Spiritual Hiccups - Walking the Walk

There is a quote from comedian Stephen Colbert making the rounds on Facebook today.  If you don't know Colbert, his Colbert Report features him of the host of a half hour comedy/"news" show where Colbert parodies conservative talk show hosts.  But while he feigns being an avowed, right-wing reactionary, in reality he is much more moderate.  And he is also a devout Catholic not afraid to let his faith make an appearance on the show (though often found in the opposite of the ridiculous things his character says). 

The line on Facebook was from a show a while back, and it says, "If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn't help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was just as selfish as we are, or we've got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit that we just don't want to do it."

Perhaps quite appropriately, today's gospel reading features Jesus saying, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”  It seems that "believing" in Jesus, if it does not lead to a changed way of living, does not count for much in the new day Jesus says he will bring.  At least according to these words, we can believe as hard as we want, but if we don't do God's will along with it, Jesus will say to us, "I never knew you; go away from me, you evil doers."

We Protestants have championed grace and faith over works to the degree that we sometimes act like what we do doesn't matter at all.  Jesus clearly thinks otherwise.  God's grace does claim us no matter what we have done, does invite us into restored relationship through no merit of our own.  But God's love and grace are given to us to draw us into a loving relationship with God where we will quite naturally show our love and gratitude in return.  If we truly love God we will want to please God, and will make efforts to do so.  But if we are simply "believing in Jesus" because we think it will get us something, we've missed the point entirely.

I suspect that some of the malaise and decline of traditional churches comes in part because there has not been enough evidence of new life, of walking the walk, for people to see much point in church.  I know a lot of long time church members who ring their hands a great deal over the declining number of people in the pews.  And being paid by people in pews, I confess to a certain amount of anxiety about this as well.  But if our congregations are not walking the walk, not doing God's will in the world, I don't know why God would not just leave us do our little thing, and pour out the Holy Spirit on those congregations and gatherings that are actually helping people find new, restored, Spirit-filled life as the living body of Christ in the world. 

God is working God's purposes out, but God does not need my denomination or yours to do so.  The body of Christ will still thrive, but it will be found wherever the faithful answer Christ's call, are equipped by the Spirit, and seek to do God's will in the world.  And the hope of God's coming Kingdom will continue to shine in the darkness.

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