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There was a little old church building in the countryside painted white and with a high steeple. One Sunday, the pastor noticed the church building needed painting. He checked out the Sunday ads and found a paint sale. The next day he went into town and bought a gallon of white paint. He went back and began the job.
He finished the first side. But he noticed he had already used a half gallon. He did not want to go all the way back to town. Being the creative person he was, he found a gallon of thinner in the shed behind the church building.
He began to thin the paint. It worked out great, apparently. He finished the remaining three sides with the last half-gallon of paint.
That night, it rained, and hard. The next morning, the pastor went outside the parsonage to admire his work. He saw the first side was looking great. But the paint on the other three sides had washed away.
The pastor looked up into sky in anguish and cried out, "What shall I do?!" A voice came back from the heavens, "Repaint, and thin no more!"
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1Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3And this we will do if God permits.
*Hebrews 6.1-3 (ESV)
Among faith aspects the Hebrews writer gives as basic teaching, to be mastered early in the Christian life, is "repentance from dead works." We will look at "repentance" and "dead works."
What is "repentance"? This is an about-face. This is turning in a different direction. To repent can entail strong feelings of guilt or contrition, or might simply be recognition of need to let go of something and, then, doing it. Or, to repent may not so much be turning from something as turning to something.
Certainly, we are not to live burdened with regret. To repent means a positive turn toward a good and a turn from what is not helpful.
To repent is not essentially about trying to be better than you were or than someone else. Repentance is an act of wanting to honor God and yourself as a human being meant to live in honor and integrity.
Now, what are the "dead works" we turn from, or let go of? We can see "dead" in two ways. First, the works are dead in that they do not contain anything Life-giving in a spiritual sense. They are devoid of Life. Second, the works are deadly; they work within and among us the absence of spiritual Life.
Take love - Love is filled with spiritual Life. Love always offers and effects Life-giving qualities. With love comes patience, forgiveness, reconciliation, hope, positive energy, generosity, ...
Now, take hate - hate is deadly. Hate has nothing of Life within it; hate effects deadliness upon and within whatever it touches. Hate effects resentment, quarreling, factions, violence, rudeness, ...
Let us imagine you are invited into a store. You walk up to a self. You see a bottle of some liquid. The store manager walks up to you. She says, "Hey, we're giving away these as samples. Please take one home and try it?" She continues, "Here, this bottle has what is called hate? I hear it is very powerful." She says, "And here is one that is called love. I hear reports of how strong a dose it is, also." You look at the labels, "Love" on one, "Hate" on the other. Now, how foolish would you be to take the "Hate," go home, and try it? How wise to take the "Love"?
See, virtues are not simply about measuring up to some external standard of conduct. That is moralism. Being virtuous is about partaking of and sharing in qualities, through our choices of thought and act, that are Life-filled, Life-affirming, and Life-sharing.
I have a minor heart condition, and, as I have gotten a little older, I have to be more respectful of what I can and cannot do to stay healthy. I cannot, for example, have nearly as much caffeine as I used to drink. The other day I dropped by a new coffee shop in town. I noticed a high-power caffeine specialty drink. I thought it would be really tasty. I hesitated, but justified my getting it. You know that, "Well, I really think I'll be okay today with it, I feel so good." Later that day I paid for that drink, ending up having to take medication and go to rest earlier than usual that night - and with awful physical and emotional sensations until the medication and rest eased such.
See, that drink was not life-affirming for my body. Likewise, we cannot think we get away with clinging to hurtful thoughts and actions. We must, with the help of Grace, be willing to let go of, turn from, anything spiritually deadly, even if it appears to offer us some temporary satisfaction or escape into a more pleasant relief or enjoyment.
Last, sometimes the Spirit will give us direct guidance on doing something that is Life-affirming. During writing this meditation, I was directed to write someone and ask forgiveness - not for any specific wrong, but simply as an act of Christly love, admitting my human imperfections brought someone saddness in my past. See, bringing that saddness was not Life-affirming to the person; saying "Please forgive me..." is Life-affirming, a turning to Life, a pointing the other one in the same direction.
If we are open and surrendered, the Spirit will guide us as to when to act in certain ways, and what to do. The Spirit of Christ will lead us more fully into Life, and through us bring healing, hope, and love to others.
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*Charitable contributions would be appreciated to assist Brian in continuing his ministry. For contributions, contact Brian at barukhattah@embarqmail.com .
*Brian's book of spiritual love poetry, An Ache for Union: Oneness with God through Love, can be ordered through major booksellers or the Cokesbury on-line store, cokesbury.com .
*Brian K. Wilcox, a United Methodist Pastor, lives in Southwest Florida. He is a vowed member of Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and seeks to inspire others to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused, experiential Christianity and renewal of the Church through addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons.
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