By and large the majority of Christians I spend time with are an open and accepting group. We are a product of a tradition of grace-centered Christianity and therefore we are easy going. Convinced that God’s unconditional love is for everyone, understanding that we all fall short of what God wants for us, grace is our common denominator. The result of this live-and-let-love disposition is that we tend to not get riled up about much. You might see other Christians passionately protesting at the state capital and pointing fingers in judgment decrying this or that, but such behavior is uncommon for those of us under the banner of Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in Lawrenceville. Lately I’ve been wondering if this altogether a good thing.
Here is a verse on grace from Titus, a short book in the New Testament (parts bolded for emphasis): For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13).
Here we learn that grace does something, including “training us to renounce”. Renounce means to refuse to recognize anymore, or to formally declare one’s abandonment, such as to a claim or possession. Renouncing is often done with passion and vigor. It isn’t possible to lightly or gently renounce anything. Renouncing demands a strong stance. Grace opens our eyes to what’s wrong with the world and compels us to renounce those things.
The main occasion in which church-types do any renouncing is in the service of Holy Baptism. The parents and godparents are asked if they “renounce the devil and all his empty promises”, to which they are instructed to respond “I do”. Most often this part of the service is done without much of a fuss. But on occasion I’ve detected a pause by some individuals who are asked to renounce the devil. They appear to be processing exactly what the implications are for making such a declaration. I don’t think they have sympathy for the devil(!) as much as they are reflecting on who or what the devil is and what exactly some of those empty promises might be. As if the uncle and godfather standing there in his suit is wondering if enjoying heavy metal music is still valid under the terms of the renouncement. In renouncing the devil, you’re renouncing everything that’s bad in the world. The devil offers us empty promises of easy answers, get-rich-quick schemes, godless solutions that look good on the outside but are ultimately empty. Of course we renounce the devil, there’s little room for neutrality on that question. Yet our renouncements might bear more force if we first reflect on what it is being renounced.
It is one thing to throw out generalizations about how we are for grace and against the devil and that God loves everybody. It is quite another to get specific in our renouncing, putting teeth into our claims. That’s the case in everyday life: the one who has struggled with debt renounces credit cards. Those who have quit smoking renounce tobacco as well as second-hand smoke. The recovered addict renounces drug use. What about us Christians? Where is our conviction? Or are we content with what amounts to a “I’m ok-you’re ok” style of Christianity?
It is a mark of spiritual maturity to be able to renounce. If you are able to identify what grieves God about the world and if you have a sense of passion about it, you are primed for some Christian, grace-based renouncing. Unfortunately, we don’t lack for material to renounce: suffering, poverty, war, oppression, hunger, injustice. Jesus shows us what God loves and what God rejects. We needn’t do so in self-righteous tones, but Titus shows us that a logical outpouring of grace is to love what is good and hate what is evil.
Most effective ministries are rooted in a conviction, a renouncement. To be against one thing is to be for another. Examples include the principle that children shouldn’t be neglected, or single moms need a break, or refugees of war need support. I wonder what we as Amazing Grace Lutheran Church could renounce together.
What have you renounced lately?
Posted July 12, 2011 by Amazing Grace Lutheran Church | Pastors Corner | Permalink |
