The Way of Holiness

We are studying Ephesians in Sunday School during the summer months. I absolutely love this letter. It has long been one of my favorites of the Epistles. This is largely due to a title it was given in my old Student Bible. During a particularly frustrating time in my journey, I discovered Ephesians. I flipped open my Bible and found this title: A Book for the Discouraged. It was like a personal invitation from God to dig deep into the letter. I devoured it and have returned to it over and over again in my journey. I hope it blesses you the way it blesses me every time I read it.

The beauty of Ephesians is that it is not only an encouraging book. This book will also challenge you if you will let it. If you let Paul's words sink in, you will not be able to finish the book unchanged for the better. This letter to the Ephesians will free you from the status quo and take you to deeper places in your walk if you really pay attention. Allow it to encourage, convict, and inspire you and you will never be the same.

One of the major themes in the letter is holiness. That is not something we talk about in everyday conversation. If you're like me, just the word holy conjures up some uptight and rigid images that I would rather not associate myself with as a Christian. Then there are the more positive images and thoughts of people who I really would consider holy. Some of these people I know personally, others I have only come to know through my love affair with the saints of the ages and church history in general.

Holiness is not something we talk about everyday, but we should be encountering it in each other everyday. Holiness is our calling as Christians. We are called to pursue holiness because God himself is holy and demands the same of us (see Leviticus 11:44a). And what is holiness but simply recognizing our need for God and seeking His holy face?

Wesley called the pursuit of purity "holiness of heart and life." I think it is safe to say that all of us long for that phrase to fit us and describe us. In your pursuit of holiness, remember that the journey begins by sitting down and letting God lavish his love on you.

I leave you with these wise words on holiness from Frederick Buechner. May we all see the other way of being human in this world that is holiness. I daresay if we would our world would never be the same.

"It is in Jesus, of course, and in people whose lives have been deeply touched by Jesus, and in ourselves at those moments when we also are deeply touched by him that we see another way of being human in this world, which is the way of holiness." - Frederick Buechner

Divine Double Take

When pressed as to what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind' (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' (Leviticus 19:18)." This reply, found in Matthew 22:37-39, is significant to us for more than just the obvious reasons.

That last part of the second commandment has captured my attention...the "as ourselves." We know the first part well and have even memorized the second part, but it hasn't really registered to us. I know this is true because if it had we would treat ourselves and others differently.

In my own meditations on the "as ourselves" I stumbled across a fantastic book about this very thing. The book is called A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self Hatred by Brennan Manning. It was a life-changing read for me, reminding me of the immeasurable love God has for me that I need only receive. And it is only in this reception that I am truly able to love Him and others fully. I encourage you to get your hands on a copy of this remarkable book...yesterday.

Below is an excerpt from another one of Manning's books, Lion and Lamb. Most of his books carry the common theme (major or minor) of accepting God's infinite love and grace. This one is the same and bears repeating as we consider the "as ourselves" part of God's commandment to us.

"One of the most shocking contradictions in Christian living is the intense dislike many disciples of Jesus have for themselves. They are more displeased, impatient, irritated, unforgiving, and spiteful with their own shortcomings than they would ever dream of being with someone else's. They would never judge any other of God's children with the savage self-condemnation with which they crush themselves.

Through experiencing the relentless tenderness of Jesus, we learn first of all to be with ourselves. To the extent that we allow the compassion of the Lord to invade our hearts, we are freed from the...self-hatred that we are now even ashamed of. It is simply not possible to know the Christ of the Gospels unless we alter our attitude toward ourselves and take sides with him against our own self-evaluation. Would you like to know this moment how Jesus feels about you? Bernard Bush says this is the way you will know: if you love yourself intensely and freely, then your feelings about yourself correspond perfectly to the sentiments of Jesus.

And the divine double take, of course, is that loving ourselves frees us to love others."

- Brennan Manning, Lions and Lambs

Stillness and Sabbath

I have just returned from a week at the beach with my wonderful fiancé and his sweet family. It was great to just get away and enjoy the ocean and the beach. I love how time seems to move at a different speed when you find yourself on a beach somewhere. It is hard to explain. It is even harder for a person like me to surrender to something like that.

This week at the beach really revealed to me how difficult it is for me to simply be. I long for it, but have hard time embodying it. I'll give myself a little grace this time, given this was the first full week I spent with my future in-laws. They are exceptional people, deeply loving and incredibly hospitable. They are thoughtful and fun people all-around. Still...it is hard to really relax while you are still getting to know your new family! There is in me a deep desire to please people, especially these people! Needless to say, it took me a few days to really relax. This is ironic given the fact that the men of the family are incredibly easy-going and generally relaxed themselves. His mom is relaxed in her own way (she fell asleep on the beach almost everyday), but is more concerned with whether you're relaxed and having a good time (like most moms!). The whole week was wonderful, but it was especially nice once I just relaxed and let go.

I learned from this - my first full week of pure vacation in my professional career - that I really struggle with rest and relaxation. I think this is because I rarely relax in the day-to-day. It is impossible for us to let go when we're on vacation or a retreat if we have not already learned to do so in our daily lives. This is why our Lord has always encouraged Sabbath rest. He knew well the importance of coming apart to rest, relax, and revive. We see evidences of it and the importance of it throughout the Old and New Testaments. Why, then, do we find rest so difficult? I say "we," because I know that I am not alone in this.

I heard someone say once that Sabbath is not a day in the week, it is a state of the heart. This is undoubtedly true. So, how do we begin to create of our hearts what Thomas Kelly calls an "inner sanctuary"? I am not sure I have a definitive answer to that, but I believe it begins with confession and prayer. Begin by telling God that you struggle with simply being and resting. Ask for forgiveness and for the strength to embody a stillness of soul. Pray the same prayer each day for a few weeks. Consider using one of the prayers of the saints like the one below (or other short prayers) or Psalm 46:10 (or another Psalm). When I do this, I find myself better able to be still no matter what is happening around me. I am beginning this practice again today and hope you will join me in the same.

"O Lord, my God, grant us Your peace;
already, indeed, you have made us rich in all things!
Give us that peace of being at rest, that sabbath peace,

the peace which knows no end."

St. Augustine