Prior Editions
A Lenten Devotional
Week 5, Sunday 3/13/05 -Saturday 3/19/05
Serve
actively in the church
Under a sovereign God, freedom as we often perceive
and pursue it does not exist. The popular view of freedom is autonomy to
do as we wish, to be fully liberated from the oppressive forces of this
world. It is sought in many ways - money, power, knowledge, lawlessness,
non-commitment are just a few. But these things in the end enslave us. We
are fortunate if, on our road to "freedom", God reveals to us
our skewed focus, that what we originally envisioned as liberation in
reality has us flying upside down.
Once properly oriented, our view and perspective is
radically changed for the better. We begin to see that the One who set the
universe in motion by His sovereign will had a marvelous design in mind.
Even better, in His irrepressible wisdom, He has included us in the design
as key players, bringing an even greater appreciation for our seemingly
serendipitous revelation. As we change course, we may soon realize
serendipity has little to do with our new-found joy. It turns out true
freedom resides in harmony with the created order, not rebellion, which
means, in the end, getting along with the One in charge, so to speak.
We know that our Father in Heaven is a God of
purpose. In truth, He is always working. After all, he does have quite a
lot to take care of. As creatures made in His glorious image, we carry in
our constitutions, our inner workings, the need to belong and to be active
participants in the "belonging" community. God created us to be
care-takers and builders, working together with Him and each other in
collective creative community, magnifying Him and, together, bringing Him
great glory. In the words of Dallas Willard, we are unceasing spiritual
beings with an eternal purpose in God's great universe.
Jesus explained freedom as the thing that is gained
when one becomes his disciple (John 8:31-36). He said freedom is closely
aligned with truth. But sin, like a veil, hides the truth of God's great
and glorious creation which includes with it interconnectedness with Jesus
and each other. In the raging battle between flesh and spirit, we
continually wrestle with our need for community and our competing desire
for autonomy, a desire that goes back to Eden, a story we are all too
familiar with.
When we allow God to lift the veil of sin from our
eyes, we begin to see that true freedom flows from heaven and derives from
the discovery of what we were created to be. Freedom comes when design is
matched with purpose. God tells us that we are His workmanship created for
"good works" He prepared in advance for us to do; and He has not
left us without help. He gave us His Son as a model, His book as a guide
and His Holy Spirit as a counselor to help us discover these
"works".
Although the great "American Experiment"
has lost some luster, it is still a wonder among nations. This is due in
some measure to how our founding fathers wove into our Declaration of
Independence the golden truth that freedom is endowed by our Creator, that
freedom operates within a God-bathed universe and brings with it great
responsibility. It's no mistake the more secular we become as a nation,
the looser our ties with our Creator and, proportionally, greater becomes
our desire for personal autonomy. This is a battle we as church members
confront head on when challenged with ministry needs, of how much to serve
and to give. The infiltration of the secular suburban spread encourages
privacy and disconnected "single family units" and, as a result,
we too often view ministry needs as things that take away from what we
"really want to do".
It is to our loss and detriment to allow our culture
to overshadow and drown out the call of our Lord. If we become lulled into
complacency by what appears to be the "good life", we miss out
on the Real Life Jesus promises and so willingly and richly provides. As
an extreme example, IBM developed a super-computer called "Blue
Gene/L" that does 70.72 trillion calculations per second. To use this
fine-tuned instrument of technology as a wheelbarrow would somewhat limit
its capability. Human beings (some would say an equally impressive
creation) in the same way limit ourselves when we ignore or overlook our
created purpose, which is what we do when we pursue things that lead us
away from Jesus. At first blush this sounds oppressive, but the devil's
wiles are quiet and slick, making inroads unsuspectingly. We can enjoy
cheesecake as a blessing or be slave to it as a curse. The difference is
where our treasure is, for that is where our heart will be and the freedom
to enjoy rather than the slavery to consume.
C.S. Lewis put it this way, "Most people, if
they had really learned to look into their own hearts, would know that
they do want, and want acutely, something that cannot be had in this
world. There are all sorts of things in this world that offer to give it
to you, but they never quite keep their promise. The longings which arise
in us when we first fall in love, or first think of some foreign country,
or first take up some subject that excites us, are longings which no
marriage, no travel, no learning, can really satisfy... There was
something we grasped at, in that first moment of longing, which just fades
away into reality."
The eternity God has put in our hearts moves us to
seek the thing that will complete it or fulfill it. We know that only
Jesus can ultimately do that, and as believers it is in answering His
"call" that moves us toward fulfillment. Os Guiness put it this
way, "Simply put, the Call is the idea that God calls us to Himself
so decisively that everything we are, everything we have, and everything
we do is invested with a dynamism and a devotion because it is done as a
response to His summons. In other words, those two words of Jesus Christ,
'Follow me', changed the world as millions since have risen up to follow
His call."
Jesus' call includes some common duties we all share
in, but more specifically, to each has been given tasks that come from
special gifts. One of our shared duties is to discover and act upon our
specific gift. There are many books and other resources describing how
this is best done, but the best source is the Giver. Direct communication
and a willingness to respond combine as guaranteed means to discovering
one's gift. It's almost silly to think God would go to such a great extent
in Christ to lead us to Him, then leave us wandering around aimlessly
wondering what we do now.
Scripture explains that each of us receives a unique
gift, and it should be used for the benefit of the church.
"As each one has received a special gift,
employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace
of God" (1 Peter 4:10 NASB).
"Since we have gifts that differ according to
the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly"
(Romans 12:6 NASB).
"Each [person] has [their] own gift from
God" (1 Cor 7:7 NASB).
As Peter received the keys to the kingdom, we have
been given great insights to true freedom and our "eternal purpose in
God's great universe". This Lenten season is a good time to
"think clearly" and pray earnestly about our calling and whether
we've heard and, more importantly, responded to that still, small voice
gently encouraging us forward. It may be helpful to remember, whatever our
gift, in all respects, whatever we do, whether in word or deed, remember
to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him. And as Paul reminded Timothy, in view of [Christ's]
appearing and His Kingdom, to be attentive and alert, as the day is coming
when Jesus returns, and he will have fire in His eyes. (Rev. 19:12)
Although fear should not be our prime motivation, it
is realistic to bear in mind the importance and sense of urgency before
us. Our call to minister in God's Kingdom certainly brings freedom as we
match our gifts with our calling. And similar to the Ten Commandments; our
calling is not a suggestion or negotiation. Our calling to minister is
indeed a gift, but one that should be earnestly pursued, for we come to
the table of Christ not for what is on the table, but for Him who has
invited us.
In Christ,
Dave Roberts
Mid-Week
Musings
An
Occasional bulletin from Christ United Methodist Church