Last week, I posted some thoughts about the church and what is required for the church to actually be the "called out ones" indicated by the church's "original" name: the ekklesia. Well, the actual earliest name of Christians was "followers of the Way", but you get the point. Here are four things that are required for the people called the ekklesia to be about the work of transforming the world and making disciples for Jesus (and the list below is not at all intended to be exhaustive).
1. A complete trust and reliance upon the Holy Spirit.
2. A relinquishment of ego.
3. An outward focus.
4. A shared vision.
Of course, there is much that could be written on any one of those four particular aspects and I may write more about them at a later date. As I've been thinking about the nature of the church over the past week, I'm slowly beginning to construct a cohesive ecclesiology in my head (at least it feels that way to me). I'm blogging about this stuff because I want to see if what's in my head can be put on paper and perhaps put into practice. So, for this entry, I'm going to list some statements of fact concerning the church (at least I believe them to be true). These are convictions that I have arrived at through a lifetime in the church and 10+ years doing "church work" at various locations. Here we go:
1) The church does not exist to meet the needs or wants of its current constituents. This is very important (and related to the relinquishment of ego). There are an unbelievably high number of church-going Christians whose primary criteria (and in some cases sole criteria) for assessing their church's effectiveness is how their own personal needs/wants are being met. This is a particularly pernicious consequence of reducing the church to simply one more service institution among many others. The job of the clergy/staff/leadership is to meet the needs of the consumers, according to this mindset. The job of the consumers is to be served. And, following the dictates of the marketplace, the "customer is always right." Should the church meet needs? Absolutely. One particular blessing of the church is its unique ability to make deep connections between people, and between people and God. Those connections are invaluable as we serve one another in the midst of the needs that we all have. However, if the church is operating primarily with this mindset, the community ceases to be the church, in my opinion. You can go to Philippians 2:5-7, or Matthew 20:28, or Mark 8:34-35, or Acts 2:43-47, among others, to see Scriptures that might form the beginnings of an appropriate attitude that Christians might have in relation to church. Not to mention I Corinthians 12-14.
2) The church is essential for Christian faith and practice. More times that I can count, I have heard the following sentiment expressed (usually in college after acquaintances found out that I was going into the ministry): "I'm a Christian, but I don't think I need to go to church. I can worship God in my own way." While people in the church in America may not necessarily express things that way, their level of involvement in the church indicates that we have plenty of self-professed Christians who have little to no use for church. Last week, I was looking at some statistics concerning the population within a 5 mile radius of my church. There were two statistics that spoke directly to this. 39% of people in Thomasville identified themselves as "conservative evangelical Christian". However, only 17% considered it "important to attend religious services". Less than half of those who consider themselves "conservative evangelical Christians" think that it's important to be involved in church. I am convicted that you cannot grow as a Christian, you cannot live the Christian life as God intends it unless you are involved in some way with the ekklesia. Being involved in the church does not guarantee that you will be a disciple (some people who have sat faithfully in a pew for years know nothing of Jesus), however I am convicted that being a disciple requires that you be involved with the church on a regular basis. I could (and probably will) go into a lot more detail, maybe I'll devote another post to this one.
3) In order for a particular church to survive (not to mention thrive), the church must embrace change. Many of my colleagues in ministry and my brothers and sisters in mainline Protestant churches are worried, even fearful, about the future of the church in America. There is good reason to be worried, though Jesus told us (a) not to worry, and (b) not to fear, so I'm trying to take him at his word. The church is struggling in many areas. In many churches, we don’t see the faith being passed down from one generation to the next because the younger generation is simply not there. We also see an older generation that, by and large, is not terribly interested in initiating change in the church to address this problem. That is a very broad generalization and any of us can produce anecdotal evidence to the contrary. In fact, a few of my greatest advocates for change in my church are older adults. But the exceptions are just that, exceptions to the rule. There are many more people (in my experience in several different churches) that don't care enough to do the work required by radical change, that are too tired to do the work, or that actively resist the entire idea of change, even in small ways. The prevailing logic here is that "it worked for my parents/grandparents/when I was growing up, therefore it should work now." I cringe when I hear someone say, "when I was younger" or "We used to…". I don't believe in a "golden age of the church." I believe that, at least in this part of the world, going to church was, for most people, primarily a social expectation. I also believe that 50+ years ago, the church was pretty much the only game in town in terms of widespread community involvement for all generations. These two things have changed dramatically. What disheartens me is the response I see by the older generation in response to this change. Many shrug their shoulders as if to say, "what can we do?" They relieve themselves of any responsibility. Many are defensive and angry, blaming the church or the culture for what they perceive as the declining health of the church. For them, the blame lies outside of themselves for the situation. After all, they haven't changed, it's the world or the church that has changed.
