Getting Out of the Way of Ourselves

Getting Out of the Way of Ourselves--May 23, 2018

"For through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love." [Gal. 5:5-6]

"Faith working through love"--that's what we're about as God's people in Christ.  And Paul believes that anything that stands in the way of "faith working through love" doesn't need to hold us back any longer--not our race or former religious identities, not our gender or class or income.  None of those labels will stick on us any longer, because we are a community of "faith working through love."

And if we think about it, "faith working through love" is a rather broad commission--it touches on every part of our lives and every part of our world.  Notice that Paul isn't very picky beyond this faith-active-in love about qualifiers: he doesn't specify who should get the love or who is allowed to participate in the giving of love.  It is as though Paul really believes that once the Spirit grabs a hold of us, the best we can do is to get out of the way of ourselves and let the Spirit kindle that kind of active faith in us.

That's really how we need to hear this talk about "faith working through love" in the church. We can so easily turn it into a litmus test, a condition for real belonging, as in: "Well, we can't judge people by their race or ethnicity anymore--let's judge people by how good they seem to be acting before we let them in."  Paul isn't saying that "faith-working-through-love" is some sort of easily measurable prerequisite you can use to let people in or keep people out.  He's saying that this faith is something that comes "through the Spirit" as the Spirit goes to work on us and in us and through us.  That's why we just can't put too tight a rein on "faith-active-in-love" or hem it in with conditions about what race or class or sex are really allowed in or to do the work.  Paul is convinced that we can leave the who and the how questions up to the Spirit to take care of--and the Spirit will draw all sorts of people together into this community.  The Spirit has already drawn the pious and the impious, the wealthy and the poor, the insiders and the outsiders, the beautiful people and the losers, all into this community of Christ Jesus where the old identities no longer separate us.  And the Spirit has already kindled a fire in us to act in faithful love for each other and for those outside our doors.  Sometimes, the best thing we can do is to get out of the way of ourselves.

Where are you standing in the way of yourself--or in the way of the Spirit's action in you?  Where have you felt led by God to act or speak up or move in some new way, only to find your voice of inner restraint or fear keep you from doing it?  When have you let the Spirit overcome those inner barriers and acted or spoken up or moved anyway?  Which will today hold for you?

Great God, before we have the faith to act in love, you are the one who acts faithfully and lovingly toward us.  You are the source of our faith, our love, our hope, and our belonging.  Continually give us those gifts so that we can pass them along to all we meet today--and even find ourselves blessed in the giving.