"When you stand in the place of worship, do so with a heart overflowing with forgiveness, even as your Father in heaven forgives you. And should you bring an offering into the place of worship, only then remembering an unresolved disagreement, leave your gift at the altar. Go first and be reconciled, and then return to make an offering of your gift."
--Jesus
Upon entering the bus, third grader Lilly immediately asks me the definition of "advent." "I should know what it means," she explains, "but I fell asleep during the sermon yesterday when the pastor was teaching. I probably should have stayed awake, but I was real tired."
Before I have a chance to respond, Lilly is off busily chirping at her friends. I begin to think of the many "Lilly's" who've fallen asleep during my profound, powerful, patiently prepared, poignant, penetrating preaching.
Now that I am no longer patiently preparing those powerful, poignant, penetrating sermons on a regular basis I have a chance to ponder what really goes on during a typical "worship" service...or at least what the Lord of Life would have go on.
"When you stand in the place of worship..."
While standing in the worship service we attended yesterday I thought of this statement. Worship services tend to be pretty passive experiences (no wonder the Lillies of the world fall asleep) and, according to personality profile expert Dr. Mels Carbonelle, tend to attract passive people.
Without getting too caught up in the minutae of word parsing, "Standing" is a much better position toward movement than sitting. For what better place can we find in heaven or on earth then worshiping God to restore relationships through love & forgiveness?
However, if while seeking God's presence, love and mercy we shut out our neighbor from our part in their blessing, how can we truly know our own selves forgiven? Is it not a kindness that our Father says he cannot forgive us when we will not forgive others? How would we interpret it if, though impossible, we should hear Him say "I forgive you" in our unforgiving-ness to a brother? Would we not think "I may go on hating, He does not mind it! He knows I've been provoked and am justified in my anger."
Take comfort, friends, that even though He does take into account what wrong and provocation there is, he will not allow us to simmer in resentment, to make excuse for our hatred, but works to deliver us from the hell of our hate and make us the loving children he means us to be.
Experiencing the love that would banish that demon from our heart and the paradise of God's presence is definitely worth staying awake for, don't you agree?
(adapted from MacDonald's Unspoken Sermon It Shall Not Be Forgiven)
"Many will come in the last days, from every corner of the earth, and enter into the kingdom of heaven. But the self-righteous and pious, who thought they would be first, and yet lived their lives without faith, will not enter in."--Jesus
My favorite "pearly gate" joke:
St. Peter: "Name?"
Man 1: "Earl"
St. Peter: "Why are you here today? looks like you're a little ahead of schedule Earl!"
Man 1: "Well, Mr. Peter, I had stopped home for lunch to show my wife my new company car. I was just leaving when a refrigerator fell through my car and killed me."
St. Peter: "Unfortunate but understandable. Welcome in."
St. Peter: "Next! Name?"
Man 2: "Tom. I really hate to admit this St. Peter, but I am insanely jealous of my wife and always suspected she was cheating on me. So when I heard a car start up in the driveway down below our apartment I took the first thing handy, our fridge, and threw it out the window to stop the cheater! Blew out my heart though..."
St. Peter: "We'll have to work on that temper, Tom. But welcome in."
St. Peter: "Name?"
Man 3: "Brad. Uh, I was in the refrigerator..."
St. Peter: "Really?!? Ohhhh..."
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Having officiated a few funerals in my time I'm pretty sure most people don't give a lot of thought to "entering the kingdom of heaven" until confronted with the painful reality of leaving the kingdoms of this world. I sat with a lady who, having made the difficult decision to stop dialysis, was slipping away. It struck me how after making peace with leaving family and friends there was still the little things that fill the world--habits, pleasures, comforts--like asking for a drink of soda, from around which one must unwrap one's hands.However, the "kingdom of heaven" is a party not just anyone can crash, in fact, some will be excluded. But who and why? The One expert on the subject, the Man who claimed to come from heaven, who before his accusers and executioners proclaimed His Divine Kingship, spelled it out, "those who think they will be first: the self-righteous and sanctimonious." Looking those words up in a dictionary probably won't get you much closer to understanding what He meant. But understanding what Jesus meant, about anything, is the business of life...and has afterlife implications.
Jesus showed tender mercy to those who struggled with the difficulties of life. He showed indignation to those who piled on those difficulties!
In every culture throughout history the "kingdoms of this world" entice men with the allure of wealth and power. The closer they get to the top of the mountain of fame and fortune the more "entitled" they believe they have become. Is it any wonder that they believe others feel the same; are motivated to receive "entitlements" from their "generosity"? Is it any wonder that in the exchange between the ruling class and the ruled every "free" morsel of redistributed charity eagerly received as a "right" is an affirmation of that faith? Is it any wonder that people become more dependent on those who perpetuate the belief that a few are smarter, stronger, better in every way and are "entitled" to pile on difficulties through regulation, rules, intimidation and falsehood? Faith in this system is a powerful thing...
Faith in Jesus and obedience to His words is a difficult thing.
- To be great in his kingdom one must serve.
- To be alive in his kingdom one must die to oneself.
- To hold the treasures of His kingdom, one must let go of the treasures of this one.
- To be loved in His Kingdom, one must love--like Him--in this!
There is only one kind of righteousness that will gain entrance into his kingdom, the righteousness that comes by obedient faith to Him! Only those kind will populate His paradise!
