The troubled conscience, in view of God's judgment, has no remedy against desperation and eternal death, unless it takes hold of the forgiveness of sins by grace, freely offered in Christ Jesus, which if it can apprehend, it may then be at rest. Then it can boldly say: I seek not active or working righteousness, for if I had it, I could not trust it, neither dare I set it against the judgment of God. Then I abandon myself from all active righteousness, both of my own and of God's law, and embrace only that passive righteousness, which is the righteousness of grace, mercy, and forgiveness of sins. I rest only upon that righteousness, which is the righteousness of Christ and of the Holy Ghost.
— Martin Luther, “Declaration” in his Commentary on Galatians
God assumed from the beginning that the wise of the world would view Christians as fools…and he has not been disappointed...Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.
The same God who guides the stars in their courses, who directs the earth in its orbit, who feeds the burning furnace of the sun, and keeps the stars perpetually burning with their fires—the same God has promised to supply thy strength. While he is able to do all these things, think not that he shall be unable to fulfill his own promise!”
It can be exalting to belong to a church that is five hundred years behind the times and sublimely indifferent to fashion; it is mortifying to belong to a church that is five minutes behind the times, huffing and puffing to catch up.
Non-Christians seem to think that the Incarnation implies some particular merit or excellence in humanity. But of course it implies just the reverse: a particular demerit and depravity. No creature that deserved Redemption would need to be redeemed. They that are whole need not the physician. Christ died for men precisely because men are not worth dying for; to make them worth it.
Yesterday's post about 'online worship' was not intended to simply be a rant—though I admittedly want us to keep that in mind—nor does it allow us to become smug because 'we worship in person.'
On the contrary, those of us blessed enough to be able-bodied have the additional privilege (and bear the additional burden) of bringing the fellowship of the body of Christ to those who are unable to participate in the corporate life of the church. We must take Jesus' words from Matthew 25.31ff. and St. James' words very seriously, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble...” (James 1.27). We should add to the list of those we must visit the infirm, the sick, the home bound, etc.
We tend to think 'online worship' gets everyone 'off the hook' by allowing folks to 'worship' from their couch and allowing us to forget them. On the contrary, given the fantasy of 'online worship,' we must encourage those able to join us to actually do so and visit those unable to join us to encourage them in their faith during their time of solitude and isolation.
I confess, I am as guilty as most of neglecting the latter.
It's no secret that I believe 'online worship' is a fictional construct. You can listen to a sermon. You can watch people sing. You can even watch people take the sacrament. But you're not engaging in corporate worship. You're not part of a community.
Speaking about engagement in politics, not religion, Mark Granza has reached the same conclusion, though much more astutely than I:
People are no longer present in physical space—they essentially transitioned online. Think of how many people believe they belong to a “community,” regularly hosting podcast discussions as if there are a thousand people in front of them, but really, they’re alone in their living room...If you’re alone in your living room, it doesn’t matter how many people you’re “connecting” to. Truth is, you’re alone.
Why does the truth now lead to hatred, causing people to become enemies of those who share it? A happy life is cherished, and that happiness comes from embracing the truth. Perhaps it's because people love the truth only when it aligns with what they already cherish. They want to believe they are right and resist being shown otherwise. This is why they hate the truth—it threatens what they love more than the truth itself. They appreciate the truth when it enlightens them but despise it when it points out their faults. They want to avoid being deceived, yet they often deceive themselves. They love the truth when it reveals something positive, but they hate it when it exposes their flaws.
— St. Augustine, Confessions, Book X, Chapter XXIII