Pilgrimage Wk 3 / Grace & Works
The Pilgrimage continues. In our third week, things are spinning up on two sides simultaneously. First, we're learning and internalizing the practice, so worship flows more smoothly - fewer stops & starts (not that stops are bad). Second, we're getting down deeper into our individual hopes, struggles, and ideas for our lives as stewards of God's people and God's universe. Our first instance of "Can we continue this discussion outside of the circle?" occured. And Ann's meatloaf was even better than the first time.
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Following Adam's comment on my previous post back to his blog, I read some of his thoughts on grace/works and pondered and found a slice of clarity for myself.
"You don't have to do anything; now what are you going to do?!"
A quick Google search didn't yield a source for the quote. Maybe Jody came up with it. That would be rad - if so, "Aye-ko, Shepherd!"
This is the gospel message I've heard on grace. A Divine "you don't have to do anything." Unconditional. Martin Luther is the example, at one extreme, of trying to do everything possible to merit God's grace. He became a supermonk, and the more he did the farther from grace he felt. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the "invite Jesus into your heart" prayers. This sets the most minimal condition imaginable on grace... "acceptance" of grace... and tiny as it seems, still sets a limit on grace that can be enforced with astounding vigor by those who see themselves on the inside of grace.
Grace-by-merit is lost on both the maximal and minimal paths. You don't have to do anything; now what are you going to do?!
Luther discovered all over again that the God who prods our moral vision forward and outward in ever-widening circles of "love your neighbor as yourself" will never be at rest in us. When he found that he didn't have to do anything, what was his response? Work! Transformation. In the freedom of Christ's gospel grace, if we're listening we find the needs of God's people and world linking up with our own longings and gifts. We see that salvation by grace is not static - not a state of achievement - but a responsive "working out," work-in-progress, Under Construction - "follow me."
Grace is a wonderful and terrible freedom. Christ has freed us from fear of God's punishment; we are at peace with God. Extra credit; look up how many times the phrase "Do not be afraid" occurs in scripture, and comment back to us. Terrible because by grace we are thrust out into the world with a still-small voice whispering to us, "now what are you going to do?!" It's not easy.
Surprise for me as I write! This goes straight back to the Pilgrimage, which is a place for us to intentionally and deeply listen to that question, "now what?!" and respond.
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This understanding of grace is also why I am a universalist, assuming the existence of an afterlife. I hope to write sometime in response to KansasBob's "Divine Pets" post, which raises what I consider the strongest objection to universalist thought; that it destroys freedom. However, Bob's premise is that grace is something that can be either accepted or rejected; I dispute the premise, saying that grace simply is. "You don't have to do anything..." -h
----
Following Adam's comment on my previous post back to his blog, I read some of his thoughts on grace/works and pondered and found a slice of clarity for myself.
"You don't have to do anything; now what are you going to do?!"
A quick Google search didn't yield a source for the quote. Maybe Jody came up with it. That would be rad - if so, "Aye-ko, Shepherd!"
This is the gospel message I've heard on grace. A Divine "you don't have to do anything." Unconditional. Martin Luther is the example, at one extreme, of trying to do everything possible to merit God's grace. He became a supermonk, and the more he did the farther from grace he felt. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the "invite Jesus into your heart" prayers. This sets the most minimal condition imaginable on grace... "acceptance" of grace... and tiny as it seems, still sets a limit on grace that can be enforced with astounding vigor by those who see themselves on the inside of grace.
Grace-by-merit is lost on both the maximal and minimal paths. You don't have to do anything; now what are you going to do?!
Luther discovered all over again that the God who prods our moral vision forward and outward in ever-widening circles of "love your neighbor as yourself" will never be at rest in us. When he found that he didn't have to do anything, what was his response? Work! Transformation. In the freedom of Christ's gospel grace, if we're listening we find the needs of God's people and world linking up with our own longings and gifts. We see that salvation by grace is not static - not a state of achievement - but a responsive "working out," work-in-progress, Under Construction - "follow me."
Grace is a wonderful and terrible freedom. Christ has freed us from fear of God's punishment; we are at peace with God. Extra credit; look up how many times the phrase "Do not be afraid" occurs in scripture, and comment back to us. Terrible because by grace we are thrust out into the world with a still-small voice whispering to us, "now what are you going to do?!" It's not easy.
Surprise for me as I write! This goes straight back to the Pilgrimage, which is a place for us to intentionally and deeply listen to that question, "now what?!" and respond.
----
This understanding of grace is also why I am a universalist, assuming the existence of an afterlife. I hope to write sometime in response to KansasBob's "Divine Pets" post, which raises what I consider the strongest objection to universalist thought; that it destroys freedom. However, Bob's premise is that grace is something that can be either accepted or rejected; I dispute the premise, saying that grace simply is. "You don't have to do anything..." -h
Pilgrimage Wk 3 / Grace & Works posted by St. Peter's UCC at Monday, November 13, 2006
3 Comments:
Shepherd graciously declined credit for the quote, pointing me back towards "'Tis a Gift to be Simple" by Barbara DeGrote-Sorensen and David Allen Sorensen. In the chapter Keeping the Main Thing the Main Thing, they cite the following to an unnamed church leader;
"Now that you don't have to do anything, what will you do?"
Hey Howie, your blog is really providing some great theological steam, cooking up some tasty food for thought! You're doing a great job and its fun to "overhear" the conversations you have having with your congregation, the world, and internally within yourself.
This post, part of which revolves around the classic struggle between grace and works, reminds me of a one-sentence definition of salvation I came up with several years ago. It took me six weeks of work, prayer, and worship to come up with the single sentence, but it has stuck with me ever since. It's not so much a definition (as if salvation could really be defined, or words themselves could express the majesty and implications) as an indication - a pointing in a certain direction. And it touches on some of the points you made. So here it is: "Salvation is discovering you are loved beyond your wildest imagination and determining to live your life according to this discovery."
We at CrossWalk America will be in touch with you in the near future. We haven't dropped the idea of you adding some posts to our site as a guest blogger. We've simply been distracted by other things ... like a national press conference we're trying to arrange this week or next concerning the new "Left Behind" video game (yikes!). For now, keep up the awesome work and we'll be in touch.
Also, FYI, you and your group among others have inspired me to start up a Wednesday evening alternative service at Scottsdale Congregational UCC called Reverb. Like yours, it is meant to be small and intimate, and highly experimental. As you post your liturgies/materials, I may lift some of it for Reverb!
Peace,
Eric
Thanks for the kudos, and more for your crystallization of salvation, Eric.
It takes me awhile to reply to email/comments now - Monday's post will have more on that. :-) Happy to hear about Reverb - after getting the Pilgrimage up and going, I've discovered that there's a wider movement sometimes going under the label of "microchurch" - as opposed to "mega" - that is moving in this general direction - intimacy, being outside of the "church" building, more spontaneous/unprogrammed aspects of the liturgy, etc. Looking forward to hearing how Reverb goes and sharing ideas - you, and any other readers out there, are most welcome to whatever ideas we have. And I invite you to reciprocate with your own creativity & constructive criticism!
No worries about the blog - bigger fish to fry (can you say that in AZ?) - "I boldy hope," Eric, that as CWA picks up momentum you are, or are becoming, a good delegator-of-responsibility for the smaller stuff! -h
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