Jeremiah 2:13
…for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living water,
and dug out cisterns for themselves,
cracked cisterns
that can hold no water.
Last week I wrote:
Faith is our way of life and is transformational not transactional: we are changed through the gift, we don’t earn it. It’s not our geography, our family or our history that saves us. Our part is to receive the gift we are unconditionally offered and to honour God. We learn that we can only receive and love: in loving others we can know the one true way of faith: in love for God we, moment by moment, turn our gaze to God and we are forgiven, empowered to love. Jesus is Lord.
Obviously the circumstances of our birth matter and from my own point of view my chance has placed me in a fortunate time, a fortunate place and a fortunate heritage. I am a “Christian” by birth as well as by faith. Some would see me as a convert to the truth but now we share the same cloud of knowing.
Does every faith see those of other faiths as in error? As lost? The Christian writers would say no and include all in Christ: all have the image of God, the light and the life. God is a God of grace who is known through each of us receiving the gift of righteousness and honouring God in its receiving. This is the mystery revealed in Christ for all. Giving our hearts to this transforms us where we are, whatever our tradition. This is the living waters which if left to fester in cisterns of tradition cannot flow; the Holy Spirit blows as he wills for all the world’s redemption.
When People believed Paul and Barnabus to be gods they both tore their clothes in a gesture of horror and called to them,
‘Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to follow their own ways; yet he has not left himself without a witness in doing good—giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.’ (Acts 14:15-17 Read full chapter)
You will see this thought in the Psalm and in the reading from the sermon on the mount above. I encourage you to think this through. This leads me to think that there is only one way and that though there may be many roads, they ascend one hill with joy, ascended by those with clean hands and a clean heart, a gift of God in Christ.
Finally another preach from Paul, this time to the Athenians ends with:
While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’( Acts 17:30-31 Read full chapter)
Takeley Chapel 