Fwd: thoughts about the sermon tonight ( :

I am so humbled and encouraged by this very kind email that Elizabeth sent to our pastor at UPC and then forwarded to me last night... 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elizabeth Hutchinson <hutch.ec@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 21, 2013 at 9:54 PM
Subject: thoughts about the sermon tonight ( :
To: Emily Huff <emilyjasonhuff@gmail.com>

Dear George, 

I hope it is okay to contact you with some thoughts that have been stirring in my head since your sermon today.  

Thank you for your words.  I always appreciate the balance you strike between the philosophical/theological and earthly relevant.  I was a philosophy major in college and am a runner.  I mention this because your sermon struck me on both of these levels tonight.  

Let me start with the earthly relevant tie.  

I ran in the Boston Marathon 6 days ago.  Needless to say, the events that unfolded at the finish line have ignited a blaze of reflection on many levels that have been profound for me.  But it is not the bombings that I want to share here, it is the simple story of my friend Emily's race.  She trained very hard to run this marathon and her body was ready.  She prepared her spirit to run and her heart was full of joy and God's presence in the days leading up to the race.  Among other acts reflecting God's abundant grace filling her, she decided that every mile she would pray for and meditate on a person whom she loves.  Our family happened to be mile 7 for example.  Also, she wore a Dorthy costume and a sign on her back with the words "there is no place like Boston" to represent her journey to Boston and her love of a friend away from whom she recently moved.  She indeed celebrated all 26.2 miles.  Her spirit was full of joy and God gave her so many sparkles of clarity about the people for whom she was praying along the way. However, she started hurting at mile 8 and had to gut her way to the finish. Through muscle cramps she finished at least 30 minutes behind what she was hoping to run.  And yet a picture below captures her sentiment at the end.  It was not "I can't believe how horrible that was, so painful, I was not sure I would finish etc..."  Rather it was "I finished, awesome, hooray, I am so happy."  

Was this a "perfect" race? 

The reason I tell this story is because your sermon on Matthew 5:17-20 & 48 about putting aside the notion of perfection was well understood.  Christ is the fulfillment of the law and in Him and we do not need to be perfect.  We are "good enough" because of the person of Christ.  I am not trying to oversimplify your sermon, I just want to hone in on this one part. 

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. ¹⁸ For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. ¹⁹ Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

... ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

I think that in this passage Matthew is indeed asking us to live into perfection, as the heavenly Father is perfect.  

But "perfect" has two very distinct meanings which I find critically important.  

Human perfection Our "perfect" is the way we think it should be.  Of course, we do not understand how it should be... we are always wrong in this.  [i.e. I pray for my ticket to win the lottery because I believe that i should be rich] So to even have a notion of perfect in this sense is to error twice 1) to claim knowledge of the unknowable 2) to strive toward something by our own power--which is pride at its core. 

Holy perfection) God's perfect is you (sons and daughters) with the spirit of God dwelling in them exemplified through Jesus.  

If you are not consecrated with the Spirit you will not experience the kingdom of Heaven--you in perfect union with Christ. 

If you are consecrated with he Spirit, and you live into that--even more than the Pharisees and the teachers of the law--then you will see the Kingdom of heaven.  

For each individual to be perfect is to be one with God.  

Matthew goes on to talk specifically about murder, adultery, idols etc as if to say 'okay let me try to describe how Human perfection and Holy perfection relate:   If you are complete, one with God, these things will not be evident in your life (you will not do them.)'  

But I think it is dangerous to merge the two types of perfection (without really thinking about it) because this can quickly turn into works-based-Human perfection-seeking-faith.  

So I think God really is calling us to be perfect, Holy perfection, completely one with Him and to experience the Kingdom of God.  The work that we have in life is to 1) Ask God to help us suppress the pride in us that too quickly merges Human perfection and Holy perfection. 2) Know that even when we demonstrate flawed things in our life, as long as we are seeking Him, seeking forgiveness, seeking reconciliation, we retain Holy perfection. (But of course to us we have fallen terribly short of Human perfection.)

Emily is a dear friend and I do believe she is a disciple to me and many others.  

I have benefitted from the example she gave to me of acknowledging a race that was pefect-- not by human standards but by God's standards.  

And the hymn with which we ended so perfectly captures the idea that when God moves us we can be with him on the throne- perfect in His eyes. 

Thank you for your sermon tonight and for allowing me to process through writing this email to you. 

Elizabeth Hutchinson 

1. Take my life and let it be
   Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
   *Take my moments and my days,
   Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
   At the impulse of Thy love.
   Take my feet and let them be
   Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing,
   Always, only for my King.
   Take my lips and let them be
   Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
   Not a mite would I withhold.
   Take my intellect and use
   Every pow'r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine,
   It shall be no longer mine.
   Take my heart, it is Thine own,
   It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
   At Thy feet its treasure store.
   Take myself and I will be
   Ever, only, all for Thee.