What Ever Happened To Holiness?
When was the last time you heard a sermon about holiness? Why has this Christian characteristic fallen off our radar? I remember asking this question years ago when I was in seminary. I was told "It's so...Mom and Poppish!"
Really?
From what I can tell, holiness has been eclipsed by mission and by the various calls to action within the church. Those calls to action may very well indeed be holy work, but in and of themselves are not necessarily holiness.
I imagine that holiness is also one of those many words that have fallen out of the venacular for many Christians...not much different than other words that seems to have evaporated, like: salvation, righteousness, justification...you get my drift?
The quality of holiness is not something I ready to let go of, mostly because I strive for it in my life. I want so desperately to live into the fullness of the image of God, and because I know myself, I know that I'm not even close! Dr. J. W.C. Wand, former Bishop of London named holiness in a way that speaks to my heart when he said "holiness is not the laborious acquisition of virtue from without, but the expression of the Christ-life from within." In other words, holiness has to do with our character and more importantly, a character shaped and formed by Christ himself. The self I live in the interior and the self I show to the world matter.
Each Sunday at St. Clare's I close with a blessing that was written by one of the Canadian bishops (I wish I could recall which one) which reads as follows:
May the Lord Jesus who loves with a wounded heart be your love forever more.
May the Lord Jesus who serves with wounded hands help you to serve.
May the Lord Jesus who walks on wounded feet walk with you to the end of the road.
Look for the face of the Lord Jesus in everyone you meet; and may everyone you meet see the face of the Lord Jesus in you.
And the Blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
In that blessing is a desire for holiness within and without...to not only try to live with it, but to look for it outside of one's self in the face of Christ the stranger.
One last thought on holiness from within. John Stott (whom I have some trouble with theologically) in his book Christ The Controversialist said somthing I think worth chewing on. It may provide more questions than answers but it's worth thinking about. He said: "The Christian should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree! For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only tied on, whereas fruit grows on a fruit-tree. In other words, Christian holiness is not an artificial human accreation, but a natural process of fruit-bearing by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Yours for the reign of God,
Ron
Really?
From what I can tell, holiness has been eclipsed by mission and by the various calls to action within the church. Those calls to action may very well indeed be holy work, but in and of themselves are not necessarily holiness.
I imagine that holiness is also one of those many words that have fallen out of the venacular for many Christians...not much different than other words that seems to have evaporated, like: salvation, righteousness, justification...you get my drift?
The quality of holiness is not something I ready to let go of, mostly because I strive for it in my life. I want so desperately to live into the fullness of the image of God, and because I know myself, I know that I'm not even close! Dr. J. W.C. Wand, former Bishop of London named holiness in a way that speaks to my heart when he said "holiness is not the laborious acquisition of virtue from without, but the expression of the Christ-life from within." In other words, holiness has to do with our character and more importantly, a character shaped and formed by Christ himself. The self I live in the interior and the self I show to the world matter.
Each Sunday at St. Clare's I close with a blessing that was written by one of the Canadian bishops (I wish I could recall which one) which reads as follows:
May the Lord Jesus who loves with a wounded heart be your love forever more.
May the Lord Jesus who serves with wounded hands help you to serve.
May the Lord Jesus who walks on wounded feet walk with you to the end of the road.
Look for the face of the Lord Jesus in everyone you meet; and may everyone you meet see the face of the Lord Jesus in you.
And the Blessing of God Almighty, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.
In that blessing is a desire for holiness within and without...to not only try to live with it, but to look for it outside of one's self in the face of Christ the stranger.
One last thought on holiness from within. John Stott (whom I have some trouble with theologically) in his book Christ The Controversialist said somthing I think worth chewing on. It may provide more questions than answers but it's worth thinking about. He said: "The Christian should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree! For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only tied on, whereas fruit grows on a fruit-tree. In other words, Christian holiness is not an artificial human accreation, but a natural process of fruit-bearing by the power of the Holy Spirit."
Yours for the reign of God,
Ron
Comments
When I asked how I was expressing piousness, I was told not to hold out my arms to receive an altar cloth during the stripping of the altar on Good Friday.
During seminary at SFD holding ones hands together in prayer with fingers pointed to heavens was "being pretentious" and should be reserved for only formal Celebrations, like the Cathedral.
Oh, well. I'm working these little things out, I know, slowly.
All I can say is that I am expressive in every way even in the expression of the holiness of living in concert with God.
They seem like different things to me...piety and holiness. Piety has to do with the way one expresses one's devotion to God. As per the person who told you to leave the church....why should they care? Some people cross themselves, others bow at the name of Jesus, still others kiss the Altar or reverence the Sacrament...all acts of piety neither right nor wrong, ancient in tradition and a matter of personal expression.
As a young person in the church I used to get annoyed at a prominent person at my home parish of St. Mary's, Lompoc. She used to drive me nuts with her piety. But then, one day, God showed me that the problem was not with her, but with me! I believe the same holds true with the person who accused you of being "pretentious." Somewhere deep in your soul, you know when you are being pretentious and when your being pious. Holiness on the other hand is fleshed out in all that we do and all that we say.
Holiness is a great topic and something we should definitely aspire too.
I think it has to do with checking off the [this is good] box. It may signal a quick answer. Vox can have its glitches. See the Help-Comments section.
Adaline
Thanks for the tip. I checked "this is good" because I thought what Ron wrote was great. :-)
You probably did not miss much. I babbled on about how some of us need liturgy and piety to create a box for the unfathomable, all of which you have probably heard before. I did manage to hit on the sense of holiness being how others perceive us - in that while we can aspire to holiness we probably never think we are there because when I think of people I know who I would attribute this to I am quite sure they would not think it of themselves and not in a self depracating way. I also went on about how I think that holiness is what I think we should all at St. Clare's be aspiring to and I think that is behind my rather clumsy efforts to state this such as my country club remarks. (Which reminds me of something else entirely about fund raising as a seperate entity but I won't go there now.)
Holiness would not only make great sermon material but also a great night over a couple bottles of wine. I could be game for making a Cape Cod meal soon to start us going.