Grace: The lazy man's approach to life.

I'm always doing something, thinking up schemes, remembering to do something while I'm in the middle of watching TV.  That gives some people the impression that I am a very hard worker.  But I'm really not.  I'm fairly lazy.  Most of the work I do is all about finding easier ways of doing something.

That's why I like grace over law.  Grace is easy and simple.  Law is exhausting.

Now some might like to say that forgiving and accepting others is incredibly hard compared with living life according to a certain structure.  Others might say grace is fine, but "you can compromise your beliefs or life just falls apart."  I disagree on both counts.  Grace is easy... it's just not comfortable when your foundational ethic is on law.

Here's what I mean:

A life with a foundation of law means you have to vet everyone and everything that comes into your life (vet means "make a careful and critical examination") to make sure that you stay on the straight and narrow, and that everyone else believes you do to.  That takes an incredible amount of effort.  If you make a mistake in the vetting process you run the risk of "appearing" sinful, so you have to make sure (and you actually never will be).  That requires you to hold everyone and everything at arm's length for a very long time.  Friendships never solidify, knowledge is stilted and walls begin to form around the society that happens to pass muster.

On the other end of the scale is a life based on grace.  You can accept everyone rather than except everyone.  New experiences can be judged for their value, not because they "might" be acceptable.  You lack walls that keep you from reaching out, or for others to reach in.  The only rules that apply are those you set for yourself.  You are answerable only to you, God and people God sends to you for accountability (and you'll be able to recognize them because you don't have to run them through the law filter.)

I'll give you an example.  Years ago, shortly before my conversion, I got into the marijuana clique.  I started consuming marijuana in various forms, but mostly in social settings.  But I didn't participate because I was coerced into it.  I wasn't trying to fit in nor was I trying to be a rebel.  I was curious.  I enjoyed the society of my friends and we did silly things under the influence.  One day, though, I went out to the beach, alone, just to think and lit up.  The same thing happened that always happened:  I started dry coughing and feeling light headed.  About 2 minutes in I started to think, "This is really stupid.  Why am I doing this?"

The next day I was with a very good friend that I respected and that knew I used the drug and I recounted my experience on the beach.  She breathed a sigh of relief and said "I've really wanted you to quit for some time."

She never told me that before.  Never said a word.  She was walking on a foundation of grace with me.  I thought about my beach experience and what my good friend had just said to me.  I decided at that moment that the drug was just not what best for me.  And I got rid of my stash.

Think about what exists today in the illicit drug society.  We have laws up the wazoo.  We have a legal multibillion dollar industry that works to get people off drugs, an illegal multibillion dollar industry to get people hooked on them; a multibillion dollar entertainment industry that both glorifies and demonizes the practice and a multibillion dollar government infrastructure to deal with it all.  Our society polarized on either side of the issue.  Drug users don't feel welcome in polite society, much less the church, and polite society wants the users put away in prisons and medical facilities so we don't have to look at them.

It's all so complicated and takes so much effort.

But I had a friend that decided to deal with me in grace and transparency.  She didn't shut me out of her life because of my practices.  She didn't look at me as a sinner.  She just looked at me as a friend.  And that influence was enough to nudge me away from a potentially darker lifestyle.

It was so simple.  Imagine how uncomfortable it was for my friend to not complicate the process for both of us.  But it wasn't hard.  It was simple.
Now I'm sure I'm going to get a lot of comments from this about my stand on drugs so let's make this very clear.  I'm not talking about drugs, dammit.  I'm talking about living in grace and how it simplifies your life and the lives of others.  The grace lifestyle transcends topics.

I have people whose opinions I value that are diametrically opposed to my political, moral, economic, sexual environmental, religious, literary, musical and artistic positions.  That we disagree is not a reason to avoid relationship.  It is the reason to pursue it.

The Bible puts it in many different ways.  "Iron sharpens iron," is the most common.  Finding people with hard positions that oppose our own is the best way of finding if our positions are correct.  Grace allows me to hear what other say and consider it.  Some believe, however, that opening yourself up to those contrary positions can cause you to stumble.

But the Bible also records the promise from God, over and over, that He will write His laws and words in our hearts... not the other way around... and his laws are always based on grace, not judgement or separation.  I have found that to be the reality in my life, which is good because I'm so very lazy.

