All Still Becoming

Matthew 5:43-48
You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Part of our Methodist heritage is the belief in sanctifying grace–this is the grace that works within us and alongside us as we grow and mature in our faith. This is also a recognition that faith is a lifelong process rather than something you just come to one day when you “decide to believe” something. John Wesley talked about this using the phrase, “going on to perfection,” which sounds like a mighty high bar and seems unattainable, but it's important to note that he wasn’t talking about being morally perfect, nor was he really talking about being “sinless.” He was talking about the exact same thing that Jesus is talking about in this scripture–being made perfect in love.

Spiritual growth is not measured in how righteous or sinless we are, but in how well we love others, friend and enemy alike. Likewise the success of a church should not be measured in the number of programs offered, the fiscal health of its budget, nor even the average worship attendance, but rather on how well its members love–how well they love their families, how well they love their fellow members, how well they love those in their community who aren’t members, how well they love those who come to them seeking help–are the hungry fed? Are the naked clothed? Are the poor given hope, love, and comfort rather than religious platitudes and lectures about the “work ethic”? Do its members have such a love for God and neighbor that their concern for justice grows beyond what is just for them and embraces the great truth once spoken by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere?

We might not always be successful at these things. We might not always feel “perfect.” But that’s ok! We are all still becoming the people that God is shaping us into. Christianity is a process faith. Sanctifying grace continues its work on us until our final breath. The ultimate measure of faith is not so much what collection of dogmatic formulations you ascribe to, but are you now more loving than you were a year ago? Have you more compassion for your fellow man now than before?

“In souls filled with love, the desire to please God is a continual prayer.” - John Wesley

Rev. Ryan Young