Friday, September 21, 2007

In my father's house

I have been thinking quite alot about Christian unity recently, and Robert's wonderful and thought provoking post at his blog "Mulled Vine" http://mulledvine.blogspot.com/2007/09/truth.html really motivated me to write about this issue on my blog.

LOVE, kindness, humility, gentleness,

are these not the attributes Jesus asks us to imitate?
We are called as Christians to bestow these gifts upon even those who seek to harm us.
Offering them as an embrace of union amoung fellow brothers and sisters in Christ should be something natural.
Sometimes, it seems, that all to often we see the argument first, the opinions, the ideologies and the differences between ourselves and another. We find these things before we search for their soul, their spirit, their intentions, the hurt, their joy, their love, their inner beauty.
Only seeing the outlines, the two dimensions of another human being turns them into an object, a set of ideas we either agree or disagree with. Aren't people so much more than this.
Search to find the contours, the light and shade, the colours of another's inner being and we will see the reflections of God also. Glinting like shards of sunlight upon deep waters. Illuminating, the shadows.. the indentations.. the negative spaces.
Bringing them all to the surface.
We need to love freely. We need to LOVE first.
Digging, picking, probing, thinking, rethinking....
God's love is pure and simple.
It is all that is required.
.
It is what unites everything from the light which reflects from smallest particle of dust beneath an open window to the vastness of a supernova millions of light years away.
Why are Christians of different denomiations so suspicious of eachother, particularly it seems, over the internet?
Regardless of the differences between everybody one thing over rides everything.
"Love never gives up. Love cares more for others than for self. Love doesn't want what it doesn't have. Love doesn't strut, Doesn't have a swelled head, Doesn't force itself on others, Isn't always "me first," Doesn't fly off the handle, Doesn't keep score of the sins of others, Doesn't revel when others grovel, Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth, Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end."
Corintians 1 - 13 The Message
Engaging only with the child of God in other's. The child of God alone. Not the exteraneous, the integral.

James 4:1 "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?"

A human's relationship with God is such a deeply powerful and personal thing, however everyone is called to it in a different way, and called to express it in a diffrent way. Each person's life, situation, experiences etc.. are diffrenet and God know's how to call people to a church that is best for them.

"In my Father's house there are many mansions: If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am there ye may be also. John 14:2-3
In the end we all fall to our knees beneath one Cross.
Douay-Rheims BibleBy this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.
John 13:35

3 comments:

  1. Thank You Suzy for this post.It is the prove of wisdom. To love the one like you, is natural. To love somebody who is different, means to observe , to understand him and then, to love him.But, what great moments I would have lost if me, an orthodox, hadn't known you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I once said the only problem I have with christianity are christians, God showed me that was His work not mine, mine was to show His love to all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you, Suzy for this . The last line in particular draws us / it all together...falling on our knees beneath ONE cross. That concept should unite us all because of its truth.We are, after all, worshippers of the one God.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your thoughts.