How to really "Put Christ Back in Christmas"

"Really!?  You go away for months, not writing a single word here and you come back with that crap?  WTH?"

Yeah, I know it's a really trite statement for a headline, and every time I hear it I throw up a little in my mouth. But I was hoping it would piss you off just enough to read the rest.  Really want you in an agitated frame of mind for this.

I was out grocery shopping and finishing up at the checkout at one store.  As the bagger finished up he gave me a big grin and said "Happy Holidays!"

The human brain is amazing in how fast it can process thought, because this whole post came to me in the split second before I responded to his exclamation, which I will be my conclusion.

Every year around this time we enter into the great campaign to "put Christ back into Christmas" by making a distinct effort to say "Merry Christmas" to all, especially when others use the less specific "Happy Holidays."  We have conversations about it.  We hear sermons on it.  We even read blog posts on it.  It is a polarizing moment every Christmas season pitting dedicated and even nominal Christians on one side and non-believers on the other.  Well, that's not quite right. On the other side is a small contingent of angry anti-religionists.  In between is the larger component of people who aren't sure what the problem is.  Those are the people this post is about.

In the Christian world, we have this thing called "The Great Commission."  In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells his disciples to go into all the world spread the word.  The various translations say it differently, from teach to preach to "make disciples.  But the literal translation is "be a model of."  It's not about what you say, or yell or tell, it's about how you live.  So in the context of this post, I'm saying the best way to put Christ back in Christmas is to be like Christ.

So let's go back to the checkout at the store where the bagger wished me a happy holiday.  He wasn't making a theological statement.  I have no idea if he is or isn't a believer.  He may have very well been following a corporate policy.  But his attitude in delivering the non-committal benediction was heartfelt and enthusiastic.  All the above flashed through my mind at that moment and I put aside any sectarian discussion, looked him square in the eye, gave him my biggest smile and said "Thank you! Same to you and yours."

At that moment, we had reached an accord.  We wished each other well, warming in the glow of the beginning of a wondrous season and opening the possibilities of an incarnation of truth for both of us.  I had accepted what he offered without judgement or offense, just as Jesus had accepted the world without condition.  For a brief, shining moment, I felt joy and refused to let a theological position rob me and my new friend of that joy.

So in this season, put Christ back into Christmas by making a special effort to avoid judgement and confrontation for the sake of confrontation.  Be Christ for all this Christmas.

Chapter 13 -- A Family: Act Two

Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" 

We're catching up to our friend from Samaria.  She's come a long way, but we need to step back a few years before she ended up where we first met her.  Let me tell you the story.

There was a man with two sisters.  The youngest sister left her home in exchange for what the world offered, and one day found she had lost everything of value.  Into her poverty came a Word and the Word drew her to Himself like no man ever had.  From that time on, where ever the Word was spoken she followed and listened.  In the listening her treasure was restored and the depth of her gratitude overwhelmed her.  Others, however, could see the restoration only with the greatest of difficulty.

We are in a well-appointed dining room in a prominent house in Bethany, a few miles from Jerusalem.  Several men are sitting or standing in a dinner room prior to a meal being served.  A few are talking casually but one is in a heated discussion with the host.

Ichabod - Are you sure you want to have this man here?   Do you know the kind of people this man associates with?

Simon - I have heard a great deal of gossip and innuendo from people who have neither heard nor seen him first hand.  If this is another charlatan "Messiah,"  I will be able to discern it quickly, God willing.

Ichabod - You are naive.  And you will bring a curse on this house.

Simon - I bring nothing of the kind.  My invitation to him is not an endorsement of his work, but this man has influence and teaches with authority.  As members of the Sanhedrin we have a responsibility to hear him out before passing judgement on his teaching.

Ichabod throws his hands up in frustration

Simon - Listen, Ichabod! This man is a guest in my house and will be shown respect.  You will show that respect if you wish to enjoy the same status.

Ichabod -I beg your forgiveness, my friend.

Simon -Very well, then.

A servant rushes in, out of breath.

Servant - Master, he is here!  And you should see the crowd that follows him.  I hardly recognize anyone.  They must be from out of town and ...

Simon -Yes, yes.  Bring him in and allow him to bring his friends.  Wait!  Allow him three friends.  We already have a crowd in here as it is.

