Greetings Dear Reader,
I heard someone say recently that when they began to feel
better they would go see the physician.
She was serious. She actually
believed that she had to get a little better to go seek medical help. It is the sick who need a physician. It is the lost, broken, hopeless, and grieved
who need to find redemption.
It grieves me that humans have so deeply corrupted the idea
of the journey home. For good and ill
intentions men have heaped requirements and prerequisites onto faith and
following that are just not real. The
following is simple even though it is not easy.
We do not need to fix or repair anything to rejoin the
journey home. We can begin to follow
Christ from anywhere at any moment.
There may be things we need to address; wrongs for which we need to seek
forgiveness but that can come after the choice to follow. It is in the belief that we gain access to
the path and all the following Christ has for us. On our own we cannot gain any progress or momentum. On our we cannot move closer to home.
The song to sing us home begins with the introduction that
speaks loudly. It makes it abundantly
clear that we need only come as we are.
We need only turn to Christ and accept the gift of the path home. We need only follow.
You do not need to do anything to make yourself
presentable. It is not about cleaning up
or shame. It is never about earning the Father’s
favor or the right to follow. We cannot
do either of those things. We are
redeemed through faith not deeds. We
accept grace and mercy we do not merit it.
Grace is much harder because it requires that we realize and
embrace our total helplessness in our own redemption. Our pride lies to us telling us we have to be
better or more deserving. We can never
accomplish enough good to become worthy of the Father’s grace. We can never do enough evil to prevent him
from loving us. We need to come as we
are, Dear Reader. We need to embrace the
path home without excuse or hesitation.
The Kingdom of God is a “come as you are” party. The journey home will help us shed some of what
we need to leave behind. The arrival
will handle the rest. For now, I want to
sing you home by asking you to travel with me in faith. You do not need to look to anyone but Christ,
but I long to keep you company as we follow him together. I sing to you to come as you are.
Come as You Are –
Crowder
Come out of sadness
From wherever you've been
Come broken hearted
Let rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
There's hope for the hopeless
And all those who've strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace
There's rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't cure
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
Lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Fall in his arms
Come as you are
There's joy for the morning
Oh sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can't heal
So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home
You're not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are
Come as you are
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
Bookings at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment