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Did you
know according to Wikipedia that “Black holes are the cold remnants of former
stars, so dense that no matter—not even light—is able to escape their powerful
gravitational pull? Did you also know
these other fascinating facts about them: black holes are the last evolutionary
stage in the lifetimes of enormous stars that had been at least 10 or 15 times
as massive as our own sun?”
I also
didn’t know that “when giant stars reach the final stages of their lives they
often detonate into what is known as a supernovae. Such an explosion scatters
most of a star into the void of space but leaves behind a large
"cold" remnant on which fusion no longer takes place. In the dead
remnants of a massive supernova, no force opposes gravity—so the star begins to
collapse in upon itself.”
The
interesting article continues to say that—“With no force to check gravity, a
budding black hole shrinks to zero volume—at which point it is infinitely
dense. Even the light from such a star is unable to escape its immense
gravitational pull. The star's own light becomes trapped in orbit, and the dark
star becomes known as a black hole.”
Now let’s
take a look at this illustration and apply it spiritually to our discipleship
journey. We are comprised as disciples
of Jesus with possessing both the Old Nature (sin, thanks to Adam & Eve)
and the New Nature (the Gospel of Grace: Jesus Christ, the New Adam!). We always carry that remnant around, the Old
Nature that is. Our all too vulnerable
human nature prey to the temptations of sin, death and evil.
We can
seem to feel like “stars” in the world living in the world through the ego and
other worldly devices, agendas and temptations that we have allowed to rule
over us. In fact when we circumvent the Cross and walk deeper into the tunnel
of lawlessness towards the graceless wilderness… We may find ourselves not only
imprisoned, bondage to the very thing that made us “big,” but hardening,
turning inward upon ourselves against the love of God and neighbor to our own
spiritual demise!
Depression
can veil our vulnerability in even when standing in the light of the Son; we
can’t see, feel or allow ourselves to be fed and led by the Loving Grace that
Holy Spirit shines brightly upon us in efforts to help us grow. In fact, depression can feel like a spiritual
virus, dragging one down into hopelessness, anxiety and a purposeless pit. All can be eradicated through turning those
scars into New Nature stars! So be it,
the journey of the wounded healer wanting to live their life walking in the
footsteps of Jesus, the light of the world!
Discipleship
is not an easy journey and it was never meant to build an institution more than
it was to simply further the Kingdom of God through lives lived in GRACE! It takes a lot of our energy to live into
what seems to be very unnatural for us: humility as children of Grace, selfless
compassion and mercy to our neighbors and building upon a foundation of living
an attitude of gratitude. Wait a minute,
that’s not transactional, it’s not centered around ME and it certainly doesn’t
feed MY entitlement needs! Yikes, but true.
How
often have we found ourselves justifying an anything but grace-shaped
righteousness? How often have we seen in
the world around us the winds of the graceless wilderness—evil moving? I would say just this past week, we saw a
group of religious extremists going on supposedly “God’s directives…” to murder
a large group of artists in France.
Being formerly in the art world; it was a sad addition to the loss of
voice, message and expression whether you liked it or not!
The
Genesis text, at the very beginning of the Bible itself has always fascinated
me in thinking about how an ancient culture inspired by God’s voice in their
transforming hearts, tried to communicate how the world began. As we read, light
breaking into the darkness IS life itself—the first initiative of Love from God
the Father, the creator.
One of
the historical facts I learned early on in seminary about ancient cultures view
of the creation is that many saw the initial formation of the earth as coming
out of the chaos of the waters, and the darkness as a burst of light, life and
fruitfulness. Which we can equate to how
we are even born physically, out of the darkness of the womb through the waters
and into LIFE! Spiritually out of the darkness of sin, death and evil; we are
born to New Life through Christ.
