"... so the multitudes said..."
One of the easiest ways to share the Gospel comes simply in the labeling of "Jesus" in any given situation. "This" is "that." "That is how Jesus works." "This is the prophet, Jesus, a Nazarene from Galilee."
Most people are very close to seeing Jesus. They are made in his image. All they need is someone to help them out a little. A little defining goes a long way.
In this story of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey the multitudes are filled with joy. They are crying, "Hosanna!" - grownups and children alike! Their cries carry authority. Their proclamation carries integrity, and so they are heard and understood by the dwellers in Jerusalem.
But it wasn't just the words that spoke to them. Anyone can say words. It was something in the Heart of those proclaiming Christ in the their midst. When they cried their "Hosanna!" it was as if angels, and archangels, and all the company of heaven were proclaiming their praise through them as well - as if all Creation was backing their chorus of praise and adoration.
Such is the anointing power of a reflection united with its Image.
The heavenly beings were already in submission to the Throne. Their status in heaven shows that. But now the people get into the game. They too - howbeit through personal sacrifice - spiritually unite with Heaven in the Universal Proclamation. Earth and Heaven have become aligned, all intentionally humbled, bowed low, rejoicing before the One enthroned in the Parade of Glory.
When beings of Earth and Heaven get on the same page the Kingdom "snaps and sparkles" in wonderfully crisp ways - ways that are immediately understood by by believers and nonbelievers alike.
For us, the Doorway into this Holy Synchronization is sacrificial in nature. It comes in the laying down of our cloaks. To those living in that day a cloak was more than just a piece of fabric. It was a coat, a shelter from the sun, a blanket of warmth in the winter, a comfort for cuddling at bedtime. Their cloaks, laid on on the road before the King revealed an act of self-sacrifice, holy submission, and sold-out trust. It was a way of saying, "Have it all!" "You have my life." "All I have is yours and I lay it at your feet and worship you!"
As their cloaks hit the ground their hearts hit heaven. At that moment these followers of Jesus became one with all the Saints who had also given their all - their cloaks - to praise of his glorious Name. It was here, in this act of faith and worship, when God met them. Finally they had arrived and were able to praise him freely without care, echoing the Heaven Hosts who were also up there doing the same.
No wonder they were able to praise with shameless hearts! No wonder the chorus of heaven became their back up band! Their hearts became carefree and dripping with the joy-filled Integrity of Heaven. They were no longer bound and proclaimed with heaven and earth alike, "This is the One, this is Jesus of Nazareth!"
No wonder the people listened, really listened.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Matthew Devotion: 19:2
"... great multitudes followed him, and he healed them there..."
Jesus never turned away anyone who was seeking healing.
This passage is one of a few summary passages that reveals Jesus' hands on dealings with the sick, the in-firmed, and the outcast (see also passages around 4:23, 14:34, and 15:29). This particular piece is sandwiched between his teachings on forgiveness, divorce, and the danger of placing ones trust in riches - all of which are potentially the greatest kinks in the Kingdom.
Jesus' healing - his integration into each part of the human condition - is noticeable. He is not the kind of god who only goes so far into the darkness with us and then gives up. He is not the kind of god who waits for us to clean ourselves up before he'll talk to us. God is has already entered the darkest caverns of our hearts and the most painful experiences of our life. He is there, ready to lift us into Light and free us from all bondage.
Indeed, he perhaps is his best in our despair - as he comes alive and seizes any opportunity to provide a glorious echo of the Empty Tomb. Jesus has been there, he is here, and - indeed, if you were to fall further, stray deeper - even pass through the threshold of Death itself - he would be there as well, comforting, healing, and resurrecting you from darkness and into his marvelous Light.
Jesus isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
That being said, he is also acutely aware of our sincerity, or insincerity, as the case may be, when we come to him in prayer. He is quick to convict and confront. He loves us and wants us freed of anything crippling us from making a non-stop beeline into the Easter Morn.
In the case of the rich young ruler, his crippling cord was his love of riches. (For us it may be different.) Jesus scanned the interior of this man's tomb and easily diagnosed that it was this man's love of wealth which was trip keeping him from fully running into the Day. His directive was specific: sell all you have. If the man would have confessed, of course - i.e. agreed with God's Word on the [any given] situation - he would have instantly known the power of Christ to bail him out of that situation. But he didn't. Indeed, may he thought it was too tall an order and he wouldn't be able to do it on his own.
Perhaps he had forgotten that the conviction of Christ is always accompanied by the Power to pull it off.
The whole of our condition - the depths of our sin, the snares of our humanity - may seem overwhelming to us. But they remain powerless in the Presence of the Risen Christ. It is his Nature to bless the good in us and to reveal the bad in us - in order that we can have more of the God in us.
Jesus never turned away anyone who was seeking healing.
This passage is one of a few summary passages that reveals Jesus' hands on dealings with the sick, the in-firmed, and the outcast (see also passages around 4:23, 14:34, and 15:29). This particular piece is sandwiched between his teachings on forgiveness, divorce, and the danger of placing ones trust in riches - all of which are potentially the greatest kinks in the Kingdom.
Jesus' healing - his integration into each part of the human condition - is noticeable. He is not the kind of god who only goes so far into the darkness with us and then gives up. He is not the kind of god who waits for us to clean ourselves up before he'll talk to us. God is has already entered the darkest caverns of our hearts and the most painful experiences of our life. He is there, ready to lift us into Light and free us from all bondage.
Indeed, he perhaps is his best in our despair - as he comes alive and seizes any opportunity to provide a glorious echo of the Empty Tomb. Jesus has been there, he is here, and - indeed, if you were to fall further, stray deeper - even pass through the threshold of Death itself - he would be there as well, comforting, healing, and resurrecting you from darkness and into his marvelous Light.
Jesus isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
That being said, he is also acutely aware of our sincerity, or insincerity, as the case may be, when we come to him in prayer. He is quick to convict and confront. He loves us and wants us freed of anything crippling us from making a non-stop beeline into the Easter Morn.
In the case of the rich young ruler, his crippling cord was his love of riches. (For us it may be different.) Jesus scanned the interior of this man's tomb and easily diagnosed that it was this man's love of wealth which was trip keeping him from fully running into the Day. His directive was specific: sell all you have. If the man would have confessed, of course - i.e. agreed with God's Word on the [any given] situation - he would have instantly known the power of Christ to bail him out of that situation. But he didn't. Indeed, may he thought it was too tall an order and he wouldn't be able to do it on his own.
