Morning Meditation

 

This week we are turning and tuning into the words from the second chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.  Yesterday, we considered that we are a poem of God’s hand, we are a hymn sung from God’s heart.  To live the fullness of that truth, we will need to let go of our grasp and let God take hold of us.  The difficulty, as Paul points out is that we feel “buried under mountains of brokenness and separation and alienation.”  Your Bible translation might say, “sin”.

Sin is one of those words that carries more baggage than a family of four going on vacation for four weeks.  Sin evokes and provokes shame and guilt and feeling bad.  I recently heard a different definition of sin.  Sin distorts our view of how God sees us.  That is, sin convinces us that God is a ruthless judge who convicts us no matter what.  Sin convinces us God is a disproving disciplinarian who we can never please and seems to always want us to do more and try harder.  Sin distorts our view of God, messes with our theology.  No longer are we beloved but broken.  No longer are we rooted in grace, but told we are unworthy worms.  To be sure, the church for too long has relied on blame and shame in talking about sin. 

God is goodness and love from the top of God’s being to the ground of God’s presence.  God is a circle of love that continues to expand and embrace all in new ways. 

But…our minds interject and object…there is no such thing as a free lunch.  God must want something?!?  And you know what they say about things that sound too good to be true, that a fool and his money are soon parted…and other cliches you heard grown up inserted here.

Notice how this is the gospel of the world and economics and power preaching.  Notice how this gospel wants to keep you striving and running around.  Notice how this gospel makes a demand of, “Try harder and do more”.  Paul says, we receive God’s grace not by our own plan or our effort.  It is not about us, this is about God being God. 

How might we rest in God’s presence in ways that give us life and love?  Please pray with me the third verse of Take My Life

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.