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Amazing Grace?

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What’s the point of “grace” in popular Christianity, anyway? What does it mean? What is it for?

I think it is interesting that we stand up in church and sing, “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” It often seems that the next, un-sung line in many people’s minds is, “but not that poor sucker around the corner. He’s too far gone. Not even God’s grace can save him.”

Then, we talk about how the death penalty is a good thing saying, “So and so deserves death. They don’t deserve another chance. Any type of repentance they might show is just a show to try to get off.” Apparently, the un-said part of that is that, “Not even God’s grace can make a difference in that person’s life.”

Some are asked to teach Sunday School, but the response we hear is, “Well, I really don’t know anything about the Bible. I just don’t think I have the ability to do something like that. I’ve never tried, but I really just want to focus on me. I need my own Sunday School class.” What’s not being said here: “I don’t think God, in God’s grace, will help me be able to do this. Grace is something I need. If those in the Sunday School class that need a teacher don’t find or experience God’s grace, it’s not my fault. That’s what God is supposed to do.”

Others are asked to serve food to the less fortunate or the homeless, but what we hear is, “If they want food, they just need to go get a job. It’s their own fault that they are hungry. It’s none of my business.” Maybe what we are really hearing is, “I just don’t think it is fair that everybody has access to God’s grace. I don’t think it should be unconditional. Everybody needs to do something to deserve it.”

Sadly, we forget that, by definition, grace means a FREE gift that one receives even though they don’t deserve it. Sadly, we have the idea that grace is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace.” The idea here is, “Jesus did it so I won’t have to.” Sadly, we live life as if God’s grace really isn’t all that amazing after all. We claim to be people who “believe the Bible,” and yet we don’t pay attention to (or we ignore) passages such as:

  • There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
    (1 John 4:18, NRSV)
  • I am confident of this, that the one [God] who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.
    (Philippians 1:6, NRSV)
  • Yes, everything is for your sake, so that grace, as it extends to more and more people, may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
    (2 Corinthians 4:15, NRSV)
  • But [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
    (2 Corinthians 12:9, NRSV)
  • For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God—not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
    (Ephesians 2:8-10, NRSV)
  • I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
    (Philippians 4:13, NRSV)
  • For mortals [salvation] is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.
    (Mark 10:27, NRSV)

What I think all of this means is that we are not all that amazing, and we tend to view the world in that same way. Yet, we forget that God’s grace makes us amazing, makes the world amazing, and allows us to do amazing things in the world for God. Let us not forget that God’s grace is amazing – for ALL people!

(Originally posted at http://theology-of-t-roy.blogspot.com/2009/03/amazing-grace.html on March 9, 2009)

Faith of a Child

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“Let me tell you, if you don’t turn yourself around and become like children, you’ll never enter the empire of Heaven.  Therefore, those who lower themselves to [a] child’s level are greatest in the empire of Heaven.”

Matthew 18:3-4 (Scholars Version)

Currently, one of Micah’s (my 15-month old son) favorite things and phrases is “kitty cat.”  He always wants to go look for “kitty cat,” and yesterday he wanted to go outside to look for “kitty cat” (presumably our cat Rascal who has been away from home for a few days).  Well, I thought to myself that going outside to look for “kitty cat” would also be a good time to get the mail, so I picked Micah up and headed outside.  Micah immediately wanted down to walk by himself!

He pointed a few places saying, “Kitty-cat,” and then got distracted.  So, I asked him if he wanted to go with me to get the mail.  He immediately started walking toward the mailbox.

I helped him step off the curb, and we began to walk toward the mail box on the other side of our cul-de-sac.  As we neared the mailbox, Micah got distracted again by something over by the road, so we veered off into another direction.

When he got to the edge of the road, he started walking along the road toward our alley.  At the alley, he wanted to continue along the road, but I finally diverted his attention so we could walk back toward the house.  After about 10 feet it was obvious his little legs were tired as he kept losing his balance and falling.  After about 10 more feet of this up-and-down scenario, he apparently decided to just take a rest on the curb where he sat down.

There by the curb was a smashed bottle cap, trash in my eyes but apparently treasure in his.  He picked that cap up and turned it every which-a-way examining it from every angle.  Then he began to drop it on the side walk, pick it up, and drop it again – over and over!  After a while, he began to look it over yet again.  Then he started scraping it on the concrete back and forth: “scrape, scrape; scrape, scrape.”  Then he’d look it over again.  Several combinations of the above went on for at least 7 minutes before I got bored and picked Micah up to take him back home with that bottle cap clutched firmly in his hand.

Often we are chastised to be careful not to get distracted in our faith.  “Stay focused,” we are told, “and don’t let anything keep us from our goal.”  There is some value to this, but I also question this concept as it assumes that there is only one aspect to our life of faith.  If we serve an infinite God, can our journey of faith be reduced in such a manner?  Likewise, what if an aspect of our faith is not being very fruitful (like looking for “kitty cat” who is beyond our current reach); doesn’t it make sense to focus on an area that is fruitful, like seeking and finding treasure (like a smashed bottle cap)?  We can come back to that other aspect of faith later in our journey of faith (just as Micah wanted to look for “kitty cat” later in the day), but in the meantime, we can be fruitful in other ways.