4) Jesus is Lord. Earlier, I used the word "radical". I think this word gets thrown around a lot and the meaning of it is not really known. The word comes from the Latin "radix" which means "root". When I say "radical change", I don't necessarily mean massive, overwhelming, completely unanticipated change. I think that change for change's sake can be damaging and is mostly ineffective. However, "radical" change, in the appropriate sense of the word, is a change at the root of things. It means a transformation of understanding about primary motivations and mission. In other words, the mainline Protestant church in America must rediscover (or arguably simply discover) the depth of Christianity's earliest creedal statement: Jesus is Lord. Our goals, however lofty they are, must fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our positions, no matter how scripturally rooted we understand them to be or how in keeping with "traditional Methodism" they are, must fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Our missions and outreach efforts, as noble as they can be, must fall under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And here's the thing, the church is the only community that I'm aware of that has been blessed and equipped to discern together what it means to be under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The church is God's chosen means for working out His will in the world for the sake of the world's reconciliation to Him. The Lordship of Jesus Christ, the active role of Jesus as Lord in our lives, is the root of our faith, our church, our very lives as Christians. And if we take seriously what Jesus says to us in Scripture and how we encounter Jesus in prayer, worship, and fellowship we will be changed, our selves and our churches will be transformed. Jesus is an agent of transformation. And, related to number one above, Jesus' goal for your life is not happiness, but holiness. Jesus died, not so you could have nice things, but so that you could have eternal life in God. Jesus rose from the dead, not so you could do things half way, half-heartedly, but so that you could live life to the fullest, trusting in God's grace in every aspect of your life. God has given to us His presence in the Holy Spirit, not so we could whine and complain, but so that we could live the Good News, share Jesus with broken people, work for the Kingdom. Thanks be to God!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Some disconnected (and possibly incoherent) thoughts about church
The longer that I serve in ministry, the more concerned I become about the lack of understanding among Christians about the nature of the church. It appears to me that there has been a decades-long failure to grapple in a meaningful way with the purpose behind the existence of the church. We (Christians) are for the most part content to not be completely aware of what the nature and mission of the church actually is - in a broad sense (the "Church" on an institutional level, such as the United Methodist Church, or the Roman Catholic Church, for example) or in a local, much smaller sense (what is the purpose of my particular church?). There are, of course, no simple answers to the questions "what is the nature of the church?" or "what is the mission of the church?" This is why these questions must be grappled with in a meaningful way.
The technical term for this kind of discussion is ecclesiology, which comes from the Greek word ekklesia. I love this word and I think about it often in the midst of my ministry. The word literally means "the called out ones". The ekklesia is a group called out (of what?) for a specific purpose. In its early uses before referring to the church, the ekklesia had a political connotation (the nature and function of the ekklesia changed over time). Ideally, the word still has a political connotation for the church, but not in the sense that a James Dobson or Pat Robertson might want it to mean (or Glenn Beck for that matter). The ekklesia, in terms of the Christian faith, is the primary agent by which God is at work in the world for the sake of reconciliation.
