I've thought considerably about this and while in the back of my mind there's a little voice saying that there may be reason to have some fear of reproach, I have to share a learned conviction with some boldness. A friend recently made a comment that was not directed to me, but one that I received just the same. And although I'm heavily paraphrasing, it went something like this: I used to believe in magic and wonder, but as a child it was "churched" out of me. My heart sank and was instantly filled with grief. I was crushed ...
This isn't the first time that I've heard something similar and I fear that it won't be the last. Every time I'm confronted with the idea of people losing their faith and walking away, every time I recognize that someone is trying to earn their way into grace and every time someone misses out on the awe and wonder (what we might call the "magic" if you will...), that is found in relationship with the God who lovingly created us - someone failed ... and it wasn't God
It wasn't the author of awe and wonder who as a loving Father with unlimited creativity gave birth to the magnificent and captivating glory of the heavens purely for our enjoyment that failed them. It wasn't Jesus whose total humility and love as heir and possessor of all power of heaven, suffered himself to be presented to us in a form so far below His rightful stature to knowingly be treated like trash and murdered ... in order to save us. He didn't fail them ...
It might have been someone who put their position, religion, ceremony or personal bias before the loving, grace filled sincere relationship that God desires and is His goal through all of this life ...
Mark 7:5-8
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of religious law asked him, “Why don’t your disciples follow our age-old tradition? They eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony.” 6 Jesus replied, “You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ 8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.”
Hosea 6:6 (NLT) "I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings."
Matthew 9:11-13 But when the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with such scum? ” 12 When Jesus heard this, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.” 13 Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners."
Mark 7:14 (NLT) Then Jesus called to the crowd to come and hear. “All of you listen,” he said, “and try to understand. 15 It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart. ”
It might have been someone who failed to represent the humble, loving and forgiving spirit of grace that is who Christ is ...
Matthew 18: 1-6 (NLT) 1 About that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” 2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea."
Matthew 18:21-35 (NLT) 21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven! 23 “Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven can be compared to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date with servants who had borrowed money from him. 24 In the process, one of his debtors was brought in who owed him millions of dollars. 25 He couldn’t pay, so his master ordered that he be sold—along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned—to pay the debt. 26 “But the man fell down before his master and begged him, ‘Please, be patient with me, and I will pay it all.’ 27 Then his master was filled with pity for him, and he released him and forgave his debt. 28 “But when the man left the king, he went to a fellow servant who owed him a few thousand dollars. He grabbed him by the throat and demanded instant payment. 29 “His fellow servant fell down before him and begged for a little more time. ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it,’ he pleaded. 30 But his creditor wouldn’t wait. He had the man arrested and put in prison until the debt could be paid in full. 31 “When some of the other servants saw this, they were very upset. They went to the king and told him everything that had happened. 32 Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me. 33 Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’ 34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt. 35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
John 13:34-35 (NLT) 34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
1 Peter 18-23 (NLT) 18 "For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. 21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. 22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. 23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God."
Galations 5:13-15 (NLT) 13 "For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another."
I really can't say who it was. Perhaps they failed themselves through a lack of faith to make a sincere investment in the one relationship we were purposed and created for. I can't say. I can only tell you boldly and emphatically who it wasn't and that it breaks my heart to know that it happens. And I can also tell you this in case you haven't yet experienced it: there is unlimited wonder, awe, freedom, mystery and what we in our limited capacity might call magic to be found in a relationship with the unlimited, omnipotent and omniscient God whose capacity for love exceeds anything we can comprehend ... and for whatever reason ... they missed it.
Whatever the reason, I know that it also breaks God's heart. I'm not perfected in this yet myself, but I'm confident that people should know us, not by the titles we might give ourselves, but by the overwhelming humility, love, compassion and grace that is Christ's spirit exemplified through us. We shouldn't have to tell others of our God's children who we are ... they should recognize Christ in us. And we shouldn't have to tell the world until the enticing beauty of Christ in us invites them to ask us ... where this freedom, life and wonder lives ...
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