Wednesday, 5 November, 2003

We begin with pieces from “Ethics” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.



…there is now indeed a profound contradiction between the speech and the action of the Pharisee. “They say, and do not.” (Matt.23:3). It is not as though the Pharisees did nothing, or as though they were backward in the performance of good works. The opposite is the case. But their action is not genuine action; for indeed the action which is intended to overcome the disunion of (humanity) in good and evil does not achieve this aim but only aggravates the disunion still further. And in this way, for the Pharisee, the doing of the good which is intended to heal the inner disunion of (humanity) and (humanity’s) disunion with other people leads only to still greater disunion and to persistence in the defection from the origin.



The “action intended to overcome the disunion…only aggravates the disunion still further.” For we are involved in an endless cycle of judging and evaluating and making sure that we can, somehow, be rated well in life…considered good…and then…have the power to say what is good and evil in the world around us. It’s like watching CrossFire on CNN…it is a never ending game of blame and self-justification. But when this is the life of the “church,” it is, for lack of a better expression an “anti-Christ life.” I know that sounds harsh so please don’t take great offense. I simply think we must continue to talk about what we are called to be, who makes us all that we are, and stop trying to play God with our judging. In the final analysis, I would take God’s merciful judgment in Christ, Jesus, over my own judgment any day. But still I/we persist in our “bean-counter” lives.



Connection: To give up the power we think we have when we consider ourselves able to know what is “good and evil” is frightening. We literally are not in control (funny thing is…we never were or will be). Each moment our God starts us at scratch – beloved. It doesn’t get better than that. Remember whose you are today!



By your Grace, O God, you fashion life as we cannot fashion it ourselves. Lift us up so that we may see the end of time that is already in your graceful possession and is awaiting our arrival. Within that vision, nurture our life today. Amen.