Those people who comprise the ekklesia have been called by God for just this purpose: the transformation of the world and the making of disciples (both of which, I would argue, fall under the heading "reconciliation"). This is a more active and challenging definition of "church" than, I daresay, most of our churches are willing to accept. Here's what it requires:
1) A complete trust and reliance upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn't joking when he told his disciples that they would face situations where they would have to depend on the presence and power of the Spirit. It is no different for us. The flip side of this is the church fails in its mission when it relies solely on the abilities and energies of people.
2) A relinquishment of ego - kenosis. This is central to the church living up to its calling. In Philippians 2:5-7, Paul says the following:
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness."
That phrase "emptied himself" can be summed up for our purposes here by the word kenosis, pouring yourself out. This concept of self-emptying factors heavily in my understanding of the church (the same idea is expressed by Jesus in Mark 8:34 - "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.") Church, in an important sense, is learning how to corporately lay aside selfish agendas for the sake of God's agenda, discerned through what Wesley called "holy conferencing", prayerful discernment, and careful/prayerful study of God's Word. This is almost excruciatingly difficult work for people who have been trained to be consumers and see church as existing to meet their narrow needs. They must be transformed by God's Spirit. People must be taught how to relinquish their ego and the church has, of all places in our culture, the resources to make this happen.
3) An outward focus. It has been my experience that many churches are quite content with who they currently have in their churches. This comfort with the current situation transforms a church from an ekklesia to a civic group. What many Christians fail to realize is that successful outreach breeds successful "inreach". The church is designed to be constantly going "out", to be constantly seeking people who are in need of God's grace (in other words, everybody).
4) A shared vision. It's nigh on impossible to have a successful church that has competing visions concerning what the church is "about". Of course, there will be some who are called to missions, some to care for the sick, some to worship planning, etc. I'm not talking about the diffusion of gifts among the Body. I'm talking about agreement on what we're here for. Missions is a particular manifestation of that, as is intentional discipleship, or care for the sick and dying, on and on. A major problem is that people often confuse particular manifestations of a vision for the vision itself. If the vision is "to make disciples and transform the world", this would be accomplished by various means using the multitude of gifts within a congregation.
I'm running out of steam…perhaps more later this week…the peace of Christ be with you.
The technical term for this kind of discussion is ecclesiology, which comes from the Greek word ekklesia. I love this word and I think about it often in the midst of my ministry. The word literally means "the called out ones". The ekklesia is a group called out (of what?) for a specific purpose. In its early uses before referring to the church, the ekklesia had a political connotation (the nature and function of the ekklesia changed over time). Ideally, the word still has a political connotation for the church, but not in the sense that a James Dobson or Pat Robertson might want it to mean (or Glenn Beck for that matter). The ekklesia, in terms of the Christian faith, is the primary agent by which God is at work in the world for the sake of reconciliation.
Those people who comprise the ekklesia have been called by God for just this purpose: the transformation of the world and the making of disciples (both of which, I would argue, fall under the heading "reconciliation"). This is a more active and challenging definition of "church" than, I daresay, most of our churches are willing to accept. Here's what it requires:
1) A complete trust and reliance upon the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus wasn't joking when he told his disciples that they would face situations where they would have to depend on the presence and power of the Spirit. It is no different for us. The flip side of this is the church fails in its mission when it relies solely on the abilities and energies of people.
2) A relinquishment of ego - kenosis. This is central to the church living up to its calling. In Philippians 2:5-7, Paul says the following:
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness."
That phrase "emptied himself" can be summed up for our purposes here by the word kenosis, pouring yourself out. This concept of self-emptying factors heavily in my understanding of the church (the same idea is expressed by Jesus in Mark 8:34 - "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.") Church, in an important sense, is learning how to corporately lay aside selfish agendas for the sake of God's agenda, discerned through what Wesley called "holy conferencing", prayerful discernment, and careful/prayerful study of God's Word. This is almost excruciatingly difficult work for people who have been trained to be consumers and see church as existing to meet their narrow needs. They must be transformed by God's Spirit. People must be taught how to relinquish their ego and the church has, of all places in our culture, the resources to make this happen.
