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Several
hundred years later, the house God would come to choose to dwell in and spring
forth from a 14 year old young girl.
Mary the Mother of our Lord led the way for the conception of Grace in
the world by saying YES to the Holy Spirit to bear the Christ child, Jesus. This
was a free-willed response or spiritual reception to living into the
commissioning from God to give “birth” to the Good News. This is the spiritual beginning of “church.” This is not just because Mary said yes, but
that God would risk coming into our world by implanting Himself within a young
girl to be born and grow into the role of salvation for the world.
Again,
we have that abstraction, that metaphysical, spiritual Word: GRACE. Grace
coming into the world as we proclaim and confess: fully God and fully human
would be Jesus. There are those in the “modern” theological world that would
love to claim that Jesus was not only NOT born from a virgin but that the
incarnation itself is not real. Why
would the eternal, almighty God creator of the universe and all beyond our
capacity of understanding… come to us through our humanity? This is the mystery
of faith. It doesn’t make sense to our
worldly, empirical, limited views of “life.”
“To BE
or not to BE;” that was Shakespeare’s poetic question from a challenged soul
trying to fathom life itself and purpose.
It is all too easy for us to get completely and ever so absorbed into
the universe of ourselves. In fact we have even made our self-contained, and
self-concerned reality into idolatry over and above God and neighbor. For what
is the human understanding of “wisdom” for some? But merely transactional gain,
experiential…only physical. Spiritually
upon St. Paul’s death bed however, from the closing remarks in his final
chapter of his letter to the Romans… We learn that this former Pharisee, now
converted and mind you, fully living into his conversion(!) confesses that the
mysteries—TRUTH of God took his life-time to be revealed to him through his
obedience—submission to what is heard (that is from the Living Word of God!)
St.
Paul said Yes to God many years earlier from that solitary unfathomable,
unknowable conversion experience he had where he heard Jesus speak to him to
receive Him and be and become the witness to the world the early church built
itself upon! My mentor told me this past
week that in order for me to grow as a pastor; I need to live truly even more
into seeing, breathing, tasting the Gospel in everything and anything I say or
do. Basically he told me I needed to
practice MORE into what I preach as a disciple, witness to the power of Grace
active in the world—Christ Jesus and His Gospel.
Thinking
so much about “church;” its reality in both senses of the meaning—had me deeply
dreaming again about planting a church or a ministry. There are a lot of
challenges of course as with anything… money, time, feasibility and
expression! Making that NASA footstep
onto an unknown path is pretty scary; but then I ask, how do you make it
real? Are you faithfully saying yes to
all God’s challenges placed before you as you sojourn into the lifestyle of
Grace? Think about a poor teenaged young peasant girl from Nazareth who would
go on to be the God bearer… she must have been both terrified and overjoyed
that God would come to her. Why? She
wasn’t anyone special… but neither are you or I for that matter BUT God finds a
way to use us; to work in, with and through us for His will and precepts for
the world.
We are
so limited as well as we feel the need or power to control others! The whole
story of who you are the world claims to understand let alone try to control
with what they feel you are to be limited to…
Then why believe if you can’t even live truly and truthfully into all of
what God opens up—reveals for you on your faith journey?! Our earthly “wisdom”
places us into spiritual bondage from “keeping it real:” the revelation of God
to be conceived and received within the heart—soul of all of who you are. All of who you are is the essence of life
contained in that abstract place—the soul.
If you feel you are limited to truly and truthfully live into God’s
plans for you; you will be living for everything but the Gospel! Welcome to
being human. The challenge of being both saint and sinner.
The
Lord of life works in mysterious ways.
He does reveal step by step, (when you pay attention and are aware), while
you sojourn into the lifestyle of Grace where He feels it is best for you to
consider… This past week in helping a
disabled couple meet with their social worker; God opened up the idea of
chaplaincy to me as a path I should consider in addition to planting a ministry. What has always been that spiritual, soulful
truth from the Gospel throughout my journey thus far, is to love God and
neighbor. How more real could I make
that path but through pastoral care. Do
I have the capacity to love as a wounded healer, yet alone as a former artist
and a dreamer? Yes, this is
introspective but something we should not be afraid to talk about as TRUTHFUL witnesses
of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. It is
definitely both a personal and communal journey to minister on behalf of the
Gospel. If you deny this or become “exclusive”
about it… you are not “keeping it real or making it real…” in your life as a
disciple of Jesus.
This
experience in helping two congregants from the church plant I served had me
both question and affirm my “yes” to God’s call in my life. As my husband & I both tried to help her
and her husband precariously walk down a non-handicapped considerate set of
steep stairs and a ridiculously winding wheelchair ramp… I thought about, did anyone take this into
consideration at this office? We got our
answer when we came in the door and the curt worker at the desk said that the
social worker is not in today and come back tomorrow. Keeping to erring on the side of Grace, I
pleaded with them to consider still trying to help them today since they wouldn’t
be able to have a ride to come in for the next as well as they didn’t even seem
to notice or care that they were out of breath and sweating from the walk down
to the office. The worker was frankly a
little hostile about it but begrudgingly told us to sit down and wait while she’ll
“try” to help us.
Once
all their papers were signed and everything that needed to be done was done; I
told the couple that I will personally help them to find an assisted living
residence to move to. They applied but
have not even received a call back from anyone at the home suggested to them,
so now we are planning to go up there somewhere up in Wauconda to get it
done. Why do any of this? Why should I say yes and take on all this responsibility? I’m not being paid. I’m not ordained
yet. Why bother? Isn’t this the world’s challenge upon
us? Why go there?! If I don’t how am I really being pastoral and
caring to anyone?
The
internal church of my heart where God planted that seed has conceived Christ at
the center of my life: GRACE. Heart
knowledge is fed and led by Grace received, incorporated, LIVED and shared. Listen
to St. Paul on his death bed: He says—“25Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my
gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the
mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings
is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God,
to bring about the obedience of faith— 27to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be
the glory forever! Amen.”
Paul is telling the Romans that they need to take on the
challenge of the Gospel. Taking on this
challenge all the while considering how Grace has been revealed, active and
working in their lives even now as he writes! Heart and head knowledge is in a
perfect world to be and become GRACE in action. Grace is the building blocks of
faith; it is trusting into the mystery of God.
Trusting into a living hope that goes far beyond us into the horizon as
the advent of New life—the New Adam, the New Eve. A re-creation and reception infused with
obedience (accountability) to live in the world but NOT be of it: BE of the
Kingdom of God as children of Grace. 37For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38Then Mary said, “Here
am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your Word.”
Nothing is impossible with God—this is the very challenge and
Joy of faith. A self-hating, spiritually challenged monk in medieval Germany
would unknowingly start a major reform by simply saying yes to God’s challenge
to him… Martin Luther, in front of his accusers and “faith-less” hypocrites
declared: “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience
is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God.
Amen.” Conviction means being with belief, (& obviously Luther lived it…). Conception
means with creation, reception means received.
You have been saved by Grace and are to live into this grace—a new life within
you, revealed to you. May the Advent of the Christ child coming into our world
renew that Grace to receive a New hope in your heart to continue on as a worthy
soldier, sojourner for the Good News.
AMEN
December 21st, 2014; 4th
Sunday of Advent; Year B; SOLA Lectionary
Nicole Collins
Psalm 89:1-5,19-29; 2 Samuel
7:1-11, 16 ; Romans 16:25-27 & Luke
1:26-38
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