Lent: Moving Further into the Reality of God

It may seem an odd thing, but every year I enjoy Lent just a bit more. At first glance it seems to be a season all about sin, confession, penitence, repentance, and penance. It can feel like we're all about finding out how bad we are and how sorry we ought to be. They're is room for that, but that dreary vision of Lent has very little Gospel, very little Good News, at all. Let's go a bit deeper.

Jesus said in John 3:17 that "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." The message of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ isn't "You're terrible!" The message is, "It doesn't have to be this way. YOU don't have to be stuck anymore." Or as Jesus said, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt. 10:7).

Sometimes we Christians miss the eternal perspective. We think, for instance, that the Salvation of Christ is something that happens after we die and once we reach Heaven. Or we think that the Salvation of Christ is about reforming our society in the here and now. When Christ saws, "The Kingdom of God is at hand" it means all of these! Salvation is about my own life here and now and the hope of Heaven after I die. Salvation is about a just, peaceful, and loving society here and now, and about Christ's coming again to straighten out all humankind. It is me and everyone. It is now and in the future.


In Advent we make room in our lives and communities for person of Jesus Christ. In Lent we make room in our lives and communities for what Christ is doing, namely altering our reality by overshadowing it with God's reality. In Advent Christ moves into our neighborhood (John 1:14, The Message). In Lent, God begins to move us into God's neighborhood. And then in Easter, we celebrate (in the present) the eternity of living in that neighborhood!

I think we can easily miss the Good News of this. We might be underestimating the power of God's reality now. Instead we buy into the world's reality. Our consumer society judges life based on what you produce (your career and income level) and what you consume (lifestyle). God's reality is based on who you are (intrinsic value) and how God is working in your for the benefit of you and others (mission and ministry). In a materialistic society, what we own or can buy is prized. In God's reality the gifts of God has given us and gives through us are most prized. In an imperfect world we become perfectionists or pessimists. In God's reality, we become a people of redemption and hope - all things can and will be fixed!


The good things of the Kingdom of God are unatainable in this life, because at Baptism, "this life" begins our eternal life. When Jesus says, "The Kingdom of God is among you," in Luke 17:20 (emphasis mine), Christ is saying stop looking elsewhere! It's right here, now, with you, and with those gathered around Christ.

This Lent I hope and pray both you and I find the joy of moving a bit further into God's neighborhood, of buying into God's reality, and giving up that old life that is so unbecoming of the Children of Heaven.

"The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the Gospel."  (Mark 1:14-15)

A Response to NYT "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?"

An op-ed entitled "Can Liberal Christianity Be Saved?"  by Ross Douthat in the  New York Times offers a poignant critique of liberal Christianity and holds, in my opinion, some worthy points of consideration for many Episcopalians. 

To begin let me offer a note about conservative and liberal forms of Christianity here. In my opinion, conservative Christianity is more likely to pull away from the the societal trends surrounding it and 'conserve' the methods, ideas, arguments, and paradigms of the past. Liberal Christianity has the tendency to adapt to to the culture and society surrounding it, and be more "free" in its acceptance of contemporary trends and innovations. When we are honest with ourselves, none of us are fully 'liberal' (i.e. accepting everything freely) or fully 'conservative' (i.e. refusing everything new or innovative). Christianity has been, as Jesus was, both conservative and liberal.  

Why the discussion about conservative and liberal? Because I believe that Mr. Douthat is correct. The Divinity of Christ, personal conversion, societal transformation, and the mission of the Church are quite necessary elements of Liberal Christianity - elements, that some liberal Christians may have indeed forgotten or lost. In some, perhaps even many, places, Episcopalians have adopted the culture around them, rather than adapted to it. The critique of conservatives, which is outside the scope of aforementioned article, is to question whether conservatives are resisting not the innovations of human culture, but the call of God for change, growth, and sanctification. I would argue here that when conservative Christianity fails this question, it too has lost sight of the Divinity of Christ, personal conversion, societal transformation and the mission of the Church. 

It doesn't matter - conservative or liberal. Christianity asserts that Christ is Sovereign. Jesus is Lord. When, by grace, we accept God's supremacy in our lives, we will and must be changed by this faith (Eph. 2:8). As our lives change and conform to the Gospel, we will also work to transform our societies, because we love the people, our neighbors, that constitute them. And the mission of the Church is salvation in Christ, both temporal (now) and eternal (forever), physical (body) and spiritual (soul), individual (me) and corporate (us). 

Can Liberal Christianity be saved? I think only if the focus shifts from "Liberal" and returns to "Christ(ianity)". But beware: when that shift is made, worrying about "liberals" or "conservatives" will be among the least of any Christian's concerns.    

Overwhelmed? Empty? Finding our Balance in Life

It's November and here they come... the Holidays:
   Tons of food with calories galore,
       lots of family and all those complicated relationships,
           gifts and decor to buy with increased spending, bills, and debt,
     or perhaps none of these. Maybe the Holidays leave us feeling utterly desolate and hollow. Or maybe overwhelmed and hollow.

Isn't there a balance? Must we be either overwhelmed with too much or left feeling empty and hollow?


The Christian spiritual discipline answering that question is called "stewardship". Now before you move on to something else, hear me out. I'm not speaking primarily of money. I'm speaking of governing everything God has given us in this life, including time, relationships, skills, character, and wealth.

Stewardship IS the counterbalance to feeling overwhelmed by life or feeling life is hollow. The fundamental paradigm of stewardship is this:

All we have is given us by God and none of it truly belongs to us. 

Our time is life is limited. The amount of money we can make in a lifetime is limited. The number of skills and talents we can develop is limited. Even the number of meaningful relationships we can have is limited. Thus stewardship is the spiritual discipline of using all these well, to their full potential.

That might sound like 'investing', using our resources well to maximize their potential, but there is a key difference between investing and stewardship. Investing is designed to serve our own personal ends, whether personal gain, philanthropy, or future planning. Conversely, stewardship is aimed at whatever God is aiming at. We never achieve lasting balance by getting what we selfishly want. What God wants is ultimate abundance and equity for all. But, like successful investing, wise stewardship doesn't happen accidentally! Thus the second key to stewardship and to balance is this:

God knows better than I, the greatest good that can come from the gifts God has given me. 

Let's go back to the Holidays and either being overwhelmed or left bereft. The balance of stewardship comes from appealing to God's will over our own and over the pressures of society and family. Just because we want it doesn't mean we should get it. Just because others ask it of you doesn't mean you have to give it. Stewardship is asking "What does God want of me with what God has given me" and knowing that God will give you everything necessary to do what God hopes of you.

Stewardship keeps us from straining to acquire, hoard, and protect what is ultimately God's. And stewardship protects us from coming away empty handed in the end. Be good stewards. Find the balance God intends for your life.