Perhaps he had forgotten that the conviction of Christ is always accompanied by the Power to pull it off.
The whole of our condition - the depths of our sin, the snares of our humanity - may seem overwhelming to us. But they remain powerless in the Presence of the Risen Christ. It is his Nature to bless the good in us and to reveal the bad in us - in order that we can have more of the God in us.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Matthew Devotion: 18:8
"... if your hand causes you to sin..."
The Kingdom of God - and the ensuing relationship with the Almighty - is like a waterway. It's banks rim with torrents of icy cold water. There are lagoons of peace and solitude and bays of clarity, wherein the sweetness of Communion between us and our God is such that its description rises above that of human language.
These pristine Waters need never be polluted - especially when its within our power to keep that from happening. We need to protect them.
Pollution happens when our faith moves away from the Faith of the Child. When we, by the build up of transgressions, find that our heart fails. It simply can no longer live into the simplicity and grace of the Gospel. The accumulation of bitterness, love of this world, pride, and the hardened attitudes of our hearts causes our inner grown-up to distance itself from the Child within.
That is why Jesus is so insistent that we do everything possible to keep small; everything possible to free ourselves from the things that cause others to stumble (v.6), that render attitudes of unforgiveness (v.22), divorce (19:8), and the love of money (19:22) - and all this, for the sake of the little Child within.
What are the influences that draws you away from this pure, childlike Faith? Search them out. Label them. And destroy them. Is it a hand, a foot, a refusal to forgive with the same grace wherein you have been forgiven? These things, if not pulled from the streams of Living Water, will eventually grow into boulders in our hearts and - in their natural progression - soon grow into great stone walls which will cause God in us to be dammed.
Jesus knows this world can be a hard place. He knows all too well the harshness it offers to the hearts of the Redeemed and how easily our precious Child is bruised, torn and afflicted in the hailstorms of this life. The emphasis here is on the preciousness of the Child, the Currents of Fellowship, the Intimacy of the Lagoons, and the Joy of Morning's Dawn - things so precious that it is worth sacrificing anything and everything, just in order stay in the sweet showers of God's Blessing.
The Kingdom of God - and the ensuing relationship with the Almighty - is like a waterway. It's banks rim with torrents of icy cold water. There are lagoons of peace and solitude and bays of clarity, wherein the sweetness of Communion between us and our God is such that its description rises above that of human language.
These pristine Waters need never be polluted - especially when its within our power to keep that from happening. We need to protect them.
Pollution happens when our faith moves away from the Faith of the Child. When we, by the build up of transgressions, find that our heart fails. It simply can no longer live into the simplicity and grace of the Gospel. The accumulation of bitterness, love of this world, pride, and the hardened attitudes of our hearts causes our inner grown-up to distance itself from the Child within.
That is why Jesus is so insistent that we do everything possible to keep small; everything possible to free ourselves from the things that cause others to stumble (v.6), that render attitudes of unforgiveness (v.22), divorce (19:8), and the love of money (19:22) - and all this, for the sake of the little Child within.
What are the influences that draws you away from this pure, childlike Faith? Search them out. Label them. And destroy them. Is it a hand, a foot, a refusal to forgive with the same grace wherein you have been forgiven? These things, if not pulled from the streams of Living Water, will eventually grow into boulders in our hearts and - in their natural progression - soon grow into great stone walls which will cause God in us to be dammed.
Jesus knows this world can be a hard place. He knows all too well the harshness it offers to the hearts of the Redeemed and how easily our precious Child is bruised, torn and afflicted in the hailstorms of this life. The emphasis here is on the preciousness of the Child, the Currents of Fellowship, the Intimacy of the Lagoons, and the Joy of Morning's Dawn - things so precious that it is worth sacrificing anything and everything, just in order stay in the sweet showers of God's Blessing.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Matthew Devotion 18:4
"... whoever humbles himself as this child..."
Despite our levels of expertise, our experience, our maturity; despite our track record and revelatory insights, humility is what allows us to be "the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."
Is it possible for a CEO to speak at a board meeting with humility? Is it possible for an educated person to speak to a street person ? Of course. Humility is a posture that transcends all skill, intellect, and gifted-ship. Humility, like God's Love, transcends all boundaries. It includes all, and chooses a posturing that says all things - regardless of how great they are - remain shadowed and submitted to the ever mysterious ways of the Lord.
Humility is not the casting aside of who we are. It is not the erasing of the ego, the denial of what and how we are made. Why would anyone want to tamper with the Image within?
Humility is the collective ingathering of all we are, refined in love and bowed in servitude to the Lord. Humility is a wondrous combination of bringing all you are to the plate and, once at that plate, immersing oneself in a living understanding that - at the end of the Game - it is God who is calling the shots. And you are OK with that. Indeed, you're expecting that to happen with faithfulness and gratitude. It is a joy-filled ability to completely resign your trust to his ungraspable, mysterious ways.
After all, who can know the Mind of God?
All things in their place: you, fully you; God, fully God. He, as completely reliable with a Plan; you, as a child, wide-eyed and free to be who you are - all the time fully assured of his Loving Lordship over the events in your life.
Despite our levels of expertise, our experience, our maturity; despite our track record and revelatory insights, humility is what allows us to be "the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven."
Is it possible for a CEO to speak at a board meeting with humility? Is it possible for an educated person to speak to a street person ? Of course. Humility is a posture that transcends all skill, intellect, and gifted-ship. Humility, like God's Love, transcends all boundaries. It includes all, and chooses a posturing that says all things - regardless of how great they are - remain shadowed and submitted to the ever mysterious ways of the Lord.
Humility is not the casting aside of who we are. It is not the erasing of the ego, the denial of what and how we are made. Why would anyone want to tamper with the Image within?
Humility is the collective ingathering of all we are, refined in love and bowed in servitude to the Lord. Humility is a wondrous combination of bringing all you are to the plate and, once at that plate, immersing oneself in a living understanding that - at the end of the Game - it is God who is calling the shots. And you are OK with that. Indeed, you're expecting that to happen with faithfulness and gratitude. It is a joy-filled ability to completely resign your trust to his ungraspable, mysterious ways.
After all, who can know the Mind of God?
All things in their place: you, fully you; God, fully God. He, as completely reliable with a Plan; you, as a child, wide-eyed and free to be who you are - all the time fully assured of his Loving Lordship over the events in your life.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Matthew Devotion 17:19
"... why could we not cast it out?..."
Without faith it is impossible to either please God or keep in step with the works of God.
