Love Never Thinks of Itself as Sacrifice

 

A Haiku on Hell

A Haiku on Hell
Scripture tells us that
God is a Consuming Fire,
and that God is Love.

The Consuming Fire of God and the Love of God are not two opposing forces which must be somehow balanced out, one against the other. It is, rather, two different ways of speaking about the same thing — the Divine Love poured out at the Cross.

It is the Divine Judgment condemning sin and evil, purging and cleansing us from it. It is Love in its chastening work, correcting and refining us, to deliver us from our false self and restore us to our True Self, which is Christ in us, and us in Christ.

The True Light That Overcomes Our Darkness

The darkness of sin,
the curving inward upon ourselves
in a downward spiral toward oblivion,
blinds us to the infinite and eternal glory
that is Jesus Christ crucified and risen.
But Christ is the True Light who gives
light to everyone in the world,
and overcomes our darkness
but cannot be overcome by it.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

“There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light that was the True Light which gives Light to everyone coming into the world.” (John 1:1-9)

“Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)

Christ and the Road We Are On

Christ is the only
Way to the Father,
But there are many
Ways to Christ. And
There is no road
He won’t come down
To find you and me.

There may be many who
Follow the Way of Christ,
Live the Truth of Christ,
Experience the Life of Christ,
Who do not yet know His name.
Then let us look for Christ
In everyone we meet.

The Incarnation Means No Separation

The Incarnation of Christ,
the union of divinity with humanity,
means there is no separation
between God and humankind,
between heaven and earth.

The only separation is in our own minds.

“For those who live according to the flesh have their outlook shaped by the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit have their outlook shaped by the things of the Spirit. For the outlook of the flesh is death, but the outlook of the Spirit is life and peace, because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so.” (Romans 8:5-7)

There may be distinction, but in the ontological reality of things, there is no separation. How could there be, for the Incarnation is all-encompassing of humankind. There is only one humanity, of which we all partake, and by the Incarnation, Christ has become that humanity.

This is why St. Paul can speak as universally of Christ as he does of Adam:

“Consequently, just as one trespass [Adam’s] resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act [Christ’s] resulted in justification and life for all people.” (Romans 5:18)

“For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)

As many as were lost in Adam are found in Christ.

All Scripture is For and About the Church

All Scripture is about Christ, and so also about 

the Body of Christ, the Church. All Scripture, 

then, is written to and about the Church 

as well as for the Church.

Gratitude is Prayer

Gratitude is prayer.
A life of gratitude
is a life of prayer.

“Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing,
in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you.”
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

The Love of God, the Fire of Hell

“God is Love,” and “God is a Consuming Fire.” Whatever form the fire of God may take, it is always a manifestation of God’s love. It is a refiner’s fire that purges and purifies, burning away all impurities, while preserving intact what is good, what comes from God.

“Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can keep standing when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. He will act like a refiner and purifier of silver and will cleanse the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will offer the LORD a proper offering.” (Malachi 3:2-3)

“For no one can lay any foundation other than what is being laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, each builder’s work will be plainly seen, for the Day will make it clear, because it will be revealed by fire. And the fire will test what kind of work each has done. If what someone has built survives, he will receive a reward. If someone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss. He himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

“Everyone will be salted with fire.” (Mark 9:49)

We Are Not Our Passions

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:3-8)

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” (Colossians 3:2-5)

Interpreting Through Love

“Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together. And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him: ‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’

Jesus said to him, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:34-40)

Tangible and Transformative

“Do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Romans 6:3-5)

“Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Repentance is a Red Pill, Blue Pill Moment

Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15)

Repentance is a reorientation, an ever-deepening conversion of heart, mind, will and way of being to the reality of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God. It is learning to see with new eyes and live with new understanding.

Understanding Scripture Together

We must learn to read the Scriptures with the all of the Church in all times and places. For there is only the one Holy Spirit, given to the one Body of Christ:

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. For he will not speak on his own authority, but will speak whatever he hears, and will tell you what is to come. He will glorify me, because he will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what is mine and will tell it to you. (John 16:13-15)

The Love of God Freely Poured Out For Us

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)

The Transfiguration of Everything

“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

“God made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment — to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Ephesians 1:9-10)

“Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’” (Revelation 21:5)

When Imagination Bodied Forth

A reading of John 1:1 and 14, mindful of the depth of meaning of the Greek word Logos, and playing off of Shakespeare’s description of the Poet in A Midsummer Night’s Dream:

“And as Imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the Poet’s pen
Turns them to shapes and gives to airy nothing
A local Habitation and a Name.”