Sometimes, we are also told what is treasure and what is not, and we are not given an opportunity to decide for ourselves.  I could have taken that bottle cap away from Micah, since in my definition it was worthless trash.  Micah had another definition, though, that increased my appreciation for the simpleness of that treasure.  His inquisitiveness reminded me that there is probably treasure in many things in my life of faith that I have been told or have labeled myself as trash.  We need to approach the world and our journeys of faith with a willingness to look for treasure in what appears to be trash – and trash in what appears to be treasure.

Questions to ponder:

  • How can our lives of faith be more multifaceted, mirroring the multifaceted nature of God?
  • What in our journeys of faith needs to be re-evaluated to determine if they are really trash or treasure?
  • How can we regain the inquisitive nature of a child in our lives of faith?

(Originally posted at http://fumcwf.org/archives/4680 under the title, “Thoughts for Lent: Faith of a Child,” on March 9, 2011)

Up in Heaven?

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So often when talking about life, Christianity, and / or what happens after death, we talk about “going up to heaven” as if heaven is up there, out there, above the clouds.

Recently, in a New Testament Bible Study, we were talking about life after death. One of the members, Clark, who has been widowed for about 1 1/2 years, told of an event that happened last April. He said that all day had been a “normal day” until he was watching the news that evening. He realized, after seeing the date, that it was his wedding anniversary, to which he exclaimed, “It’s our anniversary today.” Plain as day, he said he heard his wife, Joan, say, “Why, yes, Sweetie. It’s our anniversary.” This, he noted, was just one of many times he really feels like his wife is still with him.

How can this be? Isn’t heaven up there, out there, above the clouds?

I think we have a false sense of heaven. The ancient world view was that the earth was flat. On top of this flat earth was a dome (imagine a basketball cut in half and set on top of a flat surface).  Above that dome was water (see Genesis 1: 6-8) that sometimes opened to let water down to the earth (rain). In the dome were two great lights, the sun and moon (see Genesis 1:14-19). Above it all was heaven. Some believed God resided there only. Others believed God lived only in the tabernacle, or later, the temple. Either way, heaven was “up there, out there, above the clouds.” Today, though, we know that the world is not flat. We know there is not a “dome” above the earth. We know more about where the sun and moon is. Why do we still maintain that heaven is up there, out there, above the clouds?

I find it amazing, though, that in the same funeral services where we talk about our loved ones “going up to heaven,” we also say, that our loved ones have been reunited with God. After hearing Clark’s story, I remembered Bible passages such as:

  • Psalm 139: 7 Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. (NRSV)
  • Acts 17:28 For “In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “For we too are his offspring.’ (NRSV)
  • Ephesians 4:  4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. (NRSV)

If it is true that there is no place we can go where we can be beyond God’s presence; if it is true that it is in God that we live and move and have our being; if it is true that there is one God who is above all and through all and in all, couldn’t heaven be right here with us, all around us? If we really believe that we will be “united with God” in death, and God is here and everywhere, maybe our loved ones who have gone before are not up there, out there, above the clouds. Maybe they, like God, remain here with us in some way we cannot fully comprehend.

Maybe, as the 80s pop song goes: Ooh, heaven is a place on earth!

(Originally posted at http://theology-of-t-roy.blogspot.com/2006/12/up-in-heaven.html on December 6, 2006)

Got A Light? – A Sermon

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This sermon for the first Sunday of Advent was preached at First United Methodist Church in Wichita Falls, Texas on November 28, 2010.  The Scripture text that was inspiration for this is Isaiah 2:1-5:

1 The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; all the nations shall stream to it. 3 Many peoples shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 4 He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. 5 O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!  (NRSV)

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I Can Only Imagine?

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Recently in our church, a trio of teenaged youth beautifully sang a Contemporary Christian song called, “I Can Only Imagine.” At first, I was simply taken by the fact that I didn’t realize that one of the youth could play the piano that well, and I didn’t realize that one of the other youth could sing at all! Their harmonies blended so well!

Then, I began to listen to the words of the song. I’ve heard the song many times, but I had never really listened to the words. As I listened, I realized that it epitomizes what has become the primary focus of too much of Christianity.

If you have never heard the song, the focus of the song is the singer trying to imagine what it will be like when he gets to heaven and finally gets to see Jesus. What will he do? What will his heart feel? Will he dance for Jesus? Will he be in awe of Jesus and be still? Will he sing, “Hallelujah?” Will he be able to speak at all? He can only imagine.