There are two sorts of faith. One is a Passive Faith. It believes all things are possible and watches the impossible take place. When the impossible takes place a Passive Faith will rise to declare God's faithfulness. It is a nice, cordial - all the same "powerless" - spiritual posture.
The other kind of faith is an Active Faith. It includes all the surety of the Passive Faith but also includes an intentional yoking to the activity of the Kingdom. It is a participatory faith, a stepping out in obedience kind of faith.
To a person with Active Faith, the crises is transcended by the Christ Ascended. He is there, just behind what you can see, arms stretched out and inviting you to get active.
A passive faith will look at a situation so intently that the situation itself becomes the object of that same persons faith. The demon-possessed child, a father's illness, the Way of the Cross - these things, if not careful, have the power to redirect our faith into theses items themselves, rendering us powerless in our faith's misdirection. It is here when the creation becomes the object of our Faith and not the Creator.
But an Active Faith can see right through the crises to the One who is the Lord of the Crises. It will raise an anchoring smile and even wonder that the Lord is up to an any particular situation - fully assured that the Lord WILL be up to something in any particular situation.
Faith is like an anchor. Passive Faith is like a man who is anchored to the world, to things seen, and is incapable to either seeing through them or participating in Kingdom Activity with a convincing, believing heart. For him, his downward faith breeds great hesitation, apprehension, and procrastination in the the things of God, as there is no heart so burdened as the one who dreams yet cannot sleep.
Yet, as God installs grace in this same man, he is Graced with the ability to cast this same anchor into the clouds. No longer is he bound, but led; no longer dragged from behind, but tugged from beyond - from way up there, from Somewhere in the clouds. To him, yesterday's passive ball and chain has become today's kite, pulling him confidently into the Activity of Heaven.
His job is to merely hold on and "go with it!"
Cast your cares upon him. Pray to the Lord to increase your faith, to turn your eyes from the event to the Lord of the Event. Then, assured of his Presence therein, allow his pulling to bring you into active participation in the Winds of Grace.
Faith, after all, is a verb.
Without faith it is impossible to either please God or keep in step with the works of God.
There are two sorts of faith. One is a Passive Faith. It believes all things are possible and watches the impossible take place. When the impossible takes place a Passive Faith will rise to declare God's faithfulness. It is a nice, cordial - all the same "powerless" - spiritual posture.
The other kind of faith is an Active Faith. It includes all the surety of the Passive Faith but also includes an intentional yoking to the activity of the Kingdom. It is a participatory faith, a stepping out in obedience kind of faith.
To a person with Active Faith, the crises is transcended by the Christ Ascended. He is there, just behind what you can see, arms stretched out and inviting you to get active.
A passive faith will look at a situation so intently that the situation itself becomes the object of that same persons faith. The demon-possessed child, a father's illness, the Way of the Cross - these things, if not careful, have the power to redirect our faith into theses items themselves, rendering us powerless in our faith's misdirection. It is here when the creation becomes the object of our Faith and not the Creator.
But an Active Faith can see right through the crises to the One who is the Lord of the Crises. It will raise an anchoring smile and even wonder that the Lord is up to an any particular situation - fully assured that the Lord WILL be up to something in any particular situation.
Faith is like an anchor. Passive Faith is like a man who is anchored to the world, to things seen, and is incapable to either seeing through them or participating in Kingdom Activity with a convincing, believing heart. For him, his downward faith breeds great hesitation, apprehension, and procrastination in the the things of God, as there is no heart so burdened as the one who dreams yet cannot sleep.
Yet, as God installs grace in this same man, he is Graced with the ability to cast this same anchor into the clouds. No longer is he bound, but led; no longer dragged from behind, but tugged from beyond - from way up there, from Somewhere in the clouds. To him, yesterday's passive ball and chain has become today's kite, pulling him confidently into the Activity of Heaven.
His job is to merely hold on and "go with it!"
Cast your cares upon him. Pray to the Lord to increase your faith, to turn your eyes from the event to the Lord of the Event. Then, assured of his Presence therein, allow his pulling to bring you into active participation in the Winds of Grace.
Faith, after all, is a verb.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Matthew Devotion 17:5b
"... this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him!..."
These wonderful words thunder from the sky to affirm both the Call and God's ongoing presence with his Son as he faces the greatest trial of his life.
This happens at the "transfiguration" - a day when Jesus' Full Divinity was physically revealed to those closest to him. Though they had walked with him for nearly three years, this was a side of him they had never seen, and would never see again this side of the resurrection.
Two dead people also appeared on that hill top - Moses and Elijah. Both were power prophets of the past who gave all for God's Call. They were the right ones to encourage Jesus - as he was about to face the darkest, most sacrificial, experience of God's Call on his life.
Sometimes it is darkest as we enter the fulfillment of God's Call. And - conversely - God is faithful. He knows when that darkest hour will come. He sees the Sacrifice, there in the Valley, and is quick to encourage us through the saints.
(Sometimes we are encouraged by others and forget to take it to heart. Maybe we're prideful, or feel we don't deserve it. But God encourages us for a reason. Encouragement is his Food for our future. When you are encouraged, believe it. Take it to heart. It's for a greater Purpose!)
Perhaps the most encouraging Word God can give to strengthen us in our Way is the outright affirmation of his ownership of our life. We belong to him. We are his children. We are his beloved. He loves us. We have identity and family in the Godhead. We are not scattered souls, tossed around by the winds of fate and chaos. We are owned - identified as his children, marked with his Image - and our Path is owned as well - for nothing takes the Lord of Heaven and Earth by surprise.
Knowing our future, he encourages us in the present. And what a "present" it is! What could be more affirming than the knowledge of his awareness, the promise of his accompaniment, and the realized affirmation of Life on the Other Side?
This is the encouragement he gave to Jesus. And it is the encouragement he gives to you.
These wonderful words thunder from the sky to affirm both the Call and God's ongoing presence with his Son as he faces the greatest trial of his life.
This happens at the "transfiguration" - a day when Jesus' Full Divinity was physically revealed to those closest to him. Though they had walked with him for nearly three years, this was a side of him they had never seen, and would never see again this side of the resurrection.
Two dead people also appeared on that hill top - Moses and Elijah. Both were power prophets of the past who gave all for God's Call. They were the right ones to encourage Jesus - as he was about to face the darkest, most sacrificial, experience of God's Call on his life.
Sometimes it is darkest as we enter the fulfillment of God's Call. And - conversely - God is faithful. He knows when that darkest hour will come. He sees the Sacrifice, there in the Valley, and is quick to encourage us through the saints.
