Today on the radio I heard an interview of a female Lutheran pastor (Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber) of a church called House for All Saints and Sinners
in Denver, Colorado. She had a seminary degree in theology but was as unorthodox as anyone I’ve ever heard. Though raised in a fundamental church, she had left it as soon as possible, staying away for 10 years before being captured by God’s love and grace. She started her own church, made up of all the misfits
of society—drug addicts, homosexuals, trans-gender people, alcoholics, agnostics, atheists, battered women, victims of sexual abuse—whomever. She became somewhat upset when normal
people began attending, but came to see what an immense contribution they made because they accepted all the weird
people whose parents (who were also normal
) had such difficulty accepting. Besides which, they actually knew how to cook and clean up after church dinners!
She made the statement that she didn’t care what her parishioners believed or did. All she wanted to do was be transparent and preach what she believed to be the true Gospel—that God’s grace far excels anything that they can do or believe. And she found that when they were able to receive that grace, their behavior began to change. She pointed out that these were precisely the kind of people Jesus hung out with when He walked this earth. She said that she had tried many other religions
and would gladly have followed any of them except that she couldn’t escape the grace of God. She said that she never pursued God, that He pursued her. She was experiencing the Hound of Heaven
referred to in Francis Thompson’s poem by that name.
She described orthodox Christianity as having as little fun as possible in this life so we could really live it up in the next!
I was very intrigued by this woman and could see myself perhaps attending her church—at least visiting it. I’m sure I don’t agree with all her doctrines,
but I believe her to be much closer to the revelation brought by Jesus than fundamental, orthodox Christianity is. I am encouraged to hear of churches like hers. It gives me hope that all the people who feel ostracized by orthodox Christians are at last beginning to experience the only true God
that Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would all know. I’m convinced that the more people who come to know the righteousness of God without the law, the more of us who attain to a God consciousness, the more people will begin to experience the liberty that is in Christ Jesus because they will know that they are indeed the sons of the living God 1John 3:2 who doesn’t judge or condemn but watches over His offspring
Acts 17:28 as a mother hen watches over her chicks Matthew 23:37. It is only when we experience the Father
within who does the work of effecting change in us—only then do we begin to demonstrate the fruit
of the Spirit rather than the works
of the flesh.
Those of us who have, like Nadia, become aware of Divine Grace pursuing us can extend that same grace to any and all who come to us, never judging and condemning them, but rather accepting them with love and joy as did Jesus—and was therefore judged harshly by the religious people of his day:
Luke 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
As we are tempted to judge others, we would do well to remember the words Jesus had for those chief priests and elders
who judged Jesus and those He hung out
with:
Matthew 21:31 … the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
This is not to say that the hound of heaven
(Divine Grace; the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ) is not pursuing the self-righteous religious people also or that they will not eventually enter the kingdom of God. The writer of the book of Hebrews (and many other Scriptures) assure us that the hound of heaven
does indeed catch
the one He is pursuing in the end:
Hebrews 8:11 And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest.
It’s just that
Matthew 19:24 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
—not impossible
Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
but not easy either. If I am rich
with my own self-righteousness, it is very difficult for me to receive the free gift of the righteousness of God which exceeds
my own:
Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Let us, like Nadia, cease all judgment and condemnation and begin to live in harmony with those around us, knowing that the hound of heaven
that pursued us is also pursuing them and that the love and grace of God (which is doing the pursuing) never fails.
Let us become the channels through which that love and grace flow!