3) An outward focus. It has been my experience that many churches are quite content with who they currently have in their churches. This comfort with the current situation transforms a church from an ekklesia to a civic group. What many Christians fail to realize is that successful outreach breeds successful "inreach". The church is designed to be constantly going "out", to be constantly seeking people who are in need of God's grace (in other words, everybody).
4) A shared vision. It's nigh on impossible to have a successful church that has competing visions concerning what the church is "about". Of course, there will be some who are called to missions, some to care for the sick, some to worship planning, etc. I'm not talking about the diffusion of gifts among the Body. I'm talking about agreement on what we're here for. Missions is a particular manifestation of that, as is intentional discipleship, or care for the sick and dying, on and on. A major problem is that people often confuse particular manifestations of a vision for the vision itself. If the vision is "to make disciples and transform the world", this would be accomplished by various means using the multitude of gifts within a congregation.
I'm running out of steam…perhaps more later this week…the peace of Christ be with you.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
A Few Thoughts About Christian Freedom
The following is from a homily given by Rowan Williams at the Holy Spirit in the World Conference at St. Mellitus College in England back in May (found the link through the terrific Faith and Theology blog). Here's the link to the audio page: http://cruciality.wordpress.com/2010/06/02/holy-spirit-in-the-world-today-conference-talks/
"True freedom is freedom for a full humanity…"
"Full humanity is Christ-shaped…"
"And so freedom is kenotic. Freedom for self-emptying…"
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself…" - Philippians 2:5-7a
"Full humanity is not a humanity that which is blithely or blandly in control, but a humanity that is overwhelmed by the energy of giving, with all the recklessness and risk that entails."
It is counter-intuitive, this Christian discipleship thing. It is truly, as Paul says, strength in weakness. I'm finding that being a Christian means, in one respect, that you are free to be wrong. You are free to need forgiveness - from God and from other people. You are freed from the improper demands of a human holiness and are given, instead, a holiness that comes from God, a righteousness not of our own or of our own making, but that is freely conferred/given/transferred/imputed to us as a gift of God's grace. What a liberating Word of grace! And I understand fully the importance of the word that is used when talking about this righteousness that is given to people by God. The main point here is the gifted nature of our existence as Christians (and simply as people, for that matter).
I think about my faith and my life in Christ in this way and I feel the passion and excitement that has come and gone in my time as a disciple. Like Eugene Peterson said, it is a long obedience in the same direction. Some days, the flame flickers and burns low. Some days (very rare, but it does happen), the flame seems to be extinguished. Most days, the flame of my faith burns at a steady, good rate. There are those days when the fire is fed and the flame rises and I feel inspired. This sermon, actually about 5 minutes of the middle part, put fuel in the fire.
Would that all people could feel the refreshment of the Spirit, the freedom in Christ to give, to be kind, to be generous, to be forgiving. Would that people could be liberated from insisting upon their own way, freed from having to always be right, always be in control. Freed from insistence upon their own way. Freed from the selfish desire that everyone see the world and experience God the way they do.
Jesus frees us to be wrong, to be forgiven. Jesus also frees us to not always have to be right. Jesus frees us from pride, from the anger that threatens us when someone disagrees with us. Jesus frees us from harmful anger. We Americans are, by and large, an angry people. And many Christians have anger as their primary motivation. And it is not healthy or sustainable. There are indeed many things to be angry about - injustice, oppression, inequality, greed, moral degradation - the list could go on. But, as a Christian, am I not defined nor ultimately motivated by my anger. I am motivated by the Spirit of God which is always already at work for reconciliation and peace in our world. Jesus is freeing me from an angry absorption in the outrage de jour. Jesus is freeing me to forgive and to be forgiven. To love and to be loved. Free me, Lord, from a mean spirit. Fill me with Your Spirit. Amen.
"True freedom is freedom for a full humanity…"
"Full humanity is Christ-shaped…"
"And so freedom is kenotic. Freedom for self-emptying…"
"Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself…" - Philippians 2:5-7a
"Full humanity is not a humanity that which is blithely or blandly in control, but a humanity that is overwhelmed by the energy of giving, with all the recklessness and risk that entails."