(Sometimes we are encouraged by others and forget to take it to heart. Maybe we're prideful, or feel we don't deserve it. But God encourages us for a reason. Encouragement is his Food for our future. When you are encouraged, believe it. Take it to heart. It's for a greater Purpose!)
Perhaps the most encouraging Word God can give to strengthen us in our Way is the outright affirmation of his ownership of our life. We belong to him. We are his children. We are his beloved. He loves us. We have identity and family in the Godhead. We are not scattered souls, tossed around by the winds of fate and chaos. We are owned - identified as his children, marked with his Image - and our Path is owned as well - for nothing takes the Lord of Heaven and Earth by surprise.
Knowing our future, he encourages us in the present. And what a "present" it is! What could be more affirming than the knowledge of his awareness, the promise of his accompaniment, and the realized affirmation of Life on the Other Side?
This is the encouragement he gave to Jesus. And it is the encouragement he gives to you.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Communion: Summary (V of V)
The power of Communion is rooted in the Wood at Calvary, experienced in the Real Presence, which is infused to us as an Eschatological Invasion from our future.
When we take Communion a paradigm that includes all dimensions of the Life of Christ needs to be held in tension as the Elements are consumed. We ar associating ourselves with the events of of the Passion. Yet, perhaps more-so, we are receiving Life - the essence of heaven. It is a Living Presence which is Incarnated by the Christ who is exalted to the Highest Place. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And he will continually feed us with that Living Manna until the Day when we ourselves arrive in that Heavenly Country and feast with him at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
When we take Communion a paradigm that includes all dimensions of the Life of Christ needs to be held in tension as the Elements are consumed. We ar associating ourselves with the events of of the Passion. Yet, perhaps more-so, we are receiving Life - the essence of heaven. It is a Living Presence which is Incarnated by the Christ who is exalted to the Highest Place. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
And he will continually feed us with that Living Manna until the Day when we ourselves arrive in that Heavenly Country and feast with him at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.
Communion: Its Eschatological Ethos (IV of V)
Don't let the big words deter you from the Reality within. "Eschatological" is a theological buzzword that means "the Life of the Future," or "the Substance of Heaven" - complete with the smells, fulness of joy, and Life therein. When something is "eschatological," it carries the fragrance and fulness of all the Properties of Heaven, revealed to us in our present.
We know, for example, that there are no more tears in heaven - only everlasting joy. A person may have a joy-filled experience in Church one day. Some would call that and "eschatological experience" in that, the joy of Heaven's Future has, by God's Grace, been revealed in the heart of that person's Present. Similarly, when a person is healed of a condition or delivered of a demon, it has everything to do with the infusion of Heaven (where there is no sickness; where there are no demons) into the contemporary life of the Child of God.
All encounters of the Spirit are then, at their Source, eschatological in Nature.
In the Holy Eucharist we recite the ancient Words: "This is my Body broken for you" and "This is my Blood poured out for you." And, when the Elements are received, we usually hear words like, "The Body and Blood of Christ, keep you in everlasting life." But, if indeed we are receiving the Body of Christ - and all the benefits procured to us by the same - we need to be sure where that Body of Christ is coming from, . where this Person is currently living?
Let's be certain here: we are inviting a Person to become one with us. We are inviting him into the spiritual fabric of our souls. But what do we know about this Person? Where is he from? Is he from history, or is he from our future? In other words, in the Sacred Eucharist, are we receiving a tortured Body, crucified on a Cross on some obscure hill in Palestine, or are we receiving a Resurrected Body enthroned in Heavenly Places? Which "Jesus" is presented to us in the Real Presence - the Jesus of the Past or the Jesus of the Future? The difference makes all the difference in the world.
I would humbly propose that Christ's Eschatological Ethos is infused in the elements at the time of Consecration. The past would not be able to sustain us in the present, if not for the completion of the future's infusion into the mix. The reason we walk away from Eucharist fed, forgiven, nourished, empowered, and rekindled in hope is because we have had an encounter with the Eschatological Christ. The Risen Christ, who is now enthroned above - where there is no sin or sickness - where, one Day, we will also be - has bent back in time to meet us in our Present and, most importantly, has brought into our Present the Wondrous Graces of the Country of his Eternal Residence.
In the Eucharist he not only visits us from heaven but brings us gifts from that same place.
That is how a person can be instantly healed of a lifelong ailment or addiction when receiving Communion. Or how one, who is in depression on one side of the Cup, can rise to hope and renewed vision on the other side of the Cup. Heaven contains everything we need to guide us Home. And Heaven are the Garments of God, revealed in Jesus Christ, as we embrace and taste him at the Altar.
We know, for example, that there are no more tears in heaven - only everlasting joy. A person may have a joy-filled experience in Church one day. Some would call that and "eschatological experience" in that, the joy of Heaven's Future has, by God's Grace, been revealed in the heart of that person's Present. Similarly, when a person is healed of a condition or delivered of a demon, it has everything to do with the infusion of Heaven (where there is no sickness; where there are no demons) into the contemporary life of the Child of God.
All encounters of the Spirit are then, at their Source, eschatological in Nature.
In the Holy Eucharist we recite the ancient Words: "This is my Body broken for you" and "This is my Blood poured out for you." And, when the Elements are received, we usually hear words like, "The Body and Blood of Christ, keep you in everlasting life." But, if indeed we are receiving the Body of Christ - and all the benefits procured to us by the same - we need to be sure where that Body of Christ is coming from, . where this Person is currently living?
Let's be certain here: we are inviting a Person to become one with us. We are inviting him into the spiritual fabric of our souls. But what do we know about this Person? Where is he from? Is he from history, or is he from our future? In other words, in the Sacred Eucharist, are we receiving a tortured Body, crucified on a Cross on some obscure hill in Palestine, or are we receiving a Resurrected Body enthroned in Heavenly Places? Which "Jesus" is presented to us in the Real Presence - the Jesus of the Past or the Jesus of the Future? The difference makes all the difference in the world.
I would humbly propose that Christ's Eschatological Ethos is infused in the elements at the time of Consecration. The past would not be able to sustain us in the present, if not for the completion of the future's infusion into the mix. The reason we walk away from Eucharist fed, forgiven, nourished, empowered, and rekindled in hope is because we have had an encounter with the Eschatological Christ. The Risen Christ, who is now enthroned above - where there is no sin or sickness - where, one Day, we will also be - has bent back in time to meet us in our Present and, most importantly, has brought into our Present the Wondrous Graces of the Country of his Eternal Residence.
In the Eucharist he not only visits us from heaven but brings us gifts from that same place.
