Grace

-
Jesus's final prayer, in John 17 was a call for unity among Christians: "that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."  He knew that this would be a sign to the world that no other religion could bring. And where are we now?

The Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary estimated 34,000 denominations in 2000, rising to an estimated 43,000 in 2012. These numbers have exploded from 1,600 in the year 1900. 

We are not headed in the right direction.  Jesus desired that unity would be the mark of his church. I used to look at the proliferation of denominations as continuously splitting branches reaching out the the end of the tree.  The tree, then with all it's multiplicity then makes up the church as a whole. I think this only works if the various denominations express to the world the same basic tenants of the faith, (and I mean the most basic and central) that Christ is Lord and he died for our sins, that we are sinful beings made pure by his sacrifice and are then heirs to the kingdom of God.  And I think, most importantly, that we express the same features of grace to all people in the world. We must not quarrel over the non-essentials and must at all costs, express the grace that He has for us to others.

Without grace, the entire enterprise falls apart, as it has many times throughout history.  Today we have the opportunity to show grace in the polarizing climate of the West, in the suffering poverty of Africa, South America, and Eastern Europe. We have the opportunity to express grace to the fledgling Christian communities of India and China as they become economic powerhouses into this century.  We have a chance to make a difference and change the world.  But that change starts with us. Who do you know around you that you need grace for?  Is it an abortion rights activist who doesn't agree with your conservative viewpoints?  An athiest? A coworker? A member of your own family?  Grace begins at home and changes souls one at a time until it runs like a river under the current of the world and changes it from within. May we all have grace.

Lord give me your grace to express to the people around me each day.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monkey Bars

-
Image
     I was talking with my wife's father, a retired pastor, and he told me about an image he used in many of his sermons throughout the years.  It is a thing that every kid learns on the monkey bars on the playground at school.  It is simply this: when you are on the monkey bars, you can't move forward until you let the hand behind you let go of the last bar.      In this way, I am kind of stuck in my life.  The trailing monkey bar is my smoking cigarettes.  I just haven't been able to let go of that bar no matter how hard I try.  I believe that this bar gives me a lift.  You see, I suffer from a chronic depression.  When I go outside and have a smoke and a caffeinated beverage, I get a little boost to my mood.  Often this gets me back on track and I start doing things besides laying in bed.  I might do the dishes and I feel better about what I have accomplished.  I might, being awake ...
Read more of this post »

I long to see him

-
Image
I long to see my savior.  I long to see him coming on the clouds and standing there in front of me.  I will kiss his feet and touch his face and say, Rabbi, you have been my teacher, my friend, my confidant.  I love you and all that you do.  You have inspired me to better myself, to better the world, to help my fellow man.  I could not exist without you and you have given me everything I have. You have given me a good job, a beautiful wife, feet that know the good of walking the path you laid out for me, even the thorn of suffering in my side that has grown me and perfected me. Take this soul and make it sing, Son of Yahweh. "Take this mouth, so quick to criticize. Take this mouth, and give it a kiss." I am waiting for the dawn after the long night.  Anticipation gives life to me.  I am ready to do anything you ask of me.  No man can take this from me.  You have my heart and all of me.
Read more of this post »

A Letter To a Friend

-
Image
I woke up at 9:00 this morning, threw some clothes on and headed out the door.  I was meeting with the a ministry leader at 9:20 that morning because I had expressed an interest in joining their care ministry at my new church. Just before I left, I sent him a letter that I had written that week for a young man who I had visited in the adolescent psych unit at the hospital.  I thought it would give the ministry leader some insight into my interactions with my care receivers, as I had been a Stephen Minister for 5 years and a lay chaplain at my previous church. When I got there, I sat down with the ministry leader.  We got to talking and I asked him what he did for work previously.  He said he was a pharmacist.  Then he said something that perked my ears: He said his first rotation was for a Psychiatric Hospital in Ohio.  He said there was razor wire around the high wall surrounding it and double locked doors on every ward.  I asked him if it was for peo...
Read more of this post »