The Why of What

Why do we love, like, show interest in, or spend time doing things?  The answer for some of these things is very easy. We go to work so we can support ourselves and our family. We eat because we are hungry and we sleep because we are tired. But what about everything else?  Why do we watch movies, listen to music, involve ourselves in sports, either watching or playing, eat dessert, have sex, drink wine, socialize, go to church, read books, learn things or go on vacation?

One could write or talk for a long time on each of these subjects, but i am going to approach this from a different angle. This will not be a talk on which of these things are acceptable and which are not. That is much too Protestant. Instead i am going to suggest a single possible motivation behind them all.

The motivation behind these things may simply be distraction. We very well could be doing different actions, either sinful or not, as a way of distracting ourselves. One thing the early church fathers talk about is silence. Learning to sit alone, for a lengthy period of time and do nothing. Simply sitting in silence and examining what is in ourselves. Eventually, they say, we will discover that we are empty shells.  This sort of practice should reveal that without God have and are nothing. It is only then that we can really learn to throw ourselves on the mercy of God and find solace in him alone.

We may find that all of these other things, good and bad, merely distract us from that which is ultimately important, understanding our relationship with God and how bad off we are apart from him.

The width of the path

     In a recent conversation with a friend of mine, he mentioned his rationale for leaving his church of five years and starting a new church.  Apparently, after five years of attendance, it finally occurred to him that the church had become "legalistic".  In his words, the pastor was including "a lot" of personal opinion into his sermons.  In his words, "its unavoidable though, there is no way to avoid that."  The way he saw it, that church had fabricated a very narrow path that pretty much only they were walking.  But that was really easy. But (according to my friend), doing so leaves no potential for living by the lead of the Holy Spirit, it instead is a life of a list to daily check off.
     His new church, on the other hand, was a church of grace.  He now feels so much more alive.
     I have had a few thoughts on this, that I have not yet mentioned to him.  Really, it seems to me, that he has only moved from one man made path to another.  The first was a very narrow, tight-shoed legalistic path.  But really, the second is still a path declared and identified by some leader, this one slightly wider.
     This is the problem with all Protestant churches.  Because they reject the authority of the historic church, they have no where else to go but to human invention.  They can choose to follow Luther or Calvin or Wesley or Graham or Hinn or the local Baptist pastor down the block.  Regardless of who they choose, it is still a man made following.
    The argument of the historic church, that is, the Eastern Orthodox Church, is that we believe and live the same as the apostles.  We live and embrace the historic faith.  Our worship has been exactly the same for the last 1700 years.  And prior to that, the only changes are slightly longer prayers.
So for my friend, moving from one Protestant church to the next is only a circular movement.  Step away from men and follow the path of the apostles.
     Lord Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.

Pretty

     Who is defining "pretty" for us?  Who are we listening to?  Looking back over the last many decades, it is very clear that the dominant voice is subjective and driven by instant gratification and the pushing of the envelope.  As I commented to a co-worker the other day, "Why is it that the attire that was worn by prostitutes thirty years ago is commonly worn by the average high schooler today?"  Why is the standard for what is acceptable changing for the worse?  Why do moral decline as a society develops and grows?  It seems that spiritual maturity declines to the same proportion that societal maturity develops?
     Ultimately, we must ask: "Who do we believe regarding the way we attire ourselves?"  The world or the Church?  Ever fluctuating society or the standard of church tradition?  The next thing to address is the problem of articulating and communicating "that" standard to our culture.
     But it has to start with us.

Pornographic Culture

     In an article on the pornographic nature of our current culture, David Bentley Hart laments just how deep the depravity of Western culture has descended.  I would like to continue that thought.   I cannot even begin to comment on all the intricacies of how far our culture has descended.  The really sad part is found in that most people don't realize or spend any time thinking about this sordid state we are in.          One thought that has come to me is that of the power and responsibility of the Church.  We cannot and should not even try to force people to change by the strong arm of the law.  Our leaders are just as depraved as we are and would make no concerted effort to institute any healthy change.
     So what do we do?  I believe a good first step is for the Church to start taking back the act of love.  The Church needs to reach out and fill the needs of the community that surrounds it.  Divorcees, single moms, latchkey kids, the neglected elderly, daycares, old folks homes, and hospitals, to name a few.  These are all areas that the Church can step into and truly help.  I cannot offer any specifics, but can only make general suggestions.  When we begin to truly love others, when we acquire the Holy Spirit and involve ourselves in the lives of those around us, then we will see change.
     We will not see change by becoming like the world (ie seeker friendly mega-churches) and asking for money. We need to give and not take.  We need to love and not hate or condemn... anyone.

Some sins and not others

     Why do we recoil at some sins, but not so much at others?  Why are some sins so repulsive to us, but others we embrace, coddle, or wink at?  One thought is that we distinguish between sins because of our unnatural proclivities.  We all have sinful tendencies that are different from other people's sins.  And of course we have mercy on ourselves but not on others.  But this is exactly backwards.  We ought to assume the best in others and extend grace to others downfalls and weaknesses.
     Since we typically have so little actual knowledge about others, we should not put ourselves in a position over them, judging them by uninformed and graceless standards.  To show genuine love for one's neighbor is to be involved with them, to be able to express love of Christ, not with words but with actions, to the extent that love will draw them to God, to the Church, and to repentance.

Truth

We should embrace truth no matter where it comes from. All men are created in the image of God and no one is totally cut off from God. All men inherently and sometimes unconsciously are seeking for truth. Fortunately, we have the standard of apostolic tradition by which to judge any belief/teaching. Leaving a judgment about the validity of a particular doctrine up to our own interpretive skills is far too suspect. We in the Western world are too far removed from historic, apostolic Christian thinking to be able to make sound judgments. In general, the East is not faring much better as Islam has had a massive detrimental effect upon the Middle East.

What this really comes down to is the solid foundation of the historic Christian faith, and the trust we can have in the guidance of the Holy Spirit over His church.

What is the value?

     It seems that there should be an ever-standing question that ever confronts us every moment of our lives; the question of value. In every thought that passes through our minds, in every word that crosses our lips, in every cent that we spend, and in every action we take, we ought to be asking ourselves, "What is the value in this?"

     Asking ourselves this question presupposes that we have defined the word 'value'. That point aside, what is the value?

     I'm afraid that we don't think upon this question enough, for we spend an awful amount of time and money on very short-term things, tasty food, entertainment, and comforts.

     To the women the questions must be asked, what value is there in external beauty, in fitness, or in nice clothes?  To the men the questions must be asked, what value is there in sports, in action movies, in luxurious cars, or in a large paycheck?

     The way these questions are answered will reveal what we truly believe is important. In short, where our heart is. Do we value eternity? Do we value or even consider the health of our soul? Or do we distract ourselves to the point where our dried up and hardened souls are ignored all together?

To a very large degree our souls are like concrete. The way we form them now will be the form they take for eternity. Short of something extremely drastic, later in life, the direction we are currently moving right now will be the direction we continue in for the rest of our lives and for eternity.

So if our lives currently consist of work, NFL/NBA, exercise and climbing the corporate ladder or a fit, young looking body, expensive clothes, vacations on a beach somewhere, and a luxurious car, we may want to start asking some questions about where our treasure lies. We may want to think about how we define heaven. We may need to ask ourselves this question, "If all our interest lies in earthly things now, will we find eternity in heaven all that appealing?"