Lectionary: 309
Let us be on our guard
while the promise of entering into his rest remains,
that none of you seem to have failed.
For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.
But the word that they heard did not profit them,
for they were not united in faith with those who listened.
while the promise of entering into his rest remains,
that none of you seem to have failed.
For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.
But the word that they heard did not profit them,
for they were not united in faith with those who listened.
There are Christian sects that guarantee salvation to anyone who is baptized into their membership even one time. If you believe that sort of thing it's an attractive package. As some Catholic Veterans say to me at the hospital when I offer the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, "Can't hurt; might help! Help yourself!"
Historically the church slues back and forth between threats of hell-and-brimstone and promises of cheap grace. The great preacher and founder of Methodism, John Wesley, found that converts to his new religion soon drifted away when his preachers failed to teach a stricter moral code. People were eager to join his Church if it was easy, but they soon lost interest when it didn't require anything of them. The preachers who were reluctant to antagonize anyone by insisting on a strict moral code and faithful attendance to the worship failed as rapidly as those who made salvation seem unattainably out-of-reach.
Such is the mystery of the human being who is loved and challenged by our mysterious God. Nothing is as simple as it seems. Our relationship with God is a dance of attraction and repulsion, fascination and fear. We're eager to give everything and reluctant to give anything.
The Author of Hebrews urges us to "strive to enter into that rest," which sounds like an oxymoron.
Let us be on our guard... like the husband and wife who continually watch one another for signals of distress or contentment; like the parents who understand the needs of their inarticulate infants; and the adults who read the signals of their failing parents. Like experienced sailors, we listen for the invisible winds of the Holy Spirit whether they whisper like zephyrs or blow like gales.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.