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What makes a saint? Do we really have the right understanding of it today? The Romans over the centuries, haven't helped the meaning too much... it's not to be about earthly hierarchy at all. We are born both saint and sinner or as Luther punned and penned the phrase—Simul justus et peccator (simultaneously saint and sinner)... the ball is in our court so to speak....
It is
conversion-fed and lead to seek God and his righteousness! Period!
There's a lot of words that say to know, see or expect in all of today's texts.
It's not a cut and dry understanding though. This is our daily challenge. Do we
live to ourselves or do we live through Christ for the sake of others? It
always comes down to that first and most important commandment that we love God
and neighbor with the fruit of our lives lived in, with and through Grace.
Been
doing a lot of reflecting on the story of Kaci Hickox, the nurse who, until
this morning was being forced into quarantine as a precaution to test for
Ebola... Perhaps maybe she was in quarantine in another sense of her contagion
or potential contagion? The Maine judge did rule in her favor... and perhaps
she does have a point. After all she was being held against her will... But could
we possibly say her response was in the form of self-righteousness? How right was she being in caring though, or
being concerned for her neighbor? It's a contagious attitude today, she’s not
alone. This would be the ethics of
self-righteousness versus the ethics of selflessness and compassion (the Beatitudes
of Jesus).
It
only takes time for things to grow as well as it only takes time for things to
fester and die... There's also a lot of references in today's text about
time— our understanding of time versus God's time. What a beautiful thought to
have hope that is considered to be an expectation, trust and confidence in God.
The word in the original Greek “elpida” is in 1st John's text to mean hope as
to anticipate welcome, it is what is sure, it is having a certain hope.
The
waiting is the hardest part though, balanced against our always wanting and
needing for ourselves over and above neighbor... It has been made into an
accepted cultural norm—everything divisible by I, Me and Mine... Why couldn't
this nurse wait another 15 days doesn't she have a computer or DVD player or a
myriad of other technological supplies of entertainment? I'm sure she was
arguing and saying it's the principle of the situation. To whom does it
really apply though for whom does it really apply? Perhaps as well the authorities were
initially being quite tactless and tyrannical about trying to enforce her
stay...
We
could go on and on, in discussing how healthcare is supposed to be seen as “vocational
work,” not just being a service but for caring for others. Perhaps it's
not a saintly profession anymore on account of greed and indifference has made
an ugly web of “justice” in our discernment of doing the right thing? More and more hospitals if anything have cut
back on spiritual care since to their eyes it is more “cost-effective,” to sew ‘em
and ship ‘em out!
The
beautiful attitude that is within the Beatitudes of Jesus is something we are
to work towards faithfully as children of Grace. As a disciple it is
living into that daily process of reflection, confession, repentance and
renewal. We
will never become "Holy" only grow naturally towards it. This will be through our lives lived for and
through Christ and for the love and care of neighbor, only then, will we feel
in our hearts that closeness to God.
The
word for rejoice in Biblical Greek is pronounced chairete. What is particularly
beautiful about this word is that it literally means to rejoice in God's grace.
In particular it means to celebrate in God's grace, its experience and
reception into our hearts. Matthew's
Beatitudes for today, closes with Jesus telling His disciples: 12Rejoice
and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven...” Within this verse, there is
another word that we do not understand really all too well these days or we do
not see it as its original purpose was intended to mean... this is the notion
of reward.
Returning
back to the story of the “renegade nurse” refusing to stay in quarantine; did
she feel that her “reward” was her standing up for herself' as a
principle? The whole premise seemed rather graceless, if you ask me. Graceless
behavior is a natural behavior because we are inherently sinners. As disciples
of Jesus and ambassadors of His Body in the world, but not of the world, we are
to aspire to being "saintly." Again, though, what is the anatomy of a
saint? Or even better said, what is the anatomy of Grace?
The
Beatitudes are the language of grace, the anatomy of Grace. They are for our
development as children of God, children of Grace and promise. In many
places throughout the New Testament, our spiritual formation challenge Jesus
alludes to regularly, is our task to being and becoming fully developed in,
with and through the language and TRUTH of GRACE. As disciples of Jesus,
we have learned and need to continually remember that the well-spring of life
is GRACE. Grace is the essence of the
New Creation founded through Christ Jesus’ death and resurrection. His victory upon the cross and His rise did
defeat sin, death and the devil but it does not stop there... It is a costly Grace that beckons us to be obedient
with the faith produced, gracious fruits of our lives!
Being
a disciple of Jesus has never been an easy road nor a cut and dry road contrary
to the health-wealth Gospel preaching and other purveyors of cheap grace’s
empty promises.... We find it easier to keep those blinders on and see,
experience or believe upon things... as being only a black or white decision or
“choice,” we never focus on the truth that is in the middle, or at the center. We don’t want to go there because of the
spiritual work it challenges us to be obedient to. Why be accountable to God and others, when
the “un-holy Trinity” of I, Me and Mine beckons us to make ourselves a “number
one priority...”
Let
us hear and experience Jesus saying this again in the here and now: “12...
Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Living into the
reality and lifestyle of Grace is aspiring to live and think, function beyond
the box, beyond the world, and into the skies of the great unknown, the
heavens! Taking seriously the
implications and reality of GRACE is living boldly. It is taking that grand leap of faith into a
sure and certain hope!
Martin
Luther in jest, punned and penned our daily challenge not only as pastoral
leaders but to all leaders within the priesthood of all believers, He says: “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 St. Peter (2. Peter 3:13), are looking forward to a
new heaven and a new earth where justice will reign.”
The
last aspect of Luther’s comment is something we must harbor as “elpida.” This is that Greek word in today’s reading
from 1st John that is that beautiful sense of harboring,
anticipating a sure and certain hope. Within the cryptic and surreal poetry of
Saint John's Book of Revelation we hear a beautiful statement of our calling to
love God and neighbor, holding this hope. He says: “16They
will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any
scorching heat; 17for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be
their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God
will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
The Anatomy of Grace is when we live
with Christ Jesus at the center of our hearts as the guiding hope to our
actions in this world going into the next.
The story of the Ebola nurse and her rebellion wasn’t meant to be seen
as “she is the enemy” to the work and commandments of Christ but truly and
truthfully to represent our ongoing problem with discerning what is the “right
thing to do?”
The
reality and truth of grace is when we realize that the Lord Jesus redeemed the
lives of all of us, his servants, and instruments in the world of Grace... none
of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned. The world may condemn
and persecute the faithful and the Graceful but God knows our hearts and our
minds and the fruit of our hands and feet for his kingdom and His glory.
Do we hold ourselves accountable
truly and truthfully to God to truly and truthfully “Do the right thing?” Living into the reality of Grace is also
living into the reality of spiritual warfare.
The Evil One tempts us daily to live transactionally, for ourselves and
against God and neighbor, to the detriment of the Beatitudes—a graceless
wilderness also known as the reality of hell, here and now. We need to truly and truthfully with renewed
urgency and spirit be committed to fighting for the Gospel, knowing our saint
and sinner selves will always fall short of the Glory of God.... But while we are here, let us live faithfully
as loving and gracious children for Him who died for us and compassionately for
our brother and sister! Love is the law
of Grace and the anatomy of Grace.
AMEN
All Saints Day; November 2nd,
2014; Year A; SOLA Lectionary Nicole
Collins
Revelation 7:9-17; Psalm 34:1–10,
22; 1 John 3:1–3 & Matthew 5:1–12
http://youtu.be/Dg_dyK_WPko
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