“Thomas Merton, the most sought-after spiritual guide of our time, said one day to a fellow monk, “If I make anything out of the fact that I am Thomas Merton, I am dead…. And if you make anything out of the fact that you are in charge of the pig barn…. you are dead.” Merton’s solution? “Quit keeping score altogether and surrender ourselves with all our sinfulness to God who sees neither the score nor the scorekeeper but only his child redeemed by Christ.”
Brennan manning, “abba’s child”
I have a burden, a prayer burden. So here’s my attempt to describe it.
- This is an intercessory message
- Yes, when you read things described in the first person “I am…” for example, it’s me, but it’s also those I am burdened for. Matthew 7:1-6 for sure, and the reverse of those… my log their speck, my speck their log.
I am part of the body of Christ. My membership in the body of Christ comes through my belief and confession.
No matter what I do… I am labeled and categorized. Sorted. I find myself in a bin, attached to a wall in their workshop. Some toss me carelessly into one or the other of them, and feel safe against me. But they are not safe. They are the one’s exposed. Afterall, does Love behave like that? It just seems so ungenerous.
What comes to mind when you hear the word Ecumenical, for example? For me its a put down of all those who have sought to label themselves, to set up a barrier between themselves and the rest of you. There’s a door, with a watchman, and there are passwords, and costumes for admittance to the inner sanctum. And once within, once there with all of us, they are ever under suspicion, them all. All are alone within the group. The threat that has just entered, and none are free. Torment continues, no rest, no peace. So there’s the rehearsal of scriptures, and traditions, and quotable phraseology. Go into all the world, and stomp out the others. THEM.
There is this Us and Them thing that happens, you see. And that becomes the message. And there’s laughter, I think. Because Christ is not being preached. Salvation through faith isn’t declared.
I’m struggling here. I just hate it so much. But it isn’t a personal thing. Its a message and intercessory thing.
There are those who feel safe as an “us and them” there is just as much a need for them each to come to a gentle awareness of their freedom in Christ Jesus.
What does the Bible say about this Us and Them? I wonder daily.
Bonhoeffer talks about it in “Life Together” I think.
I have grown up in church. We started out Baptist, moved around through Presbyterian, United, and even an independent church, it was as much of a cult as I’d ever care to be a part of. Its known only as that Home Street Church, in my mind, because that’s where it was in my home town of Winnipeg. And eventually we ended up in Calvary Temple, which was the Pentecostal Assembly of God of Canada.
There is a very good thing to declare what we believe, though. The first thing I do is listen for heresy, when entering a new church. When about to read a book by a new author, I look into whom he identifies himself with… I know the jargon of those I’ll stay clear of. It’s like buying a used car based on my past bad experiences.
When I go out to buy a used car, I listen for evidence of bad brakes, faulty electronics, a fly wheel with a broken tooth; faulty oil sensor, black mold, and when they are all absent, I put my nap sack down on a chair, but I don’t hang my jacket up in the foyer, its on the back of the chair in front of me.
Back in the days of John The Baptist, they were looking for the Messiah. Yet they all had a general idea of whom they’d find him to be. They were guided by the Father, to the Son, through the Holy Spirit? As we look at the Old Testament, we see the Holy Spirit in actions. We see Christ Jesus also.
Its an eternal mystery to try to understand the Trinity, so I’ll stop there.
What I came here to say is. God declared to Moses> I AM.
I actually had someone tell me to start up my own church! I didn’t know their agenda. Thank God I was immune to the temptation. Healed from such a thing through what I’ve suffered in my life. I now know more about it. I love that someone. That someone is searching for meaning in groupology, rather than in Christ Jesus.
Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, United, Mennonite Brethren, Mennonite Christian Conference, Pentecostals… I wonder how many evangelical denominations there are? Catholic and Protestant.
There is no refuge from corruption in Groupology.
I do know one thing so far, so good, that those that I gather with of late, have welcomed the Holy Spirit’s presence, and honoured the name of God the Father, God the Son.
I know because I’ve never felt so accepted as I have this time round. There’s no way of knowing, maybe, if its me or they that have changed, right?
In Numbers I read about those who were insolent to God, and to his appointed ones. They challenged the hierarchy. God told the others to step away from these who were uttering their blasphemy out loud, seeing mere men, fearing them not. And God came down, and it was at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He told them, “step away from them…” and there were those who distanced themselves, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, and then closed its mouth again. There were 250 of such, whom the Lord put to death by fire that came out from his presence. As I read about these events, my soul wept. For what is to come. There will be no joy when The Man Comes Around, the man on the white horse, judgment day.
Peter, if there ever was a man who could feel safely “inside” ? It could be him. Yet he cautions us in 2 Peter 1:3-11
3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is how I pray… I need you. Pray for me, pray for these that we are with.
I am welcome here. God is welcome here. God’s called, his chosen are welcome here. We are safe here. Because God is here. But he’s also there.
When I meet a man, I don’t speak against his mother, nor his father, nor his family, nor his town, nor his place of worship, nor his habits, nor his hangouts… keep the list going… and look at this>
They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
Running Down Vimy 