“inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”

For many people it is Jesus “yes,” and the Church “no.” I understand this well. I have been hurt more by those who claim to know Him than those who don't. I supposed I expected more, but I don't intent to let it put me off Him! But here's a question, what would you do if you saw Jesus hungry and naked (that is part of what the quote from Matthew 25 is about)?

I don't want to downplay our very real needs or our very real difficulties, but compared with much of the world, we in the West are all filthy stinking rich. According to UNICEF over 22,000 children die every day due to poverty. That is over one child every 4 seconds. So how many died while you were reading this? And how much suffering results from just one such death? It is easy to be overwhelmed, it is easy think I can do nothing. This post was prompted by pictures face book friends posted, and I suggested “Opportunity International” as an effective way to help some. Even if we only help one, the mother of that child will be eternally grateful. Jesus also said “... inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ I cannot do nothing, how about you?

Happy are the poor in spirit

It's a few years ago now that I resigned my self appointed task as keeper of the Universe. Well it was not really the whole universe, but I had been feeling responsible for a lot more than I now feel for things outside of my control. I also stopped worrying as much about what people thought of me, and I started to define success in very different terms than I had earlier.

The above quotation from the sermon on the mount is a huge stumbling block for our culture, where self reliance and individualism rule, where career, financial success, and making it big is what it's all about. We are told that “Only the weak need religion.” For me it's more like a brand new pair of legs.

The (often self imposed) pressure we feel to be successful, to need nobody, to be beautiful, intelligent, rich, powerful causes us to hide who we really are. It results in our living outside of reality, because nobody can be all these things. We are often afraid to let others know who we really are because we believe if others really knew the truth about us they would reject us. What is it they say “Most men live lives of quiet desperation”? But we don't all admit it even when we do!

There are a couple of equal and opposite errors to avoid here. On the one hand there is the unhealthy dependency that signifies a lack of maturity, an unwillingness to take responsibility for our thoughts actions and attitudes, a dependency that leans too heavily on others placing the blame on them whenever things go wrong. It is a strong indication that we have not yet grown up.

But there is an opposite error, and one that many fall into. Let me start by asking who is the more mature, one who cannot surrender some of his or her independence or one who can? What I am saying is that independence is not the greatest form of maturity, what is more mature is interdependence, that is a willingness to admit that I have not arrived, that I have needs others can help me with.

Now I am a Mathematician. I have often said that it is harder to be arrogant when you are a Mathematician (it's not impossible, but you have to work a little harder!). The point is that no matter how much you know, it is perfectly obvious that (in the words of Newton) you are doing nothing more than splashing about on the shore of the vast ocean of knowledge. To put it another way, in Mathematics you cannot ask a question without showing your ignorance. So I ask my peers lots of questions. But I know more than I would, because I get at least some of those questions answered.

Now I do need to do what I can do, but I will not learn as much if I am unwilling to admit my ignorance. And it is here that we find the balance and avoid both of these equal and opposite errors. So in Mathematics so in life. If we are unwilling to admit or even see that in many places we are weak, and in many things we all fail, then we will not be living in reality and we will not seek the help that we all need!

It's the first step in recovery “I admitted that I am powerless over .....” And we are either in recovery, or we are in denial. I prefer another river (different from “de Nile” - groan – I know – I am of course talking about Ezekiel's river - Ezekiel 47).

To do what we already know is right

While it is true that many Christians get caught up in legalism (rigid adherence to often times man made rules) the opposite error screws us up just as much. If we are honest with ourselves, not one of us lives up to what we already know is right. I know I don't. That is why I need forgiveness and why, as I often put it, I need my Anglican fix (confession and absolution, and I never feel so free and so clean as when after I have blown it, I go and confess to Him and ask His help to do better – this is the very opposite of a guilt trip!).

We live in a culture that has lost it's way, that no longer knows what is right and wrong. We can know, but it's not about figuring it out intellectually. It starts with working from where we are at, it starts with being consistent with what we already believe is right and what is wrong. When we go against our own conscience we sear it (the image is of being seared with a red hot iron – after a while there is no feeling!). We have all done it, given in to what we knew was wrong and then suppressed the guilt. But guilt is not dealt with by sitting on it, it is dealt with by being forgiven. When we sit on it, it becomes easier the next time to do the same thing, and then after a while we change our minds about it being wrong. We can even get belligerent at those who hold the view we formerly held!

I have shared this illustration before but it stuck with me. The girl in the caff who told me “I don't think adultery is wrong.” I suspect she was hitting on me, but I looked her in the eye and told her “That's because you want to do it.” Her hand came up not quite quickly enough to hide her “guilty as charged smile.” The point is that we are so very very good at justifying what we do. So that our morality is tied more to what we do, than to what we (initially) believe. And what we do changes what we believe (no one wants to be a villain in his or her own eyes!).

The way forward is to start by doing the things we already know are right, and by being open to admit it when we are wrong. It's all summed up in a saying of Jesus “Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.” Doing is believing!

Redemption - a different kind of bail

I was in prison recently (no no only visiting - with the alpha program). In leading worship in one of the listed songs “There is a redeemer, ” I had to wonder if the men all knew what it meant. I explained it this way “When you have blown it and have to face the penalty, a redeemer is one who bails you out permanently.” When we break the law of the land we may need to serve a prison term, and bail here on earth does not save us from the penalty, it only gets us out until we come to trial. Before the bar of God the offense is forgiven and He casts my sin into the deepest sea and posts a “no fishing” sign. This “no fishing” is especially for me, no more guilt trips thank you! What I love about God is that moments after my confession I can climb up on His lap and He receives me as if I never sinned!

The redeemer we are talking about is of course Jesus Christ, and He made redemption possible through His death on the cross (He paid a debt He did not owe, I owed a debt I could not pay!). Here on earth there is the matter of getting caught. On the other hand He sees everything, but the way to get away with the many things of which we are all guilty, is to repent and seek His forgiveness. Being forgiven does not mean we will not have to face the consequences of our mistakes and wrong doing. We do reap what we sow. It is good news though to know that with Him we can always start over with a clean sheet. That is a big part of what the new birth is really all about, a chance to start over. This is good news indeed, and you only find this with God. Our fellows here below find it a tad harder to forgive. When people ask me how I am doing I often say “The Lord loves me, it's the rest of the world I'm having trouble with!” We (I) need to be more like Him in the forgive and forget department! The World would be a better place!