Thursday, February 19, 2015

"Why are Christians so ...?" - Brad Jersak



Ouch, eh?

I guess the most positive answer is that Christ has sought out, found and gathered the worst of the worst into his family of grace. If the family of God is truly open to the those most in need of grace, then don't be surprised if those most in need of grace (the angry, the annoying, the arrogant) show up.  

I guess the most negative answer is that having experienced that radical grace, we (the angry, annoying and arrogant) have not yet been transformed by it into gracious people. Why is this? Because we are an "already and not yet" people. Still ... 

How is it that Jesus could say, "Those who have been forgiven much, love much." Was he mistaken? Or perhaps our Christianity has been rooted less in a realization of the profundity of God's forgiveness and too much in how well he's met our consumer needs.

There's real resistance these days to saying the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner," because we don't want to identify with the condemnation of that scary word. But in so resisting, maybe we've also lost sight of our need for mercy. Maybe we, like the Corinthians, have become too comfortable with strutting our identity in Christ as if we were kings instead of Jesus. "We are kings," they said. Paul replies, "If only you were."  

This needs more thought. But if we're not sure that Christians are still sinners, just do the google search.
And if we are very sure that we are 'sinners saved by grace,' then maybe that grace should show.

Sincerely,
A sinner hoping grace will do it's work.