Being
alive however for St. Paul in today’s passage from Romans truly does means New
Life through Christ. It is the Holy
Spirit’s Light of Grace washing our hearts and preparing a place for the Lord
as the center of our faith, our life! Being truly and truthfully spiritually
alive in Christ Jesus is to be and become bearers of the light for the sake of
world—for neighbor out of that same profound love growing deeply in the
convicted heart of the believer!
Recently
taking a survey on Spiritual gifts I was both surprised and delighted that one
of my strengths as a future pastor would be evangelism. The number one strength was pastoring,
showing/ living mercy to those whom are under your care. Yes, it gave me spiritual “boost…” but I also
saw it as a motivational tug upon me to not stop in making myself a true vessel
for the Lord to use in any way, shape or fashion he could.
Being a
bold witness in the world as a disciple of Jesus is as we know, definitely NOT
easy. Look at the transitional figure
between the Old Testament and the New—John the Baptist. You have to admire the guy in many ways for his
was the mouth, hands and feet that didn’t give up or stop until as we know,
Herod beheads him. He KNEW quite humbly
and truthfully that there was only so much he could do. You could think of this in a sense as well as
the Pastors’ challenge: There is only so much we can do… BUT we can’t afford to
stop or should let the forces of sin, death and the devil discourage and
distract us from our task in the world to lead and feed the Gospel of Grace abroad!
How
many of us however, will hear the TRUE Gospel of Grace over and above the
waning carcass of the “institution’s” politics, ego and agenda? We need to
ascribe to the Lord Alone glory and strength with the fruit of our lives shaped
in, with and through the Gospel of Grace, Alone! If the Words you are hearing
in your heart are shaping that darkened tunnel of everything but, the love of
God and neighbor, you are growing the beast.
At the heart of the graceless wilderness is Satan himself closing those
pathways out, growing as a black cloud of death and sin and essentially
destroying the Life we need to LIVE!
I was
recently counseling someone besides themselves in grieving the retirement of a
pastor whom they loved and were mentored by at one time on their discipleship
journey. He basically told me everything
that this new “pastor” is doing to the church has essentially made his decision
that there is now no life there for him to feel led and fed by the Gospel. He continues in saying it’s not all about
this person taking over so much more than it is about how they took over, that
left him feeling like this person was a vampire out for pension and synodical accolades. How disturbing indeed! He even found a dis-guarded note from this
pastor saying that they need to remember to rule the flock there, with an iron
fist. Yikes…
A
hardened, curved inward “soul” cannot ever carry the Gospel of Jesus for it
goes way past hypocrisy into frankly, evil.
Living into our Baptismal roles within the priesthood of all believers
cannot happen through living in the “guise” of the New Nature but catering to
the Old. We need to truly and truthfully
die to the Old and rise with the New. Be
and become like little children again washed in the Love of Christ, who is not
only the Living Word but the Light and Life of the World!
We need
to open that invitation that Baptism affords us to see, be and become. We need to allow the shining star of who we
can be through Christ Jesus be pulled, shaped and transformed by the
gravitational pull of GRACE. I love that
Matthew West song which has become a recent discipleship doxology for me: “Strong
Enough.” The lyrics outline the
spiritual struggle we are called to suffer through as disciples of Jesus as
well as includes one of my all-time favorite verses of scripture: “I can do all
things through Christ who strengthens me.”
I can
truly and truthfully reflect, confess, repent and renew that:
The Voice
of the Lord is creating a clean heart in me for I am listening with my saint/
sinner ears.
The
Voice of the Lord is firming up those weak areas in my heart tempted to fear,
or fall.
The
Voice of the Lord is burning away through His love and Grace those darkened and
hardened corners…
So I
can BE ALIVE! Alive in, with and through
Grace to the Glory of God—Alleluia & Thanks Be to God!
AMEN
Baptism of Our Lord (1st
Sunday after Epiphany); January 11th, 2015; Year B; SOLA Lectionary Nicole
Collins
Psalm 29; Genesis 1:1-5; Romans
6:1-11 & Mark 1:4-11
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