That is how a person can be instantly healed of a lifelong ailment or addiction when receiving Communion. Or how one, who is in depression on one side of the Cup, can rise to hope and renewed vision on the other side of the Cup. Heaven contains everything we need to guide us Home. And Heaven are the Garments of God, revealed in Jesus Christ, as we embrace and taste him at the Altar.
Communion: Its Presence (III of V)
When a person receives the Blessed Sacrament it is a direct encounter with the present Presence of God.
There is an Innate Being to the Sacrament, a Real Presence that kicks into our consciences when we appropriate its Substance into our hearts by faith. The Real Presence remains, whether we are faithful or not. But, for the faithful, Communion provides a current nourishment into the soul and situation of one's Pilgrimage. It is a daily infusion of Loving Manna, which is essential for keeping us united with the Vine.
Within that transrational moment, when the Bread and Wine transcends our flesh and is embraced by our spirit, we at once become the blessed recipients of his Unconditional Love and Sustenance. It is a empowerment of Grace which releases forgiveness in our hearts (both to us and from us), clarity in the ordering of our Sainthood, and the Spiritual wherewithal to face face that same defeated resistance as conquered by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bring these things to mind the next time you take in Communion. There is much more going on here than merely a memory, or a two-dimensional snapshot of what happened 2000 years ago on some obscure hilltop in Palestine.
Bring it up to date. Remember the Words: This IS my Body. This IS my Blood. I AM the God that heals you. The Holy Eucharist is is a Fountainhead of an Ever Living avenue of the the Love of God, poured out by the Holy Spirit, into the present day hearts of his beloved Saints.
How is this possible? How does an Event of the past reconfigure itself to empower us in the present? That can only be understood in the Light of its Future - the content of the following blog.
There is an Innate Being to the Sacrament, a Real Presence that kicks into our consciences when we appropriate its Substance into our hearts by faith. The Real Presence remains, whether we are faithful or not. But, for the faithful, Communion provides a current nourishment into the soul and situation of one's Pilgrimage. It is a daily infusion of Loving Manna, which is essential for keeping us united with the Vine.
Within that transrational moment, when the Bread and Wine transcends our flesh and is embraced by our spirit, we at once become the blessed recipients of his Unconditional Love and Sustenance. It is a empowerment of Grace which releases forgiveness in our hearts (both to us and from us), clarity in the ordering of our Sainthood, and the Spiritual wherewithal to face face that same defeated resistance as conquered by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Bring these things to mind the next time you take in Communion. There is much more going on here than merely a memory, or a two-dimensional snapshot of what happened 2000 years ago on some obscure hilltop in Palestine.
Bring it up to date. Remember the Words: This IS my Body. This IS my Blood. I AM the God that heals you. The Holy Eucharist is is a Fountainhead of an Ever Living avenue of the the Love of God, poured out by the Holy Spirit, into the present day hearts of his beloved Saints.
How is this possible? How does an Event of the past reconfigure itself to empower us in the present? That can only be understood in the Light of its Future - the content of the following blog.
Communion: It's Root (II of V)
The mixing of Blood and Water, of Skin and Life, has its Root in the Wood of Calvary. The Veil in the temple was torn by the Elements of the Crucified and we forever have access to the Father by the Same.
Whenever the Wood of Calvary is infused into our situations a new Substance appears. It is a Substance of Judgement, firstly, then a Fountainhead of Redemption. The Rod of Moses prefigures all the benefits of the Cross. On that day when he touched its tip into the Nile and the water turned to blood it prefigured the tip of the Cross and it's penetration into our own NIle. When the Cross digs into our Egypt our bitter waters are at once judged, and then simultaneously forgiven for the sake of his Mercy.
Without the stinging infusion of his blood, extending out from the Wood of Calvary (that Rock which is Christ), our hearts would be forever Mara, forever bitter. Praise God that we are sweetened as the Root of Communion strikes through the sinfulness of our embittered hearts.
That Reality is present when you take Bread and Wine. As the power of the Cross bleeds into your life you are at once judged and pardoned by the all consuming power of the Cross. You are both united to the Story of the Horrible Act - you become one with the betrayal of Judas, the denying of Peter, the fury of the Romans, and the Judgement of Pilate - and, at the same time, you receive the undeserved freedom of Barabbas, and you become awestruck in wonder, united with the Centurion in his astounding proclamation, "Surely this is the Son of God."
It is enough to quake the ground beneath our feet.
All that happens - the Sacred Memory of the Wood and Lamb - and its timeless overlap in this present day - when you partake in the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Whenever the Wood of Calvary is infused into our situations a new Substance appears. It is a Substance of Judgement, firstly, then a Fountainhead of Redemption. The Rod of Moses prefigures all the benefits of the Cross. On that day when he touched its tip into the Nile and the water turned to blood it prefigured the tip of the Cross and it's penetration into our own NIle. When the Cross digs into our Egypt our bitter waters are at once judged, and then simultaneously forgiven for the sake of his Mercy.
Without the stinging infusion of his blood, extending out from the Wood of Calvary (that Rock which is Christ), our hearts would be forever Mara, forever bitter. Praise God that we are sweetened as the Root of Communion strikes through the sinfulness of our embittered hearts.
That Reality is present when you take Bread and Wine. As the power of the Cross bleeds into your life you are at once judged and pardoned by the all consuming power of the Cross. You are both united to the Story of the Horrible Act - you become one with the betrayal of Judas, the denying of Peter, the fury of the Romans, and the Judgement of Pilate - and, at the same time, you receive the undeserved freedom of Barabbas, and you become awestruck in wonder, united with the Centurion in his astounding proclamation, "Surely this is the Son of God."
It is enough to quake the ground beneath our feet.
All that happens - the Sacred Memory of the Wood and Lamb - and its timeless overlap in this present day - when you partake in the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Communion Prelude (I of V)
(I'm taking a break from Matthew to share reflections on the Act of Communion.)
Jesus was emphatic: Eat my Body and Blood or you will have no life in you.
Communion is essential to our health, or Life, in God. In these short blogs I want to look at the Eucharist - it's Root, its Presence, and its Eschatological Ethos so that, the next time you take communion your mind can be in tighter harmony with the Reality of that which your spirit is embracing.
Jesus was emphatic: Eat my Body and Blood or you will have no life in you.
Communion is essential to our health, or Life, in God. In these short blogs I want to look at the Eucharist - it's Root, its Presence, and its Eschatological Ethos so that, the next time you take communion your mind can be in tighter harmony with the Reality of that which your spirit is embracing.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Matthew Study 16:21
"... from that time Jesus began to show his disciples...."
