Protecting God?
My friend, Rev. Will Rice has posted a great sermon that you can view by clicking on the link above (Protecting God? Sermon 10).
In the sermon he articulates something that I think very few Christians consciously think about, but which can be vitally important to our walk with God, and that is the idea that it's okay to be reckless with God's grace. Will says, "What I believe will really upset God is if the Gospel sits idle, protected by physical and mental barriers that keep it safe. I think we misjudge God when we think that we will be condemned for not defending God’s holiness." Well said.
Do the fundamentalists really think God will be proud of them for being stingy with Christian territory and for defending it to the point where others in God's realm begin to feel left out and condemned? That seems like grace abuse to me. God's grace has been offered freely to all, yet it often has trouble reaching all when it comes from the direction of the Christian Right. Even though many churches say, "Come as you are," some Christians still expect us to change first. It's good to know that God's grace is bigger than that, and available to us no matter where we are in life, and no matter what the grace-filterers may say about it. This is a great reminder to me that it's far more important to be a good vessel than it is to be a good filter.
Like Will, I don't believe God is going to get mad at us for being too reckless with grace, or for accepting it wholeheartedly when it is offered. But God might be upset if we aren't reckless enough. When Jesus told us to go out and make disciples of all nations and spread grace radically throughout the world, I don't think he meant that the gay ones or any of the other "different" ones should be excluded. God is inclusive, and we should be as well.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:11. It says, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." Grace is present in this process. Grace leaves us feeling whole, validated, and loved almost beyond comprehension, and it reminds us who and Whose we are. Even though it may feel as if we are surrounded by judgment and hostility at times, we are also surrounded by instruments of grace who will offer us hope and encouragement when we need it most. I'm grateful for Christians like Will, who offer it repeatedly, just as God instructed.
In the sermon he articulates something that I think very few Christians consciously think about, but which can be vitally important to our walk with God, and that is the idea that it's okay to be reckless with God's grace. Will says, "What I believe will really upset God is if the Gospel sits idle, protected by physical and mental barriers that keep it safe. I think we misjudge God when we think that we will be condemned for not defending God’s holiness." Well said.
Do the fundamentalists really think God will be proud of them for being stingy with Christian territory and for defending it to the point where others in God's realm begin to feel left out and condemned? That seems like grace abuse to me. God's grace has been offered freely to all, yet it often has trouble reaching all when it comes from the direction of the Christian Right. Even though many churches say, "Come as you are," some Christians still expect us to change first. It's good to know that God's grace is bigger than that, and available to us no matter where we are in life, and no matter what the grace-filterers may say about it. This is a great reminder to me that it's far more important to be a good vessel than it is to be a good filter.
Like Will, I don't believe God is going to get mad at us for being too reckless with grace, or for accepting it wholeheartedly when it is offered. But God might be upset if we aren't reckless enough. When Jesus told us to go out and make disciples of all nations and spread grace radically throughout the world, I don't think he meant that the gay ones or any of the other "different" ones should be excluded. God is inclusive, and we should be as well.
One of my favorite verses in the Bible is 1 Thessalonians 5:11. It says, "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." Grace is present in this process. Grace leaves us feeling whole, validated, and loved almost beyond comprehension, and it reminds us who and Whose we are. Even though it may feel as if we are surrounded by judgment and hostility at times, we are also surrounded by instruments of grace who will offer us hope and encouragement when we need it most. I'm grateful for Christians like Will, who offer it repeatedly, just as God instructed.
posted by Jen Austin at 1:42 PM
1 Comments:
Good point. Great reminder about God's grace. Perfect timing. I also appreciate the fact that you have the 20something studies posted on this blog. Please don't stop with that. I'm sure it's apprecited by many people and I, again, applaud the work you're doing and encourage you to keep it up. Praying for the ministry...
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