A Gospel Large Enough
After several days off, and at Kentucky Council of churches, I can now return to this blog. I just finished reading an article sent to me by a Lutheran friend about the recent school shooting in an Amish settlement in PA. The article reminds us that there is something more to Christian life than my own individual feelings and attitudes. It reminds us that we must do things that give testimony to the truth of Jesus' teachings, and not just the doctrines about Jesus, as important as they are. It was written by Sister Joan Chittister. Among several of her points is the fact that the world seems surprised at the depth of faith and forgiveness that comes from the Amish community. Most of us could not easily find it in our hearts to forgive someone who killed our loved ones, much less attend the killer's funeral as a sign of our forgiveness. I don't know if I could show that level of love and forgiveness. Some might say that it came too easilyy and was insincere. Well, their faith practice does not mean it is any easier to lose their loved ones. It witnesses to the fact that they know what the Gospel teaches and want to live into that faith. In a world where our egos and their development are the greatest things we think we can achieve, and our own feelings are the center of our world, real forgiveness is shocking. The Amish do not teach us that forgiveness is easy or cheap. They teach us that there is something to which we witness that is bigger than us, and that we must live toward that life as a witness to the world. They teach us that there is something more important in life than my individual feelings and myself. They teach us that our lives have a Christian context, and we must transcend the self. It is a witness to the eternal context of our Christian lives. I am sure the Amish parents both forgive, and will have to live into that forgiveness. In a world in which Christians justify all kinds of violence, and feel justified in harboring even the tiniest of grudges, no wonder this shocks us. Jesus calls us to live as if the coming Day of the Lord has already begun. Can we do that?
In God's Shalom,
Jim Stahr
After several days off, and at Kentucky Council of churches, I can now return to this blog. I just finished reading an article sent to me by a Lutheran friend about the recent school shooting in an Amish settlement in PA. The article reminds us that there is something more to Christian life than my own individual feelings and attitudes. It reminds us that we must do things that give testimony to the truth of Jesus' teachings, and not just the doctrines about Jesus, as important as they are. It was written by Sister Joan Chittister. Among several of her points is the fact that the world seems surprised at the depth of faith and forgiveness that comes from the Amish community. Most of us could not easily find it in our hearts to forgive someone who killed our loved ones, much less attend the killer's funeral as a sign of our forgiveness. I don't know if I could show that level of love and forgiveness. Some might say that it came too easilyy and was insincere. Well, their faith practice does not mean it is any easier to lose their loved ones. It witnesses to the fact that they know what the Gospel teaches and want to live into that faith. In a world where our egos and their development are the greatest things we think we can achieve, and our own feelings are the center of our world, real forgiveness is shocking. The Amish do not teach us that forgiveness is easy or cheap. They teach us that there is something to which we witness that is bigger than us, and that we must live toward that life as a witness to the world. They teach us that there is something more important in life than my individual feelings and myself. They teach us that our lives have a Christian context, and we must transcend the self. It is a witness to the eternal context of our Christian lives. I am sure the Amish parents both forgive, and will have to live into that forgiveness. In a world in which Christians justify all kinds of violence, and feel justified in harboring even the tiniest of grudges, no wonder this shocks us. Jesus calls us to live as if the coming Day of the Lord has already begun. Can we do that?
In God's Shalom,
Jim Stahr
posted by Theoblogger at
3:41 PM
