Imagining the Lectionary: Faith needs sharpening daily on the grindstone of love (Proper 9A / Ordinary 14A)

Imagining the Lectionary: Faith needs sharpening daily on the grindstone of love (Proper 9A / Ordinary 14A)
 
Text to accompany image “Faith needs sharpening daily on the grindstone of love”
 
Faith gets blunt very easily and very quickly, almost without our noticing that it is happening. Despite the best of intentions our discipleship loses its cutting edge and our God-awareness is progressively worn down to the point at which it becomes effectively useless and non-existent. The Bible calls this state of affairs 'sin' and is remarkably candid about its tenacious hold upon us. With remarkable consistency the prophets remind us that the remedy is to sharpen up our faith daily on the relational grindstone of mercy, loving kindness and justice. By turning the handle of our compassionate other-directed outlook in this way we keep the cutting edge of our relationship with God sharp and shining.

This is exactly what we see Jesus doing. Everywhere he goes he demonstrates the power of a life honed to God's presence and purpose with razor sharp precision. He cuts through the terrible bonds of sin, sickness and oppression as though they weren't there. He demonstrates within himself the cutting edge spirituality which can be ours when we bring our lives daily to the grindstone of God's love and grace in our relationships with those around us.

Continues...