"Guided by Our Sense of God's Grace"      2010

Jeremiah 31:31-35   Ephesians 4:22-5:2

 

Jeremiah 31:31-35

31The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more. 35Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord of hosts is his name.

 

Ephesians 4:22-5:2

22You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, 23and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. 26Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27and do not make room for the devil. 28Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. 29Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. 31Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, 32and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. 5:1Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

 

For the past eleven years, "Survivor" has been

            one of the more popular reality shows on television.

The time I watched it,

            I gathered that a group of strangers had agreed

                        to be filmed while living together on a primitive island.

 

They were divided into two teams

            which competed in a physical challenge   against each other,à

                        as well as  each individual  was in competition  not to be

                                    the weak link or perceived as holding the team back.

            Because, at the end of the show,

                        everybody came together for a council meeting,

                             and by secret ballet they voted someone off the island.

 

In the end, whoever was the last one remaining on the island

            would receive the million dollar prize…

                           … which of course motivates  only the very best of

                                    human nature, generosity, compassion and integrity.

 

I heard the participants speak the words

            'working together', 'community' and 'cooperation', a lot;

 

            but behind the scenes

                        there were sneaky attempts to form secret alliances,  

                                    and saying anything to manipluate things   so thatà

                                         someone else would be the one voted off the island.

 

It seems to me that this TV show, "Survivor" is exactly opposite

            of how Christians   gathered into the Church of Jesus Christà

                            are called to live

                                    and to be    in the world, but not of the world.

 

"Survivor" is about conniving to eliminate all the competition,

     by manipulating others with lies and innuendos,

            by false relationships, betrayals and vicious attacks,

                        that place your interest above and ahead of anything else.

There is nothing

          enduring or real or supportive about the 'survivor community',

                other than all out selfish manipulation to win at any price.

 

In stark contrast to life among 'the survivors';

            we,  the followers and family of Jesus Christ,     are called à

                        to live in authentic and supportive relationships;         

                                                   that joyfully share and reflect

                                                             the gracious love and compassion

                                                                        that we ourselves have freely received

                                                                                    as God's gift through Jesus Christ.

 

Our life together is about sharing and reflecting God's blessings,

     of being a healing & supportive community    that becomes possible

                        through God's transforming grace and presence    that is

                             active in us and among us when we gather in Christ' name.

 

The church is called to be something different,  entirely different

   than an island of castaways vigorously competing for a prize.

 

            BUT as it turns out, it's not really all that simple;

                        it's not all that easy,

                                    to live together in   truly Christian   common-unity.

 

What does it mean to follow Jesus Christ

          in living out  faithful and caring relationships with others

                   and for our lives to be guided by our sense of God's grace?

 

What does shared Christian life in community, really look like?

          And since the Holy Spirit  is present and active in our lives,

                      in what ways  are we motivated to behave differently

                             than our neighbors who do not yet know of God's grace?

 

The letter of Ephesians was written to recent Christian converts,

            mostly pagans and gentiles learning to live Christian lives,

                        but who did not know how to follow Jesus in their world.

 

These converts had always lived as pagans, among other pagans.    

                        Living a Christ-centered life among other Christians à

                                    as a family and community of faith was all new to them.        

The passage we read, was meant to help them grow in their faith,

            by teaching and instructing them how to follow Jesus Christ;

                and how that called for making significant changes in theirà

                    lifestyles and in the authenticity of their relationships.

 

This text was a checklist  for specific ways to live   as Christians

            that allow   for the Holy Spirit  to guide human behavior,

                                    as a reflection and expression

                                                of a changed heart and motivations,

                                                            in which we place faithfulness to God

                                                                   above our own selfish desires and wants.

Listen again, Ephesians 4:25-29

            So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another.

            Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.

            Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.

            Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

 

Quite a list of rules about what you should do, and should not do.

 

One time on a high school church retreat, some friends and I

            got all excited about our Christian faith and the Bible.

                           We really wanted to follow Jesus more faithfully

                                    so that we would grow in our faith and walk with God.

 

So we started a weekly Bible study so that we could learn for ourselves

            how to live a good and godly faithful Christian life.

Our plan was to make a list

            of all the commands and imperatives we could find in Scripture

                           as a handy reference tool for perfect Christian living

                                    and exactly what to do in every possible situation.

 

I really wanted to obey and please God, so I tried to follow

            that ever-growing list of commandments, warnings and rules.

                        BUT it didn't work out --- it couldn't be done,

                                       and it left me

                                                feeling more and more frustrated and defeated.

 

Even trying my utmost,

    with all the moral fiber, will and determination I could muster,

            there was no way to fulfill all those laws and requirements.

   It was impossible to obey all those rules and commandments,

            that I was being told were each necessary and important.

 

It seemed that there was always something more that had to be done

            some other way or some choice  that would have been better,

                        something, somewhere, somehow  that I had managed to fail;

 

            and rather than a joyful Christian life of victory and hope,

                        the more committed, the harder I tried to be Christian,

                                    the more I lived in constant defeat and failure,

                                                with an ever increasing sense of guilt and doubt.

