Giving It Away to Keep It…Living a Christ Centered Life

I think most of us in the Church would agree that a Christ centered life is a gift worth sharing with others (a spiritually demanding gift I might add). Yet sharing of ourselves without condition or assurance is often challenging and difficult. Giving without concern for the self, and sharing through our vulnerability are rather alien concepts in today’s world – but so often that is how Jesus’ counter cultural teachings are perceived – outlandish! We live in a very individualistic society; one that teaches us to put ourselves first, seize as much power and control as possible, and a society that often teaches us to measure our self-worth based on the opinions of others. Think for one moment - how many times do we seek validation from outside sources? How many times do we base our success and failures on the reaction of our peers? This is just another form of self-centeredness and completely contrary to a life in Christ. Yet what are we supposed to do? We are after all human beings! Perhaps we should look deeper into what it means to live a Christ centered life.

We exist in a world in which we consistently experience a tug towards superficial achievements where success tends to be measured by worldly standards. Perhaps we have days in which we feel torn in several directions all at once. Those are the kinds of days in which I often feel it is everything I can do to take care of myself, much less give of myself to anyone else! It is hard not to put ourselves first in a society that teaches us might makes right, success is measured by how much worldly wealth we can accumulate, or how many goals we can accomplish in a day. Yet in contrast to the hustle and bustle of this world and it's standards, Jesus calls us to a life of complete and utter humility, poverty and a lifestyle of continuous self-giving (one without expectation of return or pay back). The counter culture love of God is radical in its nature. It knows nothing less than complete surrender and self-abandonment.

The very mystery and nature of God as Trinity celebrates self-abandoning love in diversity. And while we can debate and discuss the mystery of God, what is most important is to not lose sight of God’s pure benevolence; a gift that expects nothing in return. The economy of God is unconditional and ecstatic love for the other. In God there is no individual, but community. So what does that mean for us? Well, a life in Christ is all about acceptance of the self; the person God made us. It also means the acceptance of the beautiful diversity of all God’s people. The economy of God is not based on a fiduciary system, trade or the stock market. Instead the economy of God is the rock solid gift of life that is lived, shared and grounded in the community of faith. When we are initiated into the Body of Christ and immersed into the community of faith we die to our old selves and take on a new life, not only for ourselves, but for the sake of others as well. Just as the mystery of God is three divine “Persons” yet one being, so too do we become one with each other, yet remain personally valued and blessed with unique spiritual gifts. In other words, God calls us to build and rebuild relationships with others through the sharing of ourselves without condition. God invites us to celebrate our individual gifts as pieces of the puzzle that complement the community as a whole. Life in the community of the church recognizes that while we are diverse in nature, we need each other! A life in Christ is an immersion into unconditional love for God and our neighbor. Where many of us balk is that a genuine life in Christ requires nothing less than total self-sacrifice and self-abandonment. That is hard! Yet a life shared with others is a life that is constantly receiving the blessings of others and then selflessly passing along the gifts we receive. In the economy of God this exchange is a perfect cycle. But for human kind and our relationships, let’s just say we fall way short.

In this Ordinary time in the liturgical life of the church (the season of Pentecost), it is my sincere hope we will all continue to practice this cycle of self-giving love, even though we are far from perfect. The more we share of ourselves, the more vulnerable we all become as a community. It is in that vulnerability that sweet surrender occurs. It is in surrender that we find the meaning of unconditional love and service, sharing from our very poverty rather than excess.