Living in the Spirit
November 2, 2018
Scripture Reading: Hebrews 9:11-14
But when Christ came as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation), he entered once for all into the Holy Place, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, with the sprinkling of the ashes of a heifer, sanctifies those who have been defiled so that their flesh is purified, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to worship the living God!
My congregation was recently invited to participate in an ecumenical resettlement of refugee families and agreed to participate. We anticipated the assignment of our first family in a few weeks and were startled to get the call that the family would be here in a week. I think we must have felt like a couple whose first child arrived a few weeks early. While rushing about to prepare a home for the new arrivals, I suddenly realized I felt really good about being a part of a team doing something really good in our work toward building the inclusive community of God.
As one who devotes much of my time to justice work that often feels like beating one’s head against a brick wall, small victories can be exhilarating. The task of staying in the trenches, dedicating ourselves to fostering the Kingdom of God truly requires us to continually purify our conscience(s) from dead works to worship the living God. A lot of the work needed to make this world a better place to live might be classified as mundane, routine but never dead. People who stuff backpacks of food to send home from school with children every Friday because it has been determined that the school lunch program is their primary or perhaps the only source of food may seem like busywork. Tutoring adults to prepare them to take the GED test can be tedious for both the student and the tutor. Working for ten years to change state rules regarding improved quality child care seemed hopeless, like beating one’s head against a brick wall. until it passed.
The sustaining presence of the Spirit of God undergirding the Kingdom building work we do is paramount in purifying our conscience and keeping us focused on the ultimate goal of realizing Christ’s vision of Shalom throughout the world.
Prayer: Lord, continuously purify our consciences keeping us on the path of love you modeled for us as we traverse difficult pathways. Amen.