Jesus didn’t say, “I was in prison and you wrote a book for me, I was naked and you complained on your blog about the church’s failure to clothe me, I was sick and you raised money for your salaries using a picture of me,†and so on.
– Brian McLaren
HT: Duncan McFadzean
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28-30
HT to Headphonaught
What a great image of God and Jesus.
“Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”
I remember in elementary school I was in the band. I played snare drum simply because I couldn’t play a wind or brass instrument thanks to my orthodontist work. When I first started out, I had to force the rhythm at times. I had to work on getting it right. But as I became familiar with the song and the drum, it became easier. Suddenly it wasn’t forced. It was natural.
The same happened when I took piano lessons. The more I did it, the less forced it was. The more natural it became. Now years later, it’s a real effort for me to sit and read music. There are a few songs that still come naturally to me – but don’t ask me to read the music for it – I’ll be lost in an instant. It’s because I’m out of practice and now what may have been unforced rhythm takes a lot of effort.
Throughout life I see this pattern over and over again.
Imagine grace becoming such a thing we’re so used to giving and receiving that it just comes natural. It’s just a natural rhythm of life. It isn’t a pain to give when asked. It isn’t a forced effort to smile at someone we’re not particularly found of. It isn’t unusual to accept the unacceptable or the unloved.
When grace becomes an unforced rhythm of life – suddenly we love those who least expect it and love those who lease deserve it.
Imagine what would happen if grace became an unforced rhythm of life just as music was to Evan in the movie August Rush? What if it just flowed from us each and every day?
We’ll be looking at one of my favorite verses tonight at our community group:
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.
Acts 4:13
Eugene Peterson puts it this way:
They couldn’t take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that?
“an eye for an eye will never satisfy – until there’s nothing left to see”
re: Health & Wealth/Prosperity Theology
“…if you simply have enough faith you won’t be like Jesus and be poor and suffer. it is bizarre to say ‘if you have enough faith in Jesus you wouldn’t be like him.”
Mark Driscoll
Related ::
Podcast :: Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Luke and Acts
Wikipedia :: Prosperity Doctrine
“The liberation that Christianity preaches is a liberation from something that enslaves, for something that ennobles us. Those who talk only about the enslavement, about the negative part of liberation, do not have all the power that the church can give one.
It struggles, yes, against the earth’s enslavements, against oppression, against misery, against hunger. All that’s true – but, for what? For something.
St. Paul uses a beautiful expression: to be free for love. To be free for something positive, that is what Christ means when he says, ‘Follow Me.'”
– Oscar Romero
Related ::
HT – Tripp Fuller