A Ragamuffin Knows He's Only A Beggar

Let Us Be Bold Enough To Ask Ourselves As Christians Whether The Church Of The Lord Jesus In The United States Has Anything To Say To Our Nation And Its Ideologies Of Materialism, Possessiveness, And The Worship Of Financial Security. Are We Courageous Enough To Be A Sign Of Contradiction To Consumerism Through Our Living Faith In Jesus Christ? Are We Committed Enough To His Gospel To Become A Countercurrent To The Drift?

The Deeper We Grow In The Spirit Of Jesus Christ, The Poorer We Become - The More We Realize That Everything In Life Is A Gift. The Tenor Of Our Lives Becomes One Of Humble And Joyful Thanksgiving. Awareness Of Our Poverty And Ineptitude Causes Us To Rejoice In The Gift Of Being Called Out Of Darkness Into Wondrous Light And Translated Into The Kingdom Of God's Beloved Son.

The Fierce Words Of Jesus Addressed To The Pharisees Of His Day Stretch Across The Bands Of Time. Today They Are Directed Not Only To Fallen Televangelists But To Each Of Us. We Miss Jesus' Point Entirely When We Use His Words As Weapons Against Others. They Are To Be Taken Personally By Each Of Us. This Is The Form And Shape Of Christian Pharisaism In Our Time. Hypocrisy Is Not Hte Prerogative Of People In High Places. The Most Impoverished Among Us Is Capable Of It. Hypocrisy Is The Natural Expression Of What Is Meanest In Us All.

Jesus Comes For Sinners, For Those Outcast...and Those Caught Up In Squalid Choices And Failed Dreams.

We Are Enveloped In Peace, Whether Or Not We Feel Ourselves To Be At Peace. By That I Mean The Peace That Passes Understanding Is Not A Subjective Sensation Of Peace; If We Are In Christ, We Are In Peace Even When We Feel No Peace.