The Grace Rules

The theme for Lent at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church is "Forty Days of Grace; How God's Grace Makes Us Just." God's unmerited favor toward us in Jesus Christ is meant to change you, to make you better as a person and to align you with how God wants the world to be. It is a challenge, because God's grace pulls you out of yourself into the world around you.

Grace applied to your life means that your life has to change. God is good to you, without regard to your merit. Your life is not all yours anymore. With that in mind, some "grace rules" help you conduct yourself accordingly. With grace, there is:

* No bragging. Your life is blessed not by your own efforts, but by God.

* No whining. Don't negatively compare yourself to others.

* No revenge. If someone has done you wrong, leave it with God.

* No reward. Do good without regard for reward. Leave that with God, too.

These little rules of thumb are good ways to go through a day. As Lent progresses, there will be more.

A new old way

Today I confessed to my congregation in Elmhurst that I have been failing them. For reasons I understand but am sorry about, I had gotten away from talking about tithing as a spiritual discipline. The long term result has been confusion and financial ineffectiveness at Elmhurst church. I have changed my mind about what I will do from now on.

One of the reasons this happened is because I have been ashamed and appalled at some of the excesses of nationally prominent preachers in financial matters. I did not want to be seen in the same light (my pride at work), so I shifted my teaching about giving from tithing (the committing of a tenth of one's financial resources to God) to the New Testament concept of radical generosity. In itself, this isn't wrong. The New Testament does teach generosity ("God loves a cheerful giver"), and generous giving is a hallmark of Christian life. But in appealing to generosity, I have inadvertently fallen into the trap of promoting the church as a "charitable cause," worthy of financial support. This is an inadequate position. It fails to address the spiritual dimension of giving, which is the most important part. You don't give to God because you are supporting some organization or work; you give to God because you are grateful and because giving is your most tangible form of worship.

From now on I will talk about "harvest giving," an ancient spiritual concept. Out of that which I have received (my "harvest"), I set aside a tenth for the work of God. That work includes support for my congregation, giving to those in need, and support for the pursuit of justice in the world. It is very countercultural to talk like this, because it is a challenge to our culture's self absorption. When you commit to give away money you could easily spend on yourself, you have made an enormous stride toward God.

"Harvest giving" is a key to spiritual health and wholeness.

Remembering MLK

Today at Elmhurst Presbyterian Church we had a wonderful service remembering the concept of the "beloved community." This term comes from the civil rights movement, and is notable in the writings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It refers to the vision of human life where racism, sexism, economic exploitation, and political oppression all give way to equality, peace, and love among all people. It is a contemporary expression of the vision of Jesus of Nazareth in his preaching of the Kingdom of God, and as such is of great importance to Christians everywhere. It is a sad commentary on our ministry that the concept of beloved community is not obvious in the life of our churches. If you don't see it in church, you are not going to see it in society. We have a long way to go.

The biggest challenge for me is in the recognition of what is called "white privilege." This is the sad truth that in the United States and much of the western world people of Caucasian descent have distinct but unspoken advantages in cultural, political, and economic life. An excellent description of this is found in an article called "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" by Peggy McIntosh. I found myself fascinated at the reading of this article, particularly at the list of fifty characteristics of unseen privilege that whites enjoy. I personally am the beneficiary of unearned privilege. To know this is to be confronted with the challenge of changing it.

White Christians like me need to understand the privilege we have enjoyed. Denying the truth of this is either naive, or a sign that we want to protect that privilege. From recognition comes the calling to labor to make our culture more inclusive. That inclusivity has to begin in church. Can we make our fellowship more reflective of God's love? Can we make our organization more committed to living out patterns of health and justice? If we cannot do this, society justifiably will continue to ignore us.