Acts 2:14a, 23-32
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
"Let
your light shine before others so they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:16
In a class discussion a few years ago, we were
weighing the implications of "legalism" in religion and faith. The instructor's question was simple:
"Do you think Christianity is governed by a set of rules?" The scriptural text that provoked this
question was John 13:35 in which
Jesus says, "By this all will know you are My disciples, if you have love for
one another."
I will grant there is a fine line between
"legal obedience" and "submissive love", but I submit to
you there are "rules" that not only teach us how to grow in faith and
love and regulate how we are to treat one another, perhaps especially the
"least of these" - but these "rules" also testify to what
we know to be true. "You shall not
steal" is a rule which begs the question; are we being "legalistic"
when we refrain from taking what clearly does not belong to us even if we subscribe
to the adage "finder's keepers"?
Are we being "legalistic" in our fidelity to our spouses? Are we being "legalistic" when we
zip our lips instead of jumping into some good gossip - especially gossip about
someone we don't really like???
There are "rules" the people of YHWH are
obliged to observe, and our willingness to honor these "rules" is an
expression not of fear of the coming Judgment but are rather expressions of the
love we are to have for one another - IF
"all" are to know we are disciples of Messiah. These are those same "rules" which in
large measure apply to the secular community; and these rules are obeyed out of
a certain fear - at the very least, out of respect for the order of law. We may not always agree with these particular
rules, but we observe them because we don't want to pay fines or risk being
sent to jail.
It has been my experience that those who screech the
most about "legalism" in religion and faith are often those who are
looking for loopholes as a way out of doing something that needs to be done. Fasting is a time-honored practice many do
not subscribe to, some taking a "legalistic" stand as unnecessary for
salvation. Maybe, maybe not; but such a
narrow vision of the usefulness of fasting and other means of grace misses the
point of discipleship altogether which is all-encompassing - IF - Christ truly
is our very life.
In a nutshell, we have convinced ourselves
discipleship is entirely about just "getting saved" and then going
about our lives as if nothing happened.
Rarely do we seriously consider that the "light which must
shine" are those works to be done to testify to our Holy God and Father and give others a reason to look
closer at the Lord's revelation in Christ - and the means by which those works
become bigger than any given moment.
Consider a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln
("Am I not destroying my enemies when I make them my friends?"), which
expresses an ideal that goes beyond praying for those we consider to be our
enemies. And by strange coincidence,
what Lincoln expresses is written in The
Didache: the Teachings of the Twelve Apostles.
I've shared with you before about this document
which is believed to have been composed in the mid to late 1st century, though
other scholars have suggested maybe early 2nd century. Though there is no consensus on authorship, Didache is considered to have been a
"handbook" for early Christians.
So in this "handbook" it is written: "You should love those who hate you, and then
you shall have no enemies" (1:3).
But to "love" these enemies - just as to
"love" fellow disciples, to "love" our neighbors as ourselves,
and to "love the Lord our God" - reaches beyond subjective and
arbitrary emotions. To "love",
as "love" is expressed in the Scriptures, has little to do with how
we may be feeling at a particular time;
it has everything to do with what we are willing to do all of the time - even when things are not going our way.
To "love" with our hands and our feet
rather than strictly with our hearts is a reflection of what Thomas was shown
by Jesus after Thomas had initially expressed doubts about the resurrected
Messiah; "unless I see ... I will not believe". Thomas was shown by the marks that Jesus did
not merely "feel" love or compassion; our Lord DID love and
compassion ... all the way to Calvary.
When we take decisive action towards an enemy not in
retaliation but in the reconciliation "commanded" by our Lord (Matthew 5:23-24; "If you bring a gift to the altar and there remember your brother
or sister has something against you, leave your gift at the altar ... and be reconciled
... THEN come and offer your gift"), we no longer consider this person an "enemy" but a
friend for whom we are willing to risk ourselves - even our pride.
This commandment is so compelling that Jesus teaches
our gift offerings to the Lord will not be accepted by the Lord until this
reconciliation is made! His disciples
are called to take the initiative! This
was in the spirit of the Lord's judgment against Israel in Isaiah's first
chapter, condemning His people for bringing such offerings but making no move
to reconcile with one another. These
offerings became empty because hateful hearts thought it much easier to try and
buy the Lord's favor.
This is not an easy thing for any of us, but
discipleship (which is active engagement in our relationship with the Lord through one another) rather than merely
"believing" compels us to reach beyond simply declaring Jesus as Lord
of the Church. It requires living and acting and interacting as though Jesus really
is Lord of the Church and of
our lives.
It's pretty awesome when we consider how much has
truly been granted to us to do in His behalf until His return, and it is not
something to be taken lightly. And
contrary to popular opinion, the attributes of YHWH expressed through the Church
are not exclusively limited to a particular office - such as that of pastor or
priest. These are legitimate offices of
the Church, to be sure, but these alone do not strictly define the Church.
The whole of the Church is defined by its attributes
embodied in the faithful and is made manifest in the lives of others -
ESPECIALLY our "enemies" whom we will, by our faithful devotion to
Christ, make our friends. Lest we
forget, however, the measure of this friendship is not about how the
"enemy" may or may not respond; rather the measure is in the actions
of the faithful - those who claim to believe.
A dead Church makes no effort to reach outside of
its walls and will consequently not be missed by the community when (not "if") it
falters, but a Church alive in the Spirit cannot be contained by walls and will
be loved and respected by the community it loves and serves! A church can have all the latest technology
and the most upbeat, happenin' music, the finest entertainment money can buy,
and the best of all dynamic, charismatic preachers - and still be truly
"dead". By the same token a
church can have mediocre music, a mediocre preacher, and be technologically and
financially challenged but can still offer real life to those of whom we are
called to serve - if we are alive in the Spirit and "doing" love
and compassion in Jesus' name. THIS
people will believe - when they SEE
it!
Our Lord's "rules" require that we go
beyond merely existing in case someone wants to show up on Sunday, and the
invitation of the Church cannot be delegated strictly to an advertising budget
(which statistics suggest is money poorly spent anyway!). Churches grow and thrive when lives are
changed, when seekers become disciples who make disciples who transform the
world one life at a time. Is this not
what happened when our Lord walked the earth?
Why would it be any less so now?
We deal daily with a world which declares, "Unless
I see ... I will not believe".
We who believe to have been justified before the Lord in having our sins
absolved are the ones who claim to have "seen". Then discipleship and sanctifying grace move
us beyond that moment so
others may see by the light which shines in our love and through our
compassion.
Let it shine.
Let it Shine! Glory to God in
Heaven above, let His Light Shine! Amen.
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