Here is a question for us – Is God alive to us, the Spirit given access to our lives, Christ first and foremost our hope? The quick response for most Christians would probably be– “of course those things are true!” But is there a gap between what we say we believe and how we live day by day? Do we, Christians, of this era, comprehend Jesus’ invitation to come and follow Him?
Nietzsche, in the late 19th century, said that God is dead. His view was that humanity had outgrown the need for the divine mystery, thus the death of God. He went to say that those who eliminate God must now rise to the challenge of being gods, making meaning and value in life that serving God did in the past. His thoughts have come to full fruit in our time, with technology that allows us to manipulate the world and our environment to an almost ‘god-like’ degree.
For millions Christianity has become a tradition for Sunday, entirely separate from Monday. Jesus’ demand that those who are His followers will love and care for the world is a sentimental idea but discarded in societal policies as impractical. The declaration that we exist to know and serve God, that our greatest hope lies in the Resurrection, is lost to a ‘faith’ that is moralistic therapeutic deism asking no more of us than that we are ‘nice people.’
Thus, millions of babies are aborted for no other reason than that their birth
would be an inconvenience to those who conceived them.
Euthanasia is no longer a whispered possibility, but a practical solution to
aging or terminal illness.
Moral confusion about gender and sexuality flow from the loss of the understanding
that intimacy is not just about finding a moment’s pleasure, but also about
propagating the human race, a sacred life-enhancing gift.
The social contract that binds society is coming apart before our eyes because
we have no consensus formed by deep faith about what is right, what is moral,
what is compelling in our choices.
Yes, we have determined to be our own little gods, expressing our self-will and finding our personal happiness with something like religious fervor.
Carl Trueman writes that – “On Sundays, he’s a nihilist, going through the motions of religious rituals whose truth extends no further than the church’s sanctuary. And in doing so he also removes any basis upon which we might resist the dehumanizing impulses that lie at the heart of a therapeutic and technological culture—one that embraces both death and transhumanism. With no God to define our limits and ends, and no way of judging in advance the consequences of our votes for death and our experiments with human genetics, we stand on the verge of doing what no other creature has ever achieved: abolishing ourselves.”
So, what should we do? Must we reject all of modernity, turn away from scientific advance, and retreat from engagement with our world? That is the answer for some, but a flawed one. Jesus asks us to be ‘salt and light’ preserving and showing the Way and that task is impossible if we live in isolation.
There is a better way to recover the Call. It is humility. I invite us to meditate on the prophet’s call and promise today, with a prayer to rediscover a vital relationship with Christ, the Savior and Lord. (Isaiah 57:14-16)
God says, “Rebuild the road! Clear away the rocks and stones so my people can return from captivity.” The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts. For I will not fight against you forever; I will not always be angry. If I were, all people would pass away— all the souls I have made.”
Jesus says “To all who are victorious, who obey me to the very end, to them I will give authority over all the nations. They will rule the nations with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots. They will have the same authority I received from my Father, and I will also give them the morning star! “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.” (Revelation 2)
Amen
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