Happy Christmas and New Year Dear Reader,
If you are not a regular reader, you may not know that I
rarely take a deep dive into theology in this venue. This does not mean that I do not dive deeply
into it for my own benefit and education.
Today the Liturgical Calendar celebrates two of the early Church
Fathers, Gregory
of Nazianzus and Basil
of Caesarea. Feel free to use the
links to read their history if you wish.
What I wish to ponder is not deep theology. Rather, I want to ponder those who help us
fit understanding God into the daily lives we share. It is possible to get so steeped in the
system of our beliefs that we forget that we are dealing with a living God who
has two very simple requirements for us.
Everything else about our faith and practice is built on these. The first is this, we are to love the Father
with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength. The second is that we are to love our
neighbor without exception or expectation.
If you are a faithful follower of Jesus or if you are just kicking
the tires to see if you want to follow him, this is your litmus test. No matter how a group of followers acts regarding theology, if they do not practice these two foundational truths, they
are missing their understanding of the Father somewhere. My Grandfather used to say, “If you ever find
a perfect church, do not join it. You
will ruin it.” There are no perfect churches. In fact, their purpose is to help to perfect
imperfect people.
Still, if you look, you can find the local congregations of
people who deal in love, grace, kindness, and truth. They come in all flavors. Whether you like liturgy or not, loud or soft
worship, formality or informality, there is a church that is right for
you. I once attended a church that was a
drive-in theatre. I have attended a church
that was an amphitheater on a beach. The
where and the how do not matter nearly as much as the heart of love that the
Father requires.
As Christ-followers we are not supposed to be isolated. We are supposed to come together to care for
each other’s needs and share the common joy of our journey home. I have only been to one church that was all
that I wished. It too had its flaws. Take the time to get to know your fellow travelers,
Dear Reader. Be thankful for the ones
who do the deep work of deep study. Keep
in mind that systematizing anything requires that the heart of it become a part
of the system. The wild, reckless love
of the Father has to fit in between the lines.
Hopefully, that is where you will most often find me.
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
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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