Pressing On (12)
Lectionary, Year C, Lent 5
Christopher B. Harbin
Philippians 3:4b-14
Hi, I'm Chris, and I'm a sinner justified by grace. (If you had a background is AA, NA, or another 12-step program, you'd might be responding right about now.) I'm not who I used to be, I'm not yet who I should be, and I won't always be who I am today. I'm a work in progress. I'm still on the road of sanctification, still becoming who God wants me to be. I'm still pressing on along this path to become all God wants of me. It would be hubris to consider myself complete, arrived, being everything God calls me to be, wouldn't it? We are all on a journey of becoming. Why should we pretend otherwise?
A few weeks ago a colleague was lamenting that too many pastors are more progressive than their congregations. He wanted a match between the theological stance of a pastor and congregation, where neither one differed in theology from the other. There is a problem with such a notion. A shepherd is to lead the sheep under their care. Leading requires taking them where they would not travel on their own. Leading requires encouraging actions they would otherwise not take. Leading expects a difference in gifts, direction, capacities, and growth. It requires change, transformation. If I am not growing, I cannot lead you in growth. If we are all at the same place in developing lives of faith, how will we encourage one another past our common stagnation?
A living faith requires growth and development. It does not take us to a static destination. There is no point at which we can say we have fully arrived. Faith in Christ is much more about the journey than any destination. It is about our character being transformed after the pattern God's presented in Christ Jesus. I've talked with some of you. We've still got a ways to go!
Some years ago, I was talking with a class of my seminary students. The terminology we use for a bachelor's degree in Brazil, indicates molding to completion, ...
Lectionary, Year C, Lent 5
Christopher B. Harbin
Philippians 3:4b-14
Hi, I'm Chris, and I'm a sinner justified by grace. (If you had a background is AA, NA, or another 12-step program, you'd might be responding right about now.) I'm not who I used to be, I'm not yet who I should be, and I won't always be who I am today. I'm a work in progress. I'm still on the road of sanctification, still becoming who God wants me to be. I'm still pressing on along this path to become all God wants of me. It would be hubris to consider myself complete, arrived, being everything God calls me to be, wouldn't it? We are all on a journey of becoming. Why should we pretend otherwise?
A few weeks ago a colleague was lamenting that too many pastors are more progressive than their congregations. He wanted a match between the theological stance of a pastor and congregation, where neither one differed in theology from the other. There is a problem with such a notion. A shepherd is to lead the sheep under their care. Leading requires taking them where they would not travel on their own. Leading requires encouraging actions they would otherwise not take. Leading expects a difference in gifts, direction, capacities, and growth. It requires change, transformation. If I am not growing, I cannot lead you in growth. If we are all at the same place in developing lives of faith, how will we encourage one another past our common stagnation?
A living faith requires growth and development. It does not take us to a static destination. There is no point at which we can say we have fully arrived. Faith in Christ is much more about the journey than any destination. It is about our character being transformed after the pattern God's presented in Christ Jesus. I've talked with some of you. We've still got a ways to go!
Some years ago, I was talking with a class of my seminary students. The terminology we use for a bachelor's degree in Brazil, indicates molding to completion, ...
There are 8808 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
