Thoughts on Holiness #1
(W)holy Living- A Preliminary Note about Context
Holiness happens in the context of four interrelated spheres of Christian living (self, home, church, and society). They are inseparable yet distinguishable. Contextualizing our holiness, then, not only means understanding the relationship between the decision/action and its place in time and space, but also the relationship between the decision/action and the various spheres of our Christian life. We cannot understand self, home, church or society apart from the other spheres, so it would follow that our understanding of holiness would be incomplete without considering each sphere that our decisions/actions affect.
This holistic understanding of the Christian life hopes to broaden our often over-personalized and compartmentalized understanding into something that, though untidy and fuzzy, better represents the complexity and interconnected nature of our Christian Life, while retaining values that have been central to the Wesleyan Holiness tradition.
Paradoxical Holiness
Sabbath --------------- Worship
Justice ----------------- Mercy
Grace ------------------- Truth
Home ------------------- Mission
Freedom ---------------- Deference
Holiness is simply the practice of embracing the “Kingdom of God” way of life that was demonstrated by Jesus Christ and submitting to his Lordship and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every sphere of our lives. This Kingdom way has certain themes that are represented by the words listed above. By pairing these sets of words together we can see an inherent tension between them. Every relationship, every conversation, every decision and action of consequence must survive these tensions. The tensions offer a paradox. Each word on the left cannot be understood without the word on the right, yet they are neither wholly the same nor are they opposites. Further, holiness requires us to fully embrace each idea without solely embracing that idea at the expense of the other. We are to reside somewhere within the tension of the two.
These themes, however, do not exist in a vacuum, but in the context of the interrelated spheres of our lives. So one cannot take a static position on the continuum and expect that all actions will be holy in all contexts. Let me take one set, define the terms and explore their relationships:
Sabbath & Worship
Sabbath is not so much a day as it is a state of being. It is setting aside time and space to remember, reflect, listen, and rest. God created Sabbath, and Jesus says it is created for people. Because we are created as a Body, I believe that Sabbath should happen at an agreed upon period of time by a community, though Sabbath can be happening at any given moment of our lives. Your physical body parts do not get their primary rest independent of each other, likewise there seems to be wisdom in the Body of Christ resting together. Though, of course, there are times when the feet or eyes (or mouth) may need a rest while the rest of the body continues to work.
I use worship in its broader understanding, that Romans 12:1 “offer your bodies as living sacrifices . . . this is your spiritual act of worship” understanding. So everything you do, if it consecrated unto God, is worship—thought, word, & deed. What we do in a “worship service” is also worship—but it is different. It is worship intended to aid our state of Sabbath. It helps us remember, it celebrates God’s victory, it draws us to God’s character, and it quiets our hearts. Every worship service is a dramatic expression of God’s and our story, encapsulated in word and art to be used as a memory tool while we are go out and worship with the sacrifice of our lives. That kind of dramatic worship takes place in Sabbath moments.
Here is the tension: Without Rom12:1 worship our Sabbath becomes a vacuum, and worship without Sabbath eventually lacks orientation—Sabbath is what helps us remember what (Who) we are worshiping. Holiness is when both of these realities are present in the experience and understanding of our lives, and when we are successfully navigating the change in tension that each new context brings.
Holiness happens in the context of four interrelated spheres of Christian living (self, home, church, and society). They are inseparable yet distinguishable. Contextualizing our holiness, then, not only means understanding the relationship between the decision/action and its place in time and space, but also the relationship between the decision/action and the various spheres of our Christian life. We cannot understand self, home, church or society apart from the other spheres, so it would follow that our understanding of holiness would be incomplete without considering each sphere that our decisions/actions affect.
This holistic understanding of the Christian life hopes to broaden our often over-personalized and compartmentalized understanding into something that, though untidy and fuzzy, better represents the complexity and interconnected nature of our Christian Life, while retaining values that have been central to the Wesleyan Holiness tradition.
Paradoxical Holiness
Sabbath --------------- Worship
Justice ----------------- Mercy
Grace ------------------- Truth
Home ------------------- Mission
Freedom ---------------- Deference
Holiness is simply the practice of embracing the “Kingdom of God” way of life that was demonstrated by Jesus Christ and submitting to his Lordship and the guidance of the Holy Spirit in every sphere of our lives. This Kingdom way has certain themes that are represented by the words listed above. By pairing these sets of words together we can see an inherent tension between them. Every relationship, every conversation, every decision and action of consequence must survive these tensions. The tensions offer a paradox. Each word on the left cannot be understood without the word on the right, yet they are neither wholly the same nor are they opposites. Further, holiness requires us to fully embrace each idea without solely embracing that idea at the expense of the other. We are to reside somewhere within the tension of the two.
These themes, however, do not exist in a vacuum, but in the context of the interrelated spheres of our lives. So one cannot take a static position on the continuum and expect that all actions will be holy in all contexts. Let me take one set, define the terms and explore their relationships:
Sabbath & Worship
Sabbath is not so much a day as it is a state of being. It is setting aside time and space to remember, reflect, listen, and rest. God created Sabbath, and Jesus says it is created for people. Because we are created as a Body, I believe that Sabbath should happen at an agreed upon period of time by a community, though Sabbath can be happening at any given moment of our lives. Your physical body parts do not get their primary rest independent of each other, likewise there seems to be wisdom in the Body of Christ resting together. Though, of course, there are times when the feet or eyes (or mouth) may need a rest while the rest of the body continues to work.
I use worship in its broader understanding, that Romans 12:1 “offer your bodies as living sacrifices . . . this is your spiritual act of worship” understanding. So everything you do, if it consecrated unto God, is worship—thought, word, & deed. What we do in a “worship service” is also worship—but it is different. It is worship intended to aid our state of Sabbath. It helps us remember, it celebrates God’s victory, it draws us to God’s character, and it quiets our hearts. Every worship service is a dramatic expression of God’s and our story, encapsulated in word and art to be used as a memory tool while we are go out and worship with the sacrifice of our lives. That kind of dramatic worship takes place in Sabbath moments.
Here is the tension: Without Rom12:1 worship our Sabbath becomes a vacuum, and worship without Sabbath eventually lacks orientation—Sabbath is what helps us remember what (Who) we are worshiping. Holiness is when both of these realities are present in the experience and understanding of our lives, and when we are successfully navigating the change in tension that each new context brings.
posted by ben price at 5:19 PM
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