Posted by Paul Edwards (Fr. Paul) on Sep 25, 2014 | Comments (0)


Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Click here to go to the Bottom Line Meditations for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Godly Abiding Spiritually in Jesus Changes the Meaning of What we See Worldly When Not Abiding in Jesus.

Spirituality is our innate ability to feel the difference worldly or godly thinking makes to the way scripture translates to our daily life and relationships.

All Scripture is a testimony to Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God. He is the complete revelation of God’s will of grace for salvation. Grace is the only unfailing rule of faith and practice for the Christian life.

The Gospel of grace is: rather than trying to be more faithful to become faithful, we become faithful by feeling the Faith God already has for and in us.

The Strength of Christianity is Grace

John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Another name for Jesus is "Grace". Another name for God is "Grace". We are saved by GRACE. "Love" is not Love if it is not grace. This is true for "Faith", "Hope", "Joy" and all other theological words of significance in the scripture.

Until someone experiences the grace gift in their lives, all other theological words have no real meaning. Why not begin to use the word "grace" in place of "Jesus", "God", "the Spirit", "Love" and so on? It might seem inappropriate to do so. However, until it is actually experienced it will make no sense at all.

That is what this year is all about. Grace, did you get it?

 

Are you a Spiritual Fruit & Nut case? What kind of nut is given grace and tries to cheat on it?

Pray this prayer from the Collect for this Sunday:

“Almighty God: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy.”

Now quietly move into God's Presence and pray the prayer again:

“Almighty God: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy.”

Did you feel the difference?

 

Matthew 21:33-46 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

A landowner leased his land to tenants. The harvest time came. He sent servants to collect his produce. The tenants refused to pay their tithes. He sent his son. The tenants killed him. What will the owner do to those tenants?

The literal parable would say with the religious leaders that he will put them to death and lease the vineyard to tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time. The grace translation would compare and contrast the differences between a stone that is rejected and one that is the cornerstone.

It is important to realize the religious leaders did not see themselves as rejecting the cornerstone. They were rejecting that which was not the cornerstone. It is easy for us to do the same. We need to know the difference by using a compare and contrast formula.

The reason we are not willing to change our way of thinking is because we are looking at the same thing in the same way. To change our way of thinking we must repent. The Greek word for repent is to “metanoeo”, meta” change “noeo” from “nous” or knowledge. It is change our way of thinking. To look at the same thing in a different way.

What difference does it make if Jesus is the Son of the owner of the Kingdom or if He is not? If He is an imposter we must reject Him. If He is not we must be willing to change our way of thinking by changing our life style.

The problem is to try to change our life style so we can change the way we think. It does not work because we always come back to the way we think. The way we think creates the way we feel about an event. The religious leaders did not believe Jesus was the Son of God, therefore their thoughts created their negative feeing towards Him.

The problem today is not that Christians do not believe Jesus is the cornerstone. They have a problem of the meaning of what the cornerstone is.

Is Jesus the cornerstone of the Bible or is Jesus the cornerstone of God? If He is the cornerstone of the Bible then everything in the Bible is true and must be supported by Jesus. If Jesus is the cornerstone of God then everything in the Bible must support Him. If it does not, then we must repent, that is change our way of thinking that Jesus must support the Bible to the Bible must support Jesus.

Jesus as the cornerstone changes the Bible. One of the main reasons He offended the religious legalists is by healing on the Sabbath day. He was not in favor of stoning prostitutes, nor did he endorse that only men can divorce their spouses. He was in favor of non-Christians being able to be in the Kingdom and that doing the loving thing surpassed any law.

The belief that falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anything on which it falls. The grace of God will be taken away from the religious leaders and given to people that produce the fruits of the kingdom.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

Who is your cornerstone?  On whom do you depend? What difference does it make if it is Jesus, or something or someone else?

“We thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and brought us into the kingdom of your Son.”


THE DISCIPLE-SHIFT: The Virtual Small Group: Members share once a week with their group through the internet when a shift from being out to being in the Presence made a difference.


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