Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

"Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has.  It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods.  It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.

Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.

Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ.  It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life.  It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.  Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.  Costly grace is the Incarnation of God."

excerpt taken from chapter one, Costly Grace

Once upon a time...

Long ago and far away in the territory of Heaven lived the Angels. All Angels were strong, healthy, beautiful and very happy. Perfect in every way. Regularly their Master would communicate with them and tell them, "I AM the one who created you. I AM who loves you. I AM the one who provides everything you need for a perfectly happy life in Heaven." The Angels cheered and worshipped the Master. They felt exhilarating joy even at the sound of the words, "I AM all for you." The Angels were perfectly content, until...

In the middle of perfection one Angel asked the question, "How do we know the Master isn't keeping something from us? How do we know The Master is creator? Or withholding some pleasure? How do we know we're loved as much as possible? I would offer full disclosure if I was in charge."

Angels had never exercised their minds in questions about the Master before, but found they were free to think as they chose. After analyzing their situation and relationship with the Master, most Angels chose not to examine these questions any further but remain content in the Master's Heaven. But a few listened to the questions. Questions grew into doubt. Doubt grew into mistrust. Mistrust grew into unrest and rebellion.

The Master created a new planet called Earth and a new race - Humans. The peace and happiness of Heaven filled Earth also. Regularly the Master would visit the Humans to teach them about their origin and all the life around them. Lucifer, the leader of the rebellious Angels, jealous of the Master's ability to create, purposed to the Master, "I can offer a life of freedom to these brand new Humans. Let me have this planet to show everyone that there is more to life than what you offer." The Master considered Lucifer's proposal and allowed Lucifer limited access to the new Humans. So the Master communicated with the Humans and told them to stay away from one particular tree in their beautiful garden. Eating the fruit of that tree would cause death. The Humans were happy to comply until one day they found themselves near the tree, listening to a different voice, admiring the deadly fruit, and ultimately choosing to eat it.

In their next communication with the Master the consequence of their choice was presented. "You have chosen to separate yourselves from My Plan for your happiness. I AM life to you and you have chosen to deny that. Your course is set for death as you have chosen to be The Demonstration of dissention and rebellion. I AM now to you Everlasting Love. I AM now to you the Promise of Salvation. I AM now to you the Sacrificial Lamb who alone stands in the position to offer eternal life to those destined for eternal death. The choice is yours.

The Choice

From our infancy we each learn about opposites:

self-indulgence/self-control

roughness/gentleness

inconstancy/faithfulness

greed/goodness

neglectfulness/kindness

intolerance/patience

disharmony/peace

sadness/joy

hate/love

We find that no matter how hard we try to "live right",

we can't escape the "dark side".

For me Christianity offers the way of escape for every individual who will choose it through the Justice/Mercy provided by our Source of Life through the substitutionary death of Jesus the Christ.

Amazing Grace

Dave and I watched this movie today. Quite amazing. It could motivate you to never eat sugar again in remembrance of those that died during the development of the sugar industry.

Watch it.

Consumerism, An Addiction

Two weeks ago hubby and I heard Roger S. Gottlieb, Professor of Philosophy at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), speak on religious environmentalism. The following is a quote from his book, A Greener Faith, Religious Environmentalism and Our Planet.

"Consumerism, we should be clear, is not simply about buying a lot, though it certainly includes that. All through history people have wanted their basic needs met, and that small group with extra cash on hand made a point of getting a good deal more than that. The shape taken by consumerism in the modern world, however, involves not just the multiplication of what you get, but the endless expansion of what you want. Consumerism teaches that the central goal of human existence is the satisfaction of an ever growing, ever changing array of personal desires. To be a consumer, in this sense, is always to be wanting something else: the newest, fastest, largest (or smallest), best, prettiest, or most impressive. If the superlatives in these categories are restricted to the truly wealthy, the goal will be to get the best knock-offs one can afford. In this sense, consumerism is a quasi-addictive pattern, made up of unending cycles of the stimulation of desire - the satisfaction of desire (buying) - and the stimulation of new desires. Like any other addiction, we feel a rush of craving, a brief moment of contentment, the inevitable letdown - and then a new craving."

What does a life free from addiction look like? What is that freedom?

"Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.'"

John 8: 34-35