The revelation of God's work in our midst simultaneously reveals a deeper level of Reality. Sometimes it's a Reality that we'd rather not hear about, or even want to know about. All the same, when we seek God for deeper revelation we should be prepared to see the Big Picture - both good and bad - on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus has just clarified in the Apostles their Kingdom Authority. He emphasized their power to loose and to bind, to walk with the very Keys of Heaven dangling from their cinctures. With that revelation - as with all revelation - Reality also is revealed. Now that you know a bit more about who I am, and your role in this Thing , I need to tell you how it's going to affect you. I am going to suffer. I am going to be be killed. I am going to be raised from the dead.
What?! Just when we're finally "getting it" you are leaving us? You must be out of your mind! And with that, Divine Revelation is severely questioned. The echoes of the Temptation - did God really say? - become one with the one who, just moments before, was given Authority over heaven and earth.
As recipients of Revelation we need to maintain an open posture to not only the Revelations themselves but the results of the revelation as well. We are not capable of choosing the ones we like and the ones we don't. Nor are we asked to change the implications of what is revealed. We are simply given the revelations as a deeper understanding - a holy clarification - of that which is going on in our midst, or of who we are in Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. We receive humbly, and we need to carry on, humbly walking in the light of that Revelation (which is one of the keys of being naturally supernatural.)
Trouble happens when we seek to manipulate the Revelations - or their results. When satan sees us - fumbling around in our human understanding, struggling to make sense of it, or question it, or to deny the authenticity of it - he (who is impulsively attracted to such breaches of Faith) swoops in and affirm our words, "No, my will be done, my kingdom come!"
Peace, humility, and a Holy Resignation to God's mysterious ways are hallmarks of the all observing, all trusting, Children of the Revelation. God, give us grace to be wholly content with that which you Holy reveal to us.
The revelation of God's work in our midst simultaneously reveals a deeper level of Reality. Sometimes it's a Reality that we'd rather not hear about, or even want to know about. All the same, when we seek God for deeper revelation we should be prepared to see the Big Picture - both good and bad - on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus has just clarified in the Apostles their Kingdom Authority. He emphasized their power to loose and to bind, to walk with the very Keys of Heaven dangling from their cinctures. With that revelation - as with all revelation - Reality also is revealed. Now that you know a bit more about who I am, and your role in this Thing , I need to tell you how it's going to affect you. I am going to suffer. I am going to be be killed. I am going to be raised from the dead.
What?! Just when we're finally "getting it" you are leaving us? You must be out of your mind! And with that, Divine Revelation is severely questioned. The echoes of the Temptation - did God really say? - become one with the one who, just moments before, was given Authority over heaven and earth.
As recipients of Revelation we need to maintain an open posture to not only the Revelations themselves but the results of the revelation as well. We are not capable of choosing the ones we like and the ones we don't. Nor are we asked to change the implications of what is revealed. We are simply given the revelations as a deeper understanding - a holy clarification - of that which is going on in our midst, or of who we are in Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. We receive humbly, and we need to carry on, humbly walking in the light of that Revelation (which is one of the keys of being naturally supernatural.)
Trouble happens when we seek to manipulate the Revelations - or their results. When satan sees us - fumbling around in our human understanding, struggling to make sense of it, or question it, or to deny the authenticity of it - he (who is impulsively attracted to such breaches of Faith) swoops in and affirm our words, "No, my will be done, my kingdom come!"
Peace, humility, and a Holy Resignation to God's mysterious ways are hallmarks of the all observing, all trusting, Children of the Revelation. God, give us grace to be wholly content with that which you Holy reveal to us.
Matthew Study 16:18
"... and upon this Rock I will build my church..."
The Confession of Faith - Christ is died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again - Christ is the Son of the Living God - is the Bedrock of the Ages. Though invisible, it is the most stable precept in the Universe.
In a day when we sometimes overdo evangelism - bending to the world's interest in compromising methods - this Confession anchors us to the Rock. The Confession is the goal of our evangelistic efforts. The Confession is the goal of Sunday School, ALPHA, a set of worship music. The Confession is the goal of good Liturgy, street witnessing, and miracles. We want everyone to say, as revealed by the Spirit, "You are the Son of the Living God!"
Anything less falls short of Glory.
You are the Rock. Jesus wasn't telling Peter that the church would be built on him, per se'. There were 12 other Apostles - then 72 more; then 120 more, then all of us, too - as we are all apart of the Great Commission, representing the Kingdom of God with co-equal Authority and Commission. Jesus was speaking about Peter's Confession here - the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That is the Bedrock of Eternity. Upon THIS rock the Kingdom is established.
When the Church is built upon the Confession, it becomes living, breathing, and has a Life within it that is exciting, filled with grace and a general Living Buzz. When a single person becomes the church's confession you can be sure that it's a congregational setup for disappointment down the line. People are... well, people are human. Sure, we display the Image of God, but we not God. No wonder the Psalmist writes, A horse is a vain thing to trust in! It is when our Confession of Faith is lifted up above the people, above humanity - I lift my eyes up to the mountains - when God's Temple is established in our midst.
Jesus rejoices in Peter's Confession, for it is revealed from on high and it reflects its Celestial Origin. It is this Confession that supersedes humanity. It's very DNA is alien, non-human -- all the same, it is within grasp of any human that calls out to him in Faith.
The Confession of Faith - Christ is died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again - Christ is the Son of the Living God - is the Bedrock of the Ages. Though invisible, it is the most stable precept in the Universe.
In a day when we sometimes overdo evangelism - bending to the world's interest in compromising methods - this Confession anchors us to the Rock. The Confession is the goal of our evangelistic efforts. The Confession is the goal of Sunday School, ALPHA, a set of worship music. The Confession is the goal of good Liturgy, street witnessing, and miracles. We want everyone to say, as revealed by the Spirit, "You are the Son of the Living God!"
Anything less falls short of Glory.
You are the Rock. Jesus wasn't telling Peter that the church would be built on him, per se'. There were 12 other Apostles - then 72 more; then 120 more, then all of us, too - as we are all apart of the Great Commission, representing the Kingdom of God with co-equal Authority and Commission. Jesus was speaking about Peter's Confession here - the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God. That is the Bedrock of Eternity. Upon THIS rock the Kingdom is established.