 

            I felt condemned;

                        that no matter how hard I tried, or even how well I did,

                                    in the end, God would always be disappointed in me;

                        and  I would never be able to measure up

                              for there was no way,

                                    that I would ever be able to  please God,  not really.

 

For years    I would get inspired anew at some Christian event,

            or by some wonderfully moving spiritual experience …

                                    run with the wind at by back for awhile,

                                                but eventually I always came crashing back down.

 

One time when I was at St. Catherine's monastery in Egypt,

            our monk host allowed us to pray in their tiny private chapel

                        that had been built back in the 5^th or 6^th century…

-ordinarily the monks didn't even let outsiders know that there was a private chapel.

 

Obviously no food or drink, we even had to take off our shoes

            to kneel in pray on those ancient carpets, in a place à

                        where Christians had been praying for over 15 centuries…

                               … probably the most sacred spot I had ever experienced.

 

As we got up to leave,

            one of the women in our group had some crackers in her pocket,

                           and as she stood up, cracker crumbs spilt out

                                    all across the floor of priceless ancient carpets.

            We all stood staring in a speechless and horrified silence,

                        as in agony, Diana crumbled with embarrassed shame.

 

The old monk who allowed us to pray in there, reached out to Diana,

            and with a supportive arm around her, he whispered in her ear,

                "We still love you.  You are so much more important than

                         those crumbs that we will easily sweep up from the floor."

 

It was an amazing moment of grace, compassion and kindness,

          as God's own gracious love and mercy

                   completely filled that room like an aromatic perfume.

 

            My own walk and understanding of God were transformed,

                  as I observed and absorbed grace and God's love in a new way;

                                    which changed   how I    read and interpret God's Word,

                                                       so that now   God's love and grace have become

                                                    the keys to my understanding of Scripture.

 

Instead of trying to obey God because I fear God's wrath and reign,

            I focus more on deepening my walk with God   by waiting on God,

                          trusting and letting the grace of that relationship

                             gradually guide me toward more Christ-like behavior.

 

I trust,  and try to remember that we are all God's beloved children,

       and we are all in process, as the Holy Spirit is transforming us.

As we read in Ephesians,    vs. 24, 5:1-2

                        … clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. … Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, …

 

The rules and commandments are no longer harsh demands that I fail,

            but have become a more hopeful picture, a guide and a template

                        of what a transformed heart and life can look like --à

- human behavior that reflects a growing relationship with God

          a life that is more and more guided by our sense of God's grace.

 

That is exactly what God described through the Prophet Jeremiah.

  Jeremiah 31:31-32

            The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant   …         It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt--a covenant that they broke … 

 

            The first covenant was made with the former slaves from Egypt;

                        it was the 10 Commandments carved in stone,

                                    given at Mt. Sinai amid thunder and lightning.

Exodus 20:20

            Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you   so that you do not sin."

 

The Law carved in stone was to be obeyed, somewhat motivated by fear.

            BUT fear alone, is insufficient;

                 fear alone   lacks the power to motivate faithful obedience.

 

Most of us will drive a bit more attentively and carefully

            when we see a police car in the rearview mirror ---

                        but that driving improvement generally doesn't last long…

            … not nearly as well

                        as when you have your child or grandchild riding with you.

 

Far above the power of speed limits, traffic regulations & even cops,

            there is a higher, more powerful             motivation of love,

                        every parent's desire to protect and care for their child.

 

Jeremiah's point is that God wants far more

            than the fearfully forced obedience from terrified slaves,

                        so God promised to go further than laws carved in stone.    

Jeremiah 31:33

            But this is the (new) covenant that I will make             … I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

 

The new covenant is not a list new rules carved into stone,

            but it is God's love, grace & mercy re-writing the human heart…

                  … a new heart that is motivated by gracious love to obey God.

 

The Christian life,

            is not being governed by rules and laws,  but by love and grace.

                        It's not the performance of laws, but responding in faith.

                                    It's not external rules,  but internal motivations.

 

It is never  a completed task,

            but a growing and deepening love that is always in process,

                        always drawing us nearer and dearer into the Light.

It's about

          being more porous and permeable to the Spirit and grace of God.

 

I once saw God as ever-demanding,  a harsh & mighty disciplinarian

            marking in a book, keeping track of my faults, sins & failings.

                        I felt like a student with an 'F' at the midterm, who knew
                               that it was doubtful that I'd get my grade up by finals.

 

Now I see God in a recliner, watching  beloved children at play.

            By love, by grace, God is quietly calling all of us to come --

                        "come and sit,  play and laugh,  here on my lap;

                                                  and call out to all your sisters and brothers,

                                                            that they too may come and share in the joy."

 

Our call  really isn't to behave better, or to follow more rules;

            but it is to grow closer to God, to walk nearer to Jesus,

                 and to submit more and more  to the presence of God's Spirit;

   so that our behavior and our attitudes change

            as we are being transformed by grace from the inside out,

                            into the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness           

                                    into imitators of God, as beloved children,

                                                who live in love, as Christ has loved us.

           

As Stephen Schwartz wrote in this Christian desire and prayer:

                                    "day by day, day by day,

                                                O dear Lord, three things I pray,

                                                                to see thee more clearly

                                                                            to love thee more dearly

                                                                                        and to follow thee more nearly."