“[Some say that] only by denying the world can you live in it…
can you live a spiritual life. A real spiritual life does exactly the opposite:
it makes us so alert and aware of the world around us, that all that is
and happens becomes part of our contemplations and meditation
and invites us to a free and fearless response.” – Henry Nouwen
I concluded early in my life as a Christian that if being a Christian meant attending church services for the sake of attending, trying to be nice to other people, and staying out of trouble, it wasn’t much worth giving my life for.
In my reading of the gospels, Jesus was far too radical for that.
Some of his harshest critics were people who in their day attended to religious matters every time the doors were opened. While it is an anachronism to say they were “good church people,” you get the idea.
For Jesus, worship and what we call “the spiritual life” meant seeking his Father’s will, speaking the truth of God’s word, and overturning the tables that supported the economic, political, and personal interests of the powerful.
It meant growing beyond meaningless rituals, whether religious or secular.
It meant proclaiming the gospel that sets the captives free.
For Jesus, worship led to action on behalf of lost sheep, prodigal children, grieving parents, lonely widows and widowers, immigrants, strangers, foreigners, the dispossessed, the poor, and the poor in spirit, too.
For Jesus, there was only one life. There was no “church life” and “my life the other six days of the week.”
There was only this life given back to the God who created it and gave it to us so that we would know God's love and find purpose in living as God's partners in the grand, challenging, life-affirming work of bringing joy, hope, reconciliation, and redemption to the world.
This week, Christians around the world will begin the season of Lent.
One of the tasks of Lent is to bring us to our senses so that we might let go of lesser pursuits and allegiances, remember who and Whose we are, renew our embrace of the gospel, and re-engage with the world.
In doing so, Lent will remind us that the gospel was not intended for people of faith (or otherwise) who would build empires of churches (or gated communities) that are alternative universes separate and hidden from the world.
The gospel is intended to bring people deep into the reconciling, redeeming heart of God, who are then sent into the whole world with caring minds, loving hearts, and willing spirits with Christ and as Christ-to-the world.
If you are having trouble finding the difference between the world you are living in and the one to which God is calling you, you probably will need Lent more than you know.
Grace and peace,
Bob Guffey
Comments