‘Taken leave of their senses’

The greatest gift of God is surely His mercy. I love the stories of salvation we read in the Gospels which illustrate the process or journey from misery to joy, from the depths of depravity to a clean slate, from betrayal to loyalty. 

Like with prodigal son where it says ‘when he came to his senses’.. (Luke 15:11-32) barely a word of his well rehearsed confession spoken and he was lifted up again. Or the sinful woman who “stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears”. Not a word spoken at all, just an abundance of tears. (Luke 7:38). St Peter followed suit when Christ looked at him as the cock crew and ‘he went out and began to weep bitterly’ (Luke 22:62) And this is the formulae, sorrow for sins, tears of repentance which welcome forgiveness and a new (changed) life. 

It works. I believe each person has this opportunity to grasp that moment of grace, initiated as it is by the Lord Himself. Often, as in the biblical examples it is preceded by sin, self destruction and hitting the bottom. There are many tear- stained prison cell floors; cries in the shooting galleries of drug users and everywhere else where there is pain, suffering and bondage. And beautiful life-giving conversions take place. 

Alas there is a movement within society and even within the churches which seeks to do the exact opposite- a counterfeit kingdom you might say, where ‘having taken leave of their senses entirely’; they would like to avail of or offer a generic, easy and cheap alternative. Redemption without sorrow for sin, without tears, without repentance and worst of all without change. They demand acceptance, inclusion, and perhaps have an eye on domination, without a change of heart. 

Civil laws can change, like enabling divorce and the simultaneous decriminalisation of abortion and homosexual acts for example (in 1967) but the response of the church cannot follow suit. And yet in America a group of gay and lesbian ministers, Methodists and Episcopalians, ‘blessed’ an abortion clinic. Both churches have or are debating blessing same-sex unions as well in their churches and it seems likely that the truth will be the first casualty (Romans 1 26:27) Even in our church there is ‘sympathy’, perhaps brought about by guilt at being harsh in the past. 

  

Surely we must not sell anybody short on these or any other important topic, people deserve nothing less than the truth and should be offered nothing less than the full saving grace and transforming power of salvation through repentance; no one can give anyone permission to sin.

White-Washed Tombs ?

A few weeks ago I was walking into Malate Church car park and just in front of me was a young street girl, barefoot and a bit messy. Just then from inside the church another young girl came out, in her father’s arms dressed like a princess. There was a wedding on, maybe she was a flower girl. I wondered just how different their lives were likely to be. For one there would be school, college ,a comfortable home and perhaps her own wedding one day ; for the other a less certain future, no school, no home, and as Malate is a notorious red light area, the best scenario was that she might become a vendor or beggar. And at worst, fall victim to the pimps or pedophiles. Whilst there is suffering in every life, it did seem that the dice were loaded from the beginning.

Later as I came out I saw her again, standing by the outside wall of the church weeping, her hands cupped over her eyes.  Somehow even without any religious instruction, everybody knows where to go to cry don't they ? I could easily imagine her guardian angel collecting those tears and whisking them up to the throne of God. He is really for the poor.

Later, in the car park as the wedding crowds dispersed she was begging for coins from the wealthy guests as they got into their cars to go to the reception and eat but she received nothing at all from them. Whatever celebration of love took place inside the church, compassion didn't quite make it as far as the car park.

Here of course the church is very much mainstream, rather than persecuted it has found respectability, and so its members enjoy the benefits, a symbiotic relationship between the church and people. But where’s the love ? I wonder how perilously close we are to the state of the scribes and Pharisees, little more than white washed tombs, appearing righteous on the outside but empty and dead inside. 

Coincidently the building is in the process of receiving a P15 million Peso renovation, putting a new coating on the outside of the ancient building, making it look even more attractive, it looks a lot like white-wash too !