When the Church is built upon the Confession, it becomes living, breathing, and has a Life within it that is exciting, filled with grace and a general Living Buzz. When a single person becomes the church's confession you can be sure that it's a congregational setup for disappointment down the line. People are... well, people are human. Sure, we display the Image of God, but we not God. No wonder the Psalmist writes, A horse is a vain thing to trust in! It is when our Confession of Faith is lifted up above the people, above humanity - I lift my eyes up to the mountains - when God's Temple is established in our midst.
Jesus rejoices in Peter's Confession, for it is revealed from on high and it reflects its Celestial Origin. It is this Confession that supersedes humanity. It's very DNA is alien, non-human -- all the same, it is within grasp of any human that calls out to him in Faith.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Matthew Study 13:44
"... he goes and sells all he has..."
The discovery, purchase, and upkeep of Jesus Christ in our hearts is worth every amount of blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing is more important. Nothing is more worthy of our sacrifice.
Some spend their whole life's work seeking the Pearl of Great Price and never find it. Others find It early on, forget its worth, and it falls into the jewelry case of one's heart like any other religious trinket. O, it was a phase I went through, we say. It doesn't mean that much anymore.
But the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price described here is, in Jesus' words, the only thing worth living, and dying, for. This man sold all he had in order to buy the field. He sold things precious, things dear. He gave up sentimental things - time honored things, the stuff that memories are made of - for the sake of the field alone.
(No one could really see the treasure hidden in the field, by the way, and thus probably thought he was acting foolishly. They only saw the field. A field? What does this bloke want with that old field?!) But he knew. He could see where others could not.
If we are to follow Jesus we will follow him into the complete denial of our selves. All is counted loss for the sake of the Kingdom. Everything needs to be crucified for the sake of Tomb Life.
This is perhaps the hardest call on the life of a disciple - to sell everything for the Pearl's Sake. In some instances the call to sell is welcomed - as it provides opportunity for rescue, healing, and restoration. In other instances, especially in matters of emotion and love, the selling of everything can be a painful event.
Jesus knew his resurrection would follow the selling of all he had - his life for us - and it most likely encouraged him in the all out purchase of the Field. He, of course still needed to die, but now it had become death for a reason, for the good of us all. So, in a real sense, the eschatological joy which was to follow became infused into the Cross he endured. And it empowered him in the purchasing of the Field.
Paul writes that the joy on the other side is incomparable to anything we've ever known. Knowing that - using that - the disciple acquires the strength to sell all. He is infused with a hope that transcends momentary heartache and propels him into the Straight and Narrow.
Selling all isn't for the sake of selling all - with no return on the sales. It is the only entrance into a doorway where Life really begins.
The discovery, purchase, and upkeep of Jesus Christ in our hearts is worth every amount of blood, sweat, and tears. Nothing is more important. Nothing is more worthy of our sacrifice.
Some spend their whole life's work seeking the Pearl of Great Price and never find it. Others find It early on, forget its worth, and it falls into the jewelry case of one's heart like any other religious trinket. O, it was a phase I went through, we say. It doesn't mean that much anymore.
But the Hidden Treasure and Pearl of Great Price described here is, in Jesus' words, the only thing worth living, and dying, for. This man sold all he had in order to buy the field. He sold things precious, things dear. He gave up sentimental things - time honored things, the stuff that memories are made of - for the sake of the field alone.
(No one could really see the treasure hidden in the field, by the way, and thus probably thought he was acting foolishly. They only saw the field. A field? What does this bloke want with that old field?!) But he knew. He could see where others could not.
If we are to follow Jesus we will follow him into the complete denial of our selves. All is counted loss for the sake of the Kingdom. Everything needs to be crucified for the sake of Tomb Life.
This is perhaps the hardest call on the life of a disciple - to sell everything for the Pearl's Sake. In some instances the call to sell is welcomed - as it provides opportunity for rescue, healing, and restoration. In other instances, especially in matters of emotion and love, the selling of everything can be a painful event.
Jesus knew his resurrection would follow the selling of all he had - his life for us - and it most likely encouraged him in the all out purchase of the Field. He, of course still needed to die, but now it had become death for a reason, for the good of us all. So, in a real sense, the eschatological joy which was to follow became infused into the Cross he endured. And it empowered him in the purchasing of the Field.
Paul writes that the joy on the other side is incomparable to anything we've ever known. Knowing that - using that - the disciple acquires the strength to sell all. He is infused with a hope that transcends momentary heartache and propels him into the Straight and Narrow.
Selling all isn't for the sake of selling all - with no return on the sales. It is the only entrance into a doorway where Life really begins.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Matthew Study 15:27
"... Yes, Lord, but..."
A "no" from the Lord may be the Lord's quirky invitation for another request.
Why are you so quick to stop asking for something after hearing his apparent "no" on any given matter? Do you think he may be saying "no" in order that you might ask him again? And, if so, would you think he enjoys hearing from you and he knows that a gentle "no" may raise us up to ask him again, and again, and again - if nothing more than for the sake of his desire to have Fellowship with you?
Do you not sometimes tease your children - knowing that the developing dialogue between the two of you will actually grow you into deeper relationship? Even a dog, when hungry, will persistently bother its owner, even when the owner is apparently ignoring the whining canine.
God has designed prayer to be two-fold. Most importantly, it is an "avenue of relationship" between us and him. It is the one thing that links us to the Heart of God. Secondly - and perhaps a far second at that - it is for the fulfillment of his will. Many of us, however, get that backwards. We think that prayer is all about getting our lists covered and care little about the Person - his desire, opinion, personality - with whom we're petitioning.
God loves you so very much. His desire is to know you, to love you, to reveal himself to you. Prayer is not merely a matter or going through the motions. It is the ongoing dating relationship of two lovers.
Think of two lovers going to a restaurant. They walk in, sit down, read through the menus, and order. This is the shell of the evening, the perimeter of the prayer, so to speak. If not for the conversation - the laughter, thoughtfulness, sharing, and disclosure - happening within that event, it would be a flat evening. Sometimes (in a flirtatious way?) when a person infuses a bit of loving tension into a dialogue it actually brings the couple closer together.
In a similar manner, God asks questions - God pushes back - to make us think; in order to make us respond again, and again. We find ourselves clarifying, repeating what he said in order to really understand that what it was he said was what he really said. These things are NOT designed to quench our faith but to build It. We would be silly to throw our napkin on the table, push ourselves back from the table in frustration, and leave him with the bill. His loving "push-backs" are designed to get us to press in deeper, to lean into the relationship and talk more, clarify more - and that, for the sake of Knowing the Beloved.