It is counter-intuitive, this Christian discipleship thing. It is truly, as Paul says, strength in weakness. I'm finding that being a Christian means, in one respect, that you are free to be wrong. You are free to need forgiveness - from God and from other people. You are freed from the improper demands of a human holiness and are given, instead, a holiness that comes from God, a righteousness not of our own or of our own making, but that is freely conferred/given/transferred/imputed to us as a gift of God's grace. What a liberating Word of grace! And I understand fully the importance of the word that is used when talking about this righteousness that is given to people by God. The main point here is the gifted nature of our existence as Christians (and simply as people, for that matter).
I think about my faith and my life in Christ in this way and I feel the passion and excitement that has come and gone in my time as a disciple. Like Eugene Peterson said, it is a long obedience in the same direction. Some days, the flame flickers and burns low. Some days (very rare, but it does happen), the flame seems to be extinguished. Most days, the flame of my faith burns at a steady, good rate. There are those days when the fire is fed and the flame rises and I feel inspired. This sermon, actually about 5 minutes of the middle part, put fuel in the fire.
Would that all people could feel the refreshment of the Spirit, the freedom in Christ to give, to be kind, to be generous, to be forgiving. Would that people could be liberated from insisting upon their own way, freed from having to always be right, always be in control. Freed from insistence upon their own way. Freed from the selfish desire that everyone see the world and experience God the way they do.
Jesus frees us to be wrong, to be forgiven. Jesus also frees us to not always have to be right. Jesus frees us from pride, from the anger that threatens us when someone disagrees with us. Jesus frees us from harmful anger. We Americans are, by and large, an angry people. And many Christians have anger as their primary motivation. And it is not healthy or sustainable. There are indeed many things to be angry about - injustice, oppression, inequality, greed, moral degradation - the list could go on. But, as a Christian, am I not defined nor ultimately motivated by my anger. I am motivated by the Spirit of God which is always already at work for reconciliation and peace in our world. Jesus is freeing me from an angry absorption in the outrage de jour. Jesus is freeing me to forgive and to be forgiven. To love and to be loved. Free me, Lord, from a mean spirit. Fill me with Your Spirit. Amen.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Scattered, Disconnected Thoughts on This Week's Gospel Reading, part 1
I haven't blogged in a while - summer busy-ness and vacation have prevented me from doing much reflection or writing. Now that things look to be calming down a little and having returned from vacation, I hope to get in a rhythm on this blog. My thinking initially is that I would post 2-3 times a week, one post focused on whatever Scripture I'll be preaching on the next Sunday (or Bible study topic), one post on a theological topic that I'm currently kicking around in my head (and heart), and possibly one non-ministry related topic. I'm hoping to get back to my first intentions. So here goes…
The Gospel passage for this Sunday is Luke 12:32-40, which is basically some teachings of Jesus concerning readiness and watchfulness (which will most likely be my sermon focus this week). Here's the text:
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39"But know this: if the owner of the house had known what hour the thief was coming, he would have not let his house be broken into. 40You must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
This passage is part of a much larger section of teaching going back to the beginning of chapter 11. Jesus continues in verse 32 by telling his "little flock" (his disciples) not to be afraid. This is important encouragement, considering what is to follow. On first glance, this seems to be a string of disconnected thoughts until you really starting pondering what Jesus is getting at here. What threw me off initially was the move from verse 34 to 35 and then the differing images in the last two "sections". But, as I'm thinking about it, it's starting to come together a little.
Verse 32 hearkens back to Luke 6:20 - "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." The 'little flock', this little band of followers who left families, jobs, lives to follow after a travelling preacher who proclaimed himself the "Son of Man" - they're going to be given the kingdom? Unbelievable. It is pleasing to God to give the kingdom to these people - imperfect, sinful, soon-to-be betrayers and deniers. In a word, us. We, too, are that little flock. And simply acknowledging that does not prevent us from denying Jesus (see: Peter) or betraying him when we misunderstand his mission (see: Judas, or at least that's my interpretation). We spend a lot of time talking about our faith in God, but it's more amazing that God has faith in us.
