assured of its salvation through Christ—this is the reality of Grace. This is that peace that surpasses all
understanding when what has been done and left undone are realized through
those New lens—that transformed, renewed, regenerated heart for Christ Jesus
and His Gospel! These New lens can and
will do all things through Christ for it is Christ who’s strength we take
refuge in.
My pastoral peers and I attended a
wonderful series of lectures at a Lutheran gathering. One in particular was very interesting in
light of that haunting statement from Paul: “I can do all things through Christ
who strengthens me.” It was a four hour
workshop on church planting. The art of
birthing a church in our ever-growing, seemingly bleak forecast of the world of
faith in 21st Century America as well as preparing yourself to be
deeply engaged in discernment.
Discernment is that spiritual
formation growing edge we engage in spiritual warfare battle between good and
evil. Discernment is what can make or
break a disciple conflicted and without spiritual rest. When the world says the opposite and condemns,
it is the sign for the Christ follower that they are on the right path. In many ways it is like piecing that New
garment together patch by patch till you are complete.
Easier said than done—it’s the Murphy’s
law of ministry! Satan would be much
happier if we caved into our despair and insecurities since the empire he has
built up around us feed our instinctual, transactional, selfish whims and
desires. Despairing and being
discouraged can be the “kryptonite” for many of us especially in our dark nights
of the soul. We need to open our hearts
to the many colors of God.
The Cursillo community helps to open
that door to realize most profoundly our roles in the priesthood of all
believers. I recently have been reminiscing
about serving Cursillos as well as the ultreya gatherings I used to host in
Chicago at this pastor’s church. Perhaps
the word itself, Cursillo should be exchanged with the Greek word for rejoice/
grace: chairete.
The transliterated word, chairete almost
could be mistaken to mean charity. We
could never however look to our understanding of God’s Grace as charity for it
is so much more... It is the great
wedding feast between the Lord and His children. Even though we may walk through dark valleys;
we need not fear for as the Prophet Isaiah says: “He will swallow up death forever and then
the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces... This is our God, we have waited for him... let
us be glad and rejoice in His salvation!”
No matter where you are, everything
does happen for a particular growing-edged reason. The wonderful gracious and loving pastor I
knew did not look through those lens as rose-colored glasses but looked through
them with Christ’s light shining brightly in his heart inspiring those hands
and feet to serve for the Glory of God.
AMEN
Sunday October 12th,
2014; 18th Sunday After Pentecost; Year A; Lect. 28; SOLA
Lectionary Nicole Collins
Psalm 23; Isaiah 25:6-9;
Philippians 4:4-13 & Matthew 22:1-14
Link to the Matthew West song: Strong Enough: http://youtu.be/A8JsRxVczmQ
Video of the sermon:
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