Self Help or God's Loving Intervention?

Self Help or God’s Loving Intervention?

What is Christianity about?

Because it's not about self-help, it's about God's loving intervention.

Welcome to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Light of Christ Anglican Church is located in Georgetown, Texas at MLK and University Avenue. We are a modern expression of the ancient faith. You can learn more about us at lightofchristgeorgetown.org.

What is Christianity really about anyway? Is it just another way to help ourselves, another self-help method? Are we just working on ourselves so that we can have a better resume before God? Or is it rather about God's loving intervention in our lives? Our sermon sound bite today comes from Jeremiah chapter 14, verses 20 through 21.

It's not self-help, but rather God's loving intervention. We do a curious thing as a community, something that you won't see at Rotary, something you certainly won't see in Washington DC at Congress, something you won't see in your chess club or any other community that's gathered together. You see something special here when we gather together, something really weird. And we're all going to be saying this thing together on our knees in a little bit. What do we do as a community that you don't see anywhere else? We confess how bad we are. Have you realized how weird that is? We all get together. We get on our knees and we confess how bad we are. It's far from self-help. In fact, we confess that we're so bad that we're beyond being able to help ourselves without what? God's divine loving intervention. God's loving intervention. If you engage the creed with your heart, I mean it's incredibly vulnerable. What are we saying? We have not loved you with our whole heart. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.

Basically we're saying, "Jesus, remember those two simple rules you gave us for living? Well, we've completely failed to keep them." We haven't even come close. We don't only do things we shouldn't do, but we don't do the things we should be doing, which pretty much covers everything. We've totally blown it. We can't even come close. This is what the prophet Jeremiah prays as he comes to God authentically and genuinely. He says, "We acknowledge our wickedness, oh Lord, and the iniquity of our fathers. For we have sinned against you. Do not spurn us for your namesake. Do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember and do not break your covenant with us." This is old Testament language. He's saying, "Don't forget the promises that you've made. Don't forget that time that you intervened and into the life of Abraham lovingly and made promises about how you would continue to intervene with your love to see this through." Because it's not about self-help. It's about God's loving intervention.

Thank you for listening to the Light of Christ weekly podcast. Let us end our time together with a prayer from the book of common prayer. This prayer can be found on page 621.

Set us free, loving Father, from the bondage of our sins and in your goodness and mercy, give us the liberty of that abundant life that you have made known to us in our savior, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit. One God, now and forever. Amen.