"You're kidding - right?" Or, Did I hear you say...?" Or, "Wait a minute... even the dogs get the crumbs from the table..."
And that's when the sparkle in his eyes brightens. For he has truly seen you; and you him. You are knowing one another as Husband and wife.
So - if only for the joy of having Jesus in your midst - be persistent in prayer. Who knows, your prayer may be answered, too!
A "no" from the Lord may be the Lord's quirky invitation for another request.
Why are you so quick to stop asking for something after hearing his apparent "no" on any given matter? Do you think he may be saying "no" in order that you might ask him again? And, if so, would you think he enjoys hearing from you and he knows that a gentle "no" may raise us up to ask him again, and again, and again - if nothing more than for the sake of his desire to have Fellowship with you?
Do you not sometimes tease your children - knowing that the developing dialogue between the two of you will actually grow you into deeper relationship? Even a dog, when hungry, will persistently bother its owner, even when the owner is apparently ignoring the whining canine.
God has designed prayer to be two-fold. Most importantly, it is an "avenue of relationship" between us and him. It is the one thing that links us to the Heart of God. Secondly - and perhaps a far second at that - it is for the fulfillment of his will. Many of us, however, get that backwards. We think that prayer is all about getting our lists covered and care little about the Person - his desire, opinion, personality - with whom we're petitioning.
God loves you so very much. His desire is to know you, to love you, to reveal himself to you. Prayer is not merely a matter or going through the motions. It is the ongoing dating relationship of two lovers.
Think of two lovers going to a restaurant. They walk in, sit down, read through the menus, and order. This is the shell of the evening, the perimeter of the prayer, so to speak. If not for the conversation - the laughter, thoughtfulness, sharing, and disclosure - happening within that event, it would be a flat evening. Sometimes (in a flirtatious way?) when a person infuses a bit of loving tension into a dialogue it actually brings the couple closer together.
In a similar manner, God asks questions - God pushes back - to make us think; in order to make us respond again, and again. We find ourselves clarifying, repeating what he said in order to really understand that what it was he said was what he really said. These things are NOT designed to quench our faith but to build It. We would be silly to throw our napkin on the table, push ourselves back from the table in frustration, and leave him with the bill. His loving "push-backs" are designed to get us to press in deeper, to lean into the relationship and talk more, clarify more - and that, for the sake of Knowing the Beloved.
"You're kidding - right?" Or, Did I hear you say...?" Or, "Wait a minute... even the dogs get the crumbs from the table..."
And that's when the sparkle in his eyes brightens. For he has truly seen you; and you him. You are knowing one another as Husband and wife.
So - if only for the joy of having Jesus in your midst - be persistent in prayer. Who knows, your prayer may be answered, too!
Matthew Study 15:8
"... but their hearts are far from me..."
Jesus' standard of righteousness - beyond anything else - is a matter of the heart.
Some believe that we are judged on how we behave, especially with regard to the keeping of the Law. So they memorize it, live by it, and judge others by it. Then there comes a time when, by the interior design of their own internal impurities, they actually use the Law to justify their own wickedness. They design clever spiritual loopholes which are, in part, supported by that same Law which was originally designed to promote purity of heart.
Purity of heart, on the other hand, makes no such allowances. It cannot maneuver, it does not seek to spiritualize sin, for it cannot. A heart is... well, a heart. It is unveiled before the Lord, who sees all, knows all, and is aquatinted with the Substance of who we really are. Christ's gaze of Grace pierces through the curtain of our spiritual arrogance and makes a bulls-eye for our heart.
It is here we are judged. Not by the keeping, or forsaking, of the tradition. We are judged by the Law of Love, by our obedience to the Holy Spirit's Conviction in our most Holy Place. This raises us far above the standard of the Law.
Oddly enough, it is possible for a Law abider's heart to remain distant from God. To be hardened to the Life of the Lord - and, thereby, unable to experience the Love of God. It is not, however, possible for one with purity of heart to fake it - to hide behind a curtain of works of righteousness (though one work of righteousness from a pure heart rises higher in fruitfulness than a lifetime of righteous deeds from a heart which has grown cold). That's why the pure in heart shall see God.
A person may fall short of the tradition and even fall short of a Commandment from time to time but God's Judgment looks far beyond what is seen by others, far beyond the Standard of the Commandment, and investigates us by his own living, Standard of Holiness as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
This is where the Lord lives, in the Temple of our Heart. This is how a person is judged, in the heart, not by "being good," per se'. For it is by grace that you are saved. All works of righteousness (and there will be many from a person as such) first flow from that Sacred Relationship - they must flow from that Sacred Relationship - or they are good for nothing.
No wonder the psalmist cries, "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
Jesus' standard of righteousness - beyond anything else - is a matter of the heart.
Some believe that we are judged on how we behave, especially with regard to the keeping of the Law. So they memorize it, live by it, and judge others by it. Then there comes a time when, by the interior design of their own internal impurities, they actually use the Law to justify their own wickedness. They design clever spiritual loopholes which are, in part, supported by that same Law which was originally designed to promote purity of heart.
Purity of heart, on the other hand, makes no such allowances. It cannot maneuver, it does not seek to spiritualize sin, for it cannot. A heart is... well, a heart. It is unveiled before the Lord, who sees all, knows all, and is aquatinted with the Substance of who we really are. Christ's gaze of Grace pierces through the curtain of our spiritual arrogance and makes a bulls-eye for our heart.
It is here we are judged. Not by the keeping, or forsaking, of the tradition. We are judged by the Law of Love, by our obedience to the Holy Spirit's Conviction in our most Holy Place. This raises us far above the standard of the Law.
Oddly enough, it is possible for a Law abider's heart to remain distant from God. To be hardened to the Life of the Lord - and, thereby, unable to experience the Love of God. It is not, however, possible for one with purity of heart to fake it - to hide behind a curtain of works of righteousness (though one work of righteousness from a pure heart rises higher in fruitfulness than a lifetime of righteous deeds from a heart which has grown cold). That's why the pure in heart shall see God.
A person may fall short of the tradition and even fall short of a Commandment from time to time but God's Judgment looks far beyond what is seen by others, far beyond the Standard of the Commandment, and investigates us by his own living, Standard of Holiness as revealed by the Holy Spirit.
This is where the Lord lives, in the Temple of our Heart. This is how a person is judged, in the heart, not by "being good," per se'. For it is by grace that you are saved. All works of righteousness (and there will be many from a person as such) first flow from that Sacred Relationship - they must flow from that Sacred Relationship - or they are good for nothing.
No wonder the psalmist cries, "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."
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