Faith Venture

Made me think back to the 60s,

What’s It All About, Alfie?

Is it just for the moment we live?

—Burt Bacharach

During last week’s technology conference, a speaker told us “automation should be about empowering people.”

We read the stories about Jesus.

We read the stories about the early church.

Is it all about joining the (name your type) community?

Is it all about going to heaven at the end?

Is it all about doing good?

Or, maybe, all about telling others how to be good?

Maybe it’s all about following Jesus, being empowered by the Spirit?

Empowered to live a life of service to God and others?

Empowered to live in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control?

Some people believe that we are born sinful and must live a life of striving toward perfection. Others think we are born perfect and develop illusions as we age requiring a life of recognizing and eliminating illusions.

I have no wish to plumb the depths of theological rationalism.

Somewhere along the journey we call life most of us will stumble on a large root across the path. The sudden realization like a stumble and fall on the wooded path that either we have been living a life wallowing in sin or that we realize that within us lies the capability of performing great sin needing only a trigger event to bring it out.

Perfection is impossible. Striving toward it leads to frustration and psychological trauma. Recognizing the possibility or actualizing of narcissism or cynicism or negativity or spreading hate and hurt can lead us out of the depth. Shedding each negative impulse one at a time by not-striving but allowing the Spirit to touch us (Romans 8:16) until we live the life defined by the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Jesus had a mission to fulfill the Law—not enforce it.

He showed the way of the Spirit.

The paradox—living in the Spirit leads to a life living within the Law without consciously trying.

Some try to beat up themselves and others into following the letter of the law.

Those in the spirit succeed by not trying.

One neighbor came to the neighborhood Christmas party last weekend. She kept checking her phone. No, she was not being anti-social. They were expecting their first grandchild at any time. Expectation. Anticipation.

My wife received a message this morning. Baby girl. 7 lbs. Everyone well. Joy in the neighbor’s family. And the neighborhood.

That is like this season of the Christian calendar. Anticipation. Expectation. Then, Joy.

This morning I read from Matthew. He begins with the genealogy of Jesus. It was important for him to place Jesus in the context of Jewish history. The history of God working through people.

His next report is short and to the point. Mary finds herself pregnant without having had sexual relations. Then her fiancé, Joseph, hears about it (you can’t keep a secret in small villages, I know, I grew up in  one). He is described as honorable. He decides he’ll just quietly divest himself of her but in such a way that she won’t be stoned. Well, a dream, an angel, God speaks. It’ll all be OK.

Dread. Expectation. Anticipation. Joy. A baby was born. They named him Joshua (the Lord saves) or in English Jesus.

Joy can be described as a temporary emotion triggered by a happy event. I think of it more as an attitude of life resulting from the indwelling of the Spirit. Joy helps us weather the inevitable disappointments and tragedies. Not at the time, but as we ride out the storm and come to a new normal living with the Spirit. Now Joy, like Peace, takes us to a deeper place.