As progressive people we often shy away from words that either reminds us
of a religious past we would just as well like to forget or because the
meanings of these words might be committing us to a belief system we don’t
fully endorse. Words like God, holiness, faith, grace, prayer, salvation,
atonement, sacrifice, theology and the real stumbling block, sin. It is true
that many religious traditions use these words in ways that many of us disagree
with theologically; prayer is often associated with a supplication to a higher
power, sacrifice reminds us of the Christian faith in salvation through
Jesus and grace in its the Christian
meaning is an unbidden gift from God. But I contend that we do ourselves a
disservice to avoid this rich language.
The language of reverence is ours to use as well in ways that better fit
our own understandings of the universe. Indeed, each of these words is used
richly throughout literature from the Bible to Walt Whitman.
I am very careful in how I use these words with you. Many
have noticed, for instance, that I rarely use the word God in my preaching.
Mostly, I do this to avoid confusion, realizing full well that there are at
least as many understandings of God as there are people in the room, but also
because I am not sure what that God entails. My own definition is rooted in
nature and human relationships. To unpack all of that as I am trying to convey
a deeper message seems more trouble than it is worth. This doesn’t mean the
word has no value, only that its value is greater than the words I have to
express it.
Grace is a word I use often. My blog is titled “Facing
Grace”. By grace I mean those opportunities and gifts we are presented with
that help us to change our outlook on the world and make us better people. I
don’t require a God to believe in grace, just the possibility that what comes
our way may have more meaning than we might normally give it. I have met
people, for instance, that give me insight in some unique way to a problem I am
facing. I need a direction, and a direction appears. As the Jedi master once
said “A solution will present itself”. That is grace.
Faith is another such word. I realize that some of us are
more than a little uncomfortable with faith. It suggests “blind faith”, a
complete surrender to something we are required to believe in. That is not how
I use this word. For me, faith is that assurance that what we hold to be good
and right and true is, in almost every instance, good and right and true. I
have faith in the general goodwill of people to care for one another. I have
faith that science and modern medicine will continually improve our lives. I
have faith in democracy. Having faith doesn’t mean we have to stop being
concerned or stop working towards these ends. Now, more than ever, we need to
work towards preserving our democracy. What it does mean is that I have an
assurance that there is a high probability that what I have faith in will in
fact prevail.
Yours in Grace and Grit, John