What I like about this passage is that it connects the actions of a disciple (verse 33 - a particular emphasis in Luke - take care of the poor) to the state of the heart (verse 34) to our readiness for "action" (v. 35) to the willingness of God to serve those who are ready (v. 37) to our watchfulness (v. 40). This seems like a jumble, but here's what I'm seeing here: the way you live your life is (of course) connected to the condition of your heart. What you value, whatever you hold in highest regard will order your actions and your decisions. So, of primary importance to the Christian is helping the poor (oh, if all Christian Americans would discover anew this aspect of Jesus' teaching - and it's not just about writing checks!). Why? Because we have a responsibility to one another, we have been commanded to love each another - this is how God intends life to go.
We are then, by stages, freed from those things that would keep us from following after Jesus with our whole heart, whatever those things are. The key concept here is that following Jesus frees us from idolatry. We are able to be ready and watchful - but for what? The coming of the Son of Man. And here's where things get a little complicated. I generally try to avoid too much conversation about "end times" stuff, because it has been my experience that some folks cling to their understanding with a tenacity and self-assurance that can be a little off-putting. Again, I trust Jesus: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own..." I'm not sure that I have the room in this post to go into the whole issue of eschatology (which is the theological study of the end times). Maybe later...
The Gospel passage for this Sunday is Luke 12:32-40, which is basically some teachings of Jesus concerning readiness and watchfulness (which will most likely be my sermon focus this week). Here's the text:
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
35"Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; 36be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks. 37Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. 38If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39"But know this: if the owner of the house had known what hour the thief was coming, he would have not let his house be broken into. 40You must also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour."
This passage is part of a much larger section of teaching going back to the beginning of chapter 11. Jesus continues in verse 32 by telling his "little flock" (his disciples) not to be afraid. This is important encouragement, considering what is to follow. On first glance, this seems to be a string of disconnected thoughts until you really starting pondering what Jesus is getting at here. What threw me off initially was the move from verse 34 to 35 and then the differing images in the last two "sections". But, as I'm thinking about it, it's starting to come together a little.
Verse 32 hearkens back to Luke 6:20 - "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God." The 'little flock', this little band of followers who left families, jobs, lives to follow after a travelling preacher who proclaimed himself the "Son of Man" - they're going to be given the kingdom? Unbelievable. It is pleasing to God to give the kingdom to these people - imperfect, sinful, soon-to-be betrayers and deniers. In a word, us. We, too, are that little flock. And simply acknowledging that does not prevent us from denying Jesus (see: Peter) or betraying him when we misunderstand his mission (see: Judas, or at least that's my interpretation). We spend a lot of time talking about our faith in God, but it's more amazing that God has faith in us.
What I like about this passage is that it connects the actions of a disciple (verse 33 - a particular emphasis in Luke - take care of the poor) to the state of the heart (verse 34) to our readiness for "action" (v. 35) to the willingness of God to serve those who are ready (v. 37) to our watchfulness (v. 40). This seems like a jumble, but here's what I'm seeing here: the way you live your life is (of course) connected to the condition of your heart. What you value, whatever you hold in highest regard will order your actions and your decisions. So, of primary importance to the Christian is helping the poor (oh, if all Christian Americans would discover anew this aspect of Jesus' teaching - and it's not just about writing checks!). Why? Because we have a responsibility to one another, we have been commanded to love each another - this is how God intends life to go.
We are then, by stages, freed from those things that would keep us from following after Jesus with our whole heart, whatever those things are. The key concept here is that following Jesus frees us from idolatry. We are able to be ready and watchful - but for what? The coming of the Son of Man. And here's where things get a little complicated. I generally try to avoid too much conversation about "end times" stuff, because it has been my experience that some folks cling to their understanding with a tenacity and self-assurance that can be a little off-putting. Again, I trust Jesus: "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own..." I'm not sure that I have the room in this post to go into the whole issue of eschatology (which is the theological study of the end times). Maybe later...
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