That was frustrating enough. Then, on this past Sunday, September 23, 2007, I stumbled across a show on MSNBC called, “To Hell and Back.” The story had to do with former Pentecostal, evangelical Bishop Carlton Pearson who has come to the conclusion that there is no hell except the hell that people experience on earth. This of course has caused quite an uproar in evangelical circles.

The MSNBC correspondent spoke to one of Pearson’s former friends and colleagues, who obviously thought Pearson was wrong (and going to a literal hell). In response to Carlton, who is still preaching, this fundamentalist preacher said something to the effect of, “Well, what’s he still preaching for if there’s no hell? What’s the point?”

Although they use different terminology, the song, “I Can Only Imagine,” and Pearson’s opponent are saying basically the same thing: “The whole point of Christianity is to get to heaven and staying out of a literal hell.”

Have none of these people read John 17:3: “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (NRSV) This text says NOTHING about “eternal life” being about “going to heaven.” It says NOTHING about it being something that happens ONLY when we die.  John 12:50 goes so far as to say that “eternal life” is a commandment of God; thus, it is something we DO, not just a place we can go when we die!

Look what John Wesley says in his sermon “The Scripture Way of Salvation,” based on Ephesians 2:8 (You are saved through faith):

  • And, first, let us inquire, What is salvation? The salvation which is here spoken of is not what is frequently understood by that word, the going to heaven, eternal happiness. It is not the soul’s going to paradise, termed by our Lord, “Abraham’s bosom.” It is not a blessing which lies on the other side of death; or, as we usually speak, in the other world. The very words of the text itself put this beyond all question: “You are saved.” It is not something at a distance: it is a present thing; a blessing which, through the free mercy of God, you are now in possession of.

What, then, is eternal life? What, then, is salvation? What is the point if the point isn’t “getting to heaven” or “staying out of a literal hell?” It is about RELATIONSHIP. Look at John 17:3 again. It says eternal life is not going to heaven but knowing God & Jesus HERE AND NOW! As Wesley notes, salvation is something that happens here, in this lifetime.

But, let us be very careful to not equate “Jesus” with just some spiritual entity “up in heaven” that we can only really “meet” in heaven. Let us look at Matthew 25:

  • 34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ (NRSV, emphasis added)

Why does someone have to imagine what it would be like to meet Jesus? According to this, Jesus is all around us, in all the people we come in contact – even the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, and imprisoned. Using the Apostle Paul’s terminology, we see Christ in church members – the body of Christ! Wanna see what Jesus looks like? Look around. Wanna know what you’ll do or feel? Look around and decide!

What’s the point of preaching if it’s not about going to heaven and not hell? Look around! People continue to not treat people well, causing hunger, thirst, people to remain strangers, nakedness, sickness, and imprisonment. The point of preaching is to help people to better care for others – even strangers. The point of preaching is ETERNAL LIFE HERE AND NOW – relationship with God and Jesus here and now through all the people we came in contact with.  It is a commandment!

My point is NOT to say there is or isn’t a heaven or a hell (who knows – anybody actually been to either?). My point is that life here and now is more important than just concern about an “afterlife.” People do experience hell here, and we CAN help get people out of it here and now so they can more fully share in relationship with God, Jesus, and each other – sharing in salvation and eternal life.

Can you imagine Jesus?

(Originally posted at http://theology-of-t-roy.blogspot.com/2007/09/i-can-only-imagine.html on September 25, 2007.
Minor additions pertaining to John 12:50 saying “eternal life” is a commandment have been added here.)

The Law and the Prophets?

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So many of us have been “taught” since childhood in the church that Jesus’ statement:

  • “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17, NRSV)

means that Jesus was “foretold” in the Hebrew Scriptures, and Jesus has finally coming fulfilling all the “prophecies” found in the Hebrew Scriptures. Others have said that Jesus “fulfilled” the law and the prophets because Jesus was the “final sacrifice.” I’ve come to the conclusion that these interpretations are NOT what this passage means. Why?

Later in the sermon on the mount, from which the above Scripture passage comes, we get this statement:

  • “In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 7:12, NRSV, emphasis mine)

Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets, not because he was foretold in the Law and the Prophets and finally “came.” Jesus did not fulfill the law and the prophets because he was the “final sacrifice.” Jesus fulfilled the law and the prophets because he actually lived out the law and the prophets – doing to others as you would have them do to you!!

All too often, we have been taught because of Matthew 5:17 that we (human beings) no longer have to “fulfill the law” because Jesus already “fulfilled it.” Yet, it certainly seems in Matthew 7:12 that we, too, should fulfill the law and the prophets! It isn’t just something for Jesus to do!

This and other “revelations” I have been experiencing lately continually remind me that we must be careful not to interpret Scripture by the creeds, theology, and ideas we have heard all of our lives. We must be careful to let the Scriptures say what they say and not force our “preconceived notions, thoughts, ideas, and theology” on Scripture texts that do not say “what we’ve always heard.”

(Originally posted at http://theology-of-t-roy.blogspot.com/2006/09/law-and-prophets.html on September 18, 2006)