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2014-03-16 Daniel Daring
(Comments welcome here)
Called to renew the
world
Genesis 12:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Matthew 17:1-9
“God created the world; the rest was made in . .
. . China,” and since many Chinese products are of rather poor quality, we get
disappointed: things do not last long, and they get easily broken. It comes to a
point when we decide to get something totally new, which is not made in China.
God created the world, but history is made by
people. And since Adam messed it up in the Garden of Eden by eating the fruit
from the tree of knowledge instead of the tree of life, the history of humanity
had gone from bad to worse. On the first pages of the Bible, we read about
growing violence and vengeance. Cain is killing his own brother and Lamech is
announcing to his wives: “I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for
striking me. If Cain was avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold”
(Genesis 4:23-24). It came to a point that God, seeing the wickedness of
humankind and realizing “that every inclination of the thoughts of their
hearts was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5), felt sorry “that he made
humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart” (Genesis 6:6). He
decided to begin once again, by choosing a man from “Ur of the Chaldeans,”
whose name was Abram.
Why was Abram chosen to be a blessing to all the
families of the earth? Was he extremely intelligent, influential, or powerful?
No. It was an unmerited call. For what purpose was he, then, chosen? Was he
about to discover gun powder or to invent writing? No. Abram was chosen “that
he may charge his children and his household after him to keep the way of the
Lord by doing righteousness and justice” (Genesis 18:18-19). That seemed
to be missing from the history of humanity. Gifted with intelligence and taking
seriously the command to subdue the earth, humans began to rule the world. They
turned it into such a mess that if not for Noah, who “found favor in the sight
of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8), the history of humanity would had ended long time
ago. Abram was chosen to remind us that without righteousness and justice our
world cannot survive. We might boast about our technological achievements,
powerful armies, and gained profits, but the solution to our international,
local, and personal problems lies in understanding and knowing God who
delights in doing kindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth (Jeremiah
9:24).
We have also been saved and called by a holy
calling, not because we deserve it, but because of God's “own purpose and
grace” (2 Timothy 1:8-9). And we may ask the same question: for what purpose
have we been chosen to become “the salt of the earth” and “the light of
the world” (Matthew 5:13.14)? In recent years, many have lost faith in
politicians and political institutions. Our churches experience an unprecedented
exodus of young people. Although social sciences have helped us to realize that
the human person is an extremely complex and mysterious creature, yet they are
unable to answer our deep questions about the sense and meaning of life, the
suffering of the innocent, and the problem of death. And turning to
psycho-spirituality, which claims that “the answer is within you,” and
promises the “healing [of] the inner child,” has left many disappointed and
disillusioned: there are only questions within us and the inner child does not
allow him/herself to be healed. What could be the role of Christ's followers in
the world, then?
On Sunday, October 22, 1978, during his inaugural
speech, Pope John Paul II said these unforgettable words: “Do not be afraid!
Do not be afraid to welcome Christ and to accept His power over you! Open, open
wide the doors for Christ! He alone has the words of eternal life.” We find a
very similar calling in the letter to Timothy: “Do not be ashamed, then, of
the testimony about our Lord . . . who abolished death and brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:8-10). We are afraid to
welcome Christ and the first Christians were ashamed to share the gospel about
the crucified Messiah. Yet, whether yesterday or today, it is Christ Jesus who
abolishes death and brings life and immortality to light. We have been chosen by
a holy calling so that the world may see the power of the Gospel working in us
and, being amazed, may ask, “What is this?” (Mark 1:27). We have been chosen
to shine before others, “so that they may see” our good and honorable works
and glorify God (Matthew 5:16; 1 Peter 2:12). The solution to our
problems lies not in “know thyself,” but in “know thy God” (1 Chronicles
28:9). By standing for Christ and boldly testifying to the power of the Gospel,
we are taking part in God's work of renewing the world.
God created the world, but history is being made by
people. Let us made it, then, in such a way that the future generations may
still see the beauty of God's creation and meet someone who lives by the virtues
of kindness, righteousness, and truth (Ephesians 5:9). I would like to close
these thoughts with the lyrics of the famous Christian song, “We'll
be faithful.” (YouTube)
Forgetting
what lies behind
Setting our hearts on the prize
Always keeping our eyes on our Lord Jesus
We’re
running the race to win
All the way to the end
Breaking down every sin that would seek to hinder us
Refrain:
And we’ll be faithful to our calling
For you are able to keep us from falling
For in your promise, we will trust
We’ll be faithful to finish
The work You began in us.
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