There are some watered-down theological assumptions out in the world that our real reward is after death. The immediacy of a life filled with God’s love is not as crucial in the here and now. After all, why strive to transform hearts and minds when we can get our ticket stamped for a paradise beyond this world? I experienced saving grace, so why do I need to worry about anything else? I call this reckless thinking a bunch of (okay, I’ll keep this “G” rated).
Those who follow an “evacuate” theology never full vest in helping prepare souls for the kingdom of God living and breathing in the world, right here, right now. Our transformation is not about a one-time event but is a constant reaffirmation that molds a wounded heart into action. We commit daily to the One who delivered us from the darkness and into the light. The Spirit in the world is crucial and depends on the communion of saints gathering to be the hands and feet of Christ at the moment.
The Holy One calls us out of the darkness and into the light. We share the good news with those who remain in doubt and fear. When we enter oneness with the Divine, our work begins. Faith grows stronger with action as we set about moving onwards towards perfection. Transformation occurs by moving from the restoration of the inside to the outside’s sharing of hope. In the darkness, we hear God’s invitation, but in the light, we share holy salvation. We live as new creations, not merely exist, and wait for our next reward. Our renewal of life takes up the beauty of love and joy and eagerly shares it with a world desperate to hear the good news of the Triune God.
Let Advent be a time by which we remember that our lives met joy, and in so doing, shine the light to a very dark world.
From a Pastor's Point of View 