The traveler, enters the room with three of his companions.  

He stands patiently near the table.

Simon -Ah, Rabbi!  Now we can eat. Come sit here next to me.  Your friends may sit with you.  

This is always an awkward time in high society.  

The lower classes will generally grab the first seat they see, 

eager to get at the food.  

In this house, however, the guests begin jockeying 

for position on the other side of Simon.  

The traveler hesitates as though waiting for something. 

He finally shrugs and sits at Simon's right hand.  

Simon looks exasperated.

Simon - Please, everyone sit.

Simon is a man of great influence.  

Everyone drops to the floor as though a rug had been pulled out from under them.  Servants begin bringing out the trays of food.  

Ichabod approaches the traveler.

Ichabod - Rabbi, your teaching has the entire country enthralled, but I was wondering about this teaching on the Sabbath.  Am I correct that you believe the Sabbath was created FOR man, not ...

Ichabod’s interrogation is cut short.  

There is some commotion just outside the door.  

Women are screaming, Servants are calling for aid.  

One voice is recognizable, however.  It is our Samaritan friend.

Mary -Leave me alone!  I have to see him.  He has to know what he's done for me!  

Mary bursts onto the room.  She carries a small clay jar.  

She sees the traveler and stops short.  

He smiles, once again, in recognition.  

She begins to weep.  

She moves to where he sits, 

kneels and opens the jar, 

pouring its contents on his feet.  

She begins wiping his feet with her hair and kissing them.

Ichabod pulls on Simon's arm and whispers roughly in his ear.

Ichabod -You see!  You know who that is.  We ran her out of town three years ago.  We have the right to take her out and stone her now.

Simon -Yes, I know.  If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is --that she is a sinner.

The Traveler appears not to have heard this interchange and examines a fig.

Traveler -Simon, I have something to tell you.

Simon -Tell me, teacher.

Traveler -Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?

Simon - I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled.

Traveler -That's a good answer.  Now, consider this woman.  I came into your house. You did not give me water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  There was very little warmth in your greeting to me but this woman has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  

Simon, you need to know that her sins -- even though they are too numerous to count -- have been forgiven which is demonstrated her great love for me.  But he who has been forgiven little loves little. 

The Traveler turns to Mary.

Traveler - Your sins are forgiven.

This does not sit well with the other guests.  After all, forgiveness, like cleanliness, is divine ... not human.  The other guests start to murmur and recite her past sins.  But Mary cannot hear them.  She cannot see them.  She can only see the Traveler. 

Traveler - Your faith has saved you; go in peace.  Go home, Mary!

Chapter 12:The Centurion, Part Two

When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help.

We will take a short intermission from our drama. There has been a significant change in our wayward friend's life and she needs to make some decisions.  We're going to move forward a couple of years before we catch up to her . Let's catch up with our soldier!  There is our soldier.  He's right over there.  Let’s find out what he has discovered since we last saw him.  

Sir!  A word with you.

Ah, my mysterious interrogators.  How have you been?

Still looking for the unusual.  How has your quest been?

Unexpectedly wonderful.

How so?

The man I followed is definitely a threat, but not to Rome.  He threatens the way we see the world and how we live in it.

And...?

And he has changed me forever. I have seen magicians and holy men do seemingly amazing things.  They work with great fanfare and show.  Sometimes what they do is real.  Most of it is not.  But this man... With just a word, he healed someone I cared a great deal for.  No show, no fanfare.  He asked for nothing more than that I would believe.  By his authority, I have a new direction in life.  I know all things are possible and nothing is impossible for me.

And he did all this with a single act?

No, he has done and said much more.  I have been following him for almost three years now, since the time with the baptist.  I have heard him speak again and again.  I have seen him do amazing things, all with humility and in his humanity.  This moment, however, was for me.  To cement something inside me that has been growing steadily.

And that would be?

Faith.  I believe in something greater than what I can see.

We are very happy for you.  I think we will meet again, though.

---

Miracles are wonderful and terrible, all at once.  They are often associated as a product of faith.  If you just believe hard enough, anything can happen.  But miracles have a tendency to set unrealistic expectations and foster a false sense of control over your environment.    Remember this:  While miracles may be a product of faith, they are not the substance of it.  We will meet our centurion again.  It’s time to get back to our drama.

Chapter 10: A family-Act One, Scene Two

We've left our wayward husband to look into the scene he described:  Jacob’s Well, just outside the town.  It the afternoon of that same day.  A group of women are talking at the well, filling urns with water.  They are gossipy, lighthearted and confident.  A man enters unseen and sits nearby.  He carries himself with the weariness of a constant traveler; a man a long way from home.  He sits on a rock and listens to their conversation.  So will we.

Esther Deborah, you have the patience of Job.  I don't know how you put up with it.

Rachel She has to.  We all do.  But we have our ways to get back what's ours. 

They all laugh

.

Deborah – But you haven’t heard the latest.

Esther – Good news, I hope.

Rachel – Tell us, sister.  Don’t leave us waiting.

Deborah – He came home this morning.

Rachel –  He just walked right in?

Deborah – Like nothing had ever happened...

Esther – You're not serious.

Deborah – ... and started washing his hands and face.

Esther – That's not all he should be washing.  I mean.... he should be washing Deborah’s feet

Rachel – Oh, of course. 

Rachel winks and the rest of the women grin.

Deborah – Then he kisses the children and says, "I'm off to work.  I'll be home for dinner." Then he takes my hand and gives me those eyes.  "We'll talk later," he says.

Esther – So you'll take him back?

Deborah –Of course.  He's a good provider.  And like you said:  we have our ways.

Rachel – Make him grovel, Deborah!

Esther – Like the dog he is.

Deborah – Yes... just like a dog.

Esther – But what about that woman?

Deborah – What about her?  Have you seen her lately?  She's not what she was when she took my husband, just like she wasn't what she claimed when she came to Sychar.  She'll not be stealing many more husbands here.  In fact, I don't expect the town will allow her to stay much longer.  

All – That’s right!

The traveler watches as they gather their 

jugs and leave.  Mary enters shortly after carrying her urn.  

She looks around to see if she's alone and then begins filling the urn.  

The traveler observes her quietly for a moment,  and smiles as 

though recognizing a long-lost relative.  He calls out to her.

Traveler – May I have a drink?

Mary –  Oh!  I didn't see you there.  Wait.... You’re a Jew, aren’t you?  I am a Samaritan.  You are not supposed to be talking with me.  How can you ask me for a drink? 

Traveler – If you knew who I was and what I can offer you, you would have asked me and I would have given you living water.

Mary – I don’t understand.  You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water?   (Proudly) Just who do you think you are, anyway.  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?

The traveler comes over to the well and 

looks down into its depths.  He shrugs, unimpressed.

Traveler – Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks my water will never thirst again.  If fact, my water will become in him a spring of water overflowing with eternal life.

Real prophets are in short supply in Palestine, 

but Mary knew they are capable of great miracles.

Mary – (mumbling to herself) If I can win his favor, he might be able to get God to give me my own well.  I would never have to come here again.  I could open my own inn.  I could leave this town.  (angrily) I wouldn't need anybody ... not even a husband!

Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.

Traveler – First, go get your husband and come back.

Mary – I ... I have no husband.

Traveler –Yes, I know.  The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband.  It's quite true, isn't it.

Mary has often been unclothed in front of a man, 

but she has never felt naked as she did now. 

She stammers and tries to change the subject.

Mary – Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.  

Searching for lost piety, she grasps for a fig leaf.

Mary – Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem...

Traveler – I am too weary to continue this dance.  Listen to me.  Soon you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You Samaritans really don't know what you worship, but we do, for salvation comes from the Jews.  But today true worshipers are worshipping the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. 

She believes she is safe now, hidden behind a 

false robe of religion.  It is time to close 

this conversation and move on.  There will be be no 

miraculous provision this time.  Or so she thinks.

Mary -- I know that Messiah is coming.  When he comes, he will explain everything to us.

Traveler– The Messiah is talking to you now. 

When confronted by real power, it often takes a moment 

to come to full acceptance.  It takes Mary a full five seconds.  

She gasps and stares, open-mouthed, 

not realizing that the Traveler's friends are approaching.  

They are surprised to find him talking with this 

woman and begin to question him about her.  
Seeing an opportunity to escape this uncomfortable 

moment, she flees, leaving the very symbol of her 

shame and imprisonment in Sychar: her water jar.  

She runs for the marketplace