Holy, Holy, Holy

“Holy, Holy, Holy” 
Text:  Leviticus 19:1-2; 1 Peter 1:13-16
Elpis Christian Church
October 11, 2009

 A lot of people are talking these days about religion, and spirituality, and holiness – and some of them – lots of them, in fact, don’t even go to church.  Imagine that.  People who are very interested in things like prayer and spiritual disciplines; the Bible and other sacred texts; heaven and hell; the paranormal; meditation; miraculous healings; sin; redemption; angels, demons; and that all important question of the “meaning” of life - yet who would never darken the door of a sanctuary.  Why is that?
 Well, before we jump to conclusions – and harsh judgment – let’s be honest about something.  This thing we call “church” – is hard sometimes.  It takes commitment.  It takes a lot of time.  If you do it right it takes sacrifice, and study, and a dedication to be a disciple, a learner, a follower.  It requires you to take a stand about some social and political issues from a faith perspective.  And some have found – it has required their very lives.
 And, we have to be honest that the Church itself – at least the institutional church – is far, far from perfect.  It has, at times, been corrupting, cruel, judgmental, at times willing to make a bargain with the devil for its own selfish reasons – just look at history and you’ll have plenty of evidence to that.  Wars have been waged and lives have been destroyed not just once – but countless times – in the name of Christianity and other religions.  No wonder so many have fled from affiliation with it – and no wonder best-selling books, written by atheists, fly off the shelves these days.  Religion in general and Christianity in particular, has some answering to do for it’s less than saintly behavior.
 Finally – there is this business of “holiness.”  What is it anyway?  What does it really mean to, as our scripture today advises, “be holy” even as God is holy?  Theologians have been arguing about that one for a very, very long time.  And I doubt that the debate will be settled tomorrow.

But today – proving that “fools rush in where angels fear to tread” - I want to take a stab at it.

Why?  Because I believe you can’t get very far into an exploration of the Bible before you are forced to deal with the reality – the demand – the plea – for holiness.  If you and I dare to call ourselves believers and followers, then we are called upon to do more than just adhere to a certain step of beliefs or religious practices.  We are called upon to BE HOLY – plain and simple.  That’s a tall order.  But it’s what we must aspire to be if we are to be the people of God.

Now the good news – WE don’t have to do it at all.  In fact, we can’t.  It’s impossible.  God is fully aware of that fact.  That’s why GOD has acted, and continues to act in our lives, each time we invite God to do so.  God acts out of grace, and generosity, and most of all, pure, holy love – to make us into the holy people God desires us to be.  That’s if we join with God in a true, honest, passionate desire to become all that God wants us to be.

Again, that’s very good news.  Does it mean there will be no sacrifice required, no demands put upon us?  Of course not – just the opposite.  But it does mean that as God takes us like lumps of worthless clay and molds us into beautiful works of art, for his purpose, we can become holy vessels that can literally perform miracles.  That’s what Jesus accomplished in the lives of his first followers – and that what Christ can accomplish in our lives today.  That’s amazing.  But I believe, with all my heart, that it is true.

So – how do we work our way through the confusing, challenging, and sometimes frightening maze of religion and spirituality and churchliness that surrounds us and find our way to a daily encounter with a holy and loving God?  Well, that’s what I want to invite you to do today.

And that’s where Leviticus and Peter come in.  Two bits of scripture, separated by thousands of years, brought together with some very clear and simple advice about holiness.  As we continue our journey through the Bible – today we come to this great invitation.  It’s an invitation to realize that the Christian life isn’t primarily about getting out of bed, struggling to come here on Sunday mornings, and listen to me talk.  It’s about simple, dynamic, exciting living in relationship with the Creator of the Universe.  How being, day in and day out, in relation to God and God’s love, makes all the difference.  It’s not about being RELIGIOUS.  It’s about being LOVED.  And, it’s about living a life, every single day that takes seriously the idea that all those mysterious things – prayer and spiritual disciplines and the Bible and heaven and hell and the paranormal and all the rest – aren’t just interesting things to talk about now and then.  They ARE life.  And the daily choices – in relation to our families, our friends, our community, our world – those are all part of the holy life as well.  For the Christian – holiness isn’t just one aspect of life - it is to be at the core of it.  And that is why some people have been scrambling around lately trying to make out the difference between a life that is merely “religious” and one that is truly immersed in holiness.

Now, in case that sounds like to some of you like only so much religious double-talk, let’s look a little closer at our scripture today.  What does Peter, in particular, tell us about holiness?  What does he offer as the way to living a holy life?  Does he talk about mysterious animal sacrifices; incense; strict dietary restrictions; temple priests and ancient, sacred, unintelligible texts written in some strange language?  No – it points toward some simple, direct steps we can take – some things we can DO – starting today – to put ourselves in position so that GOD can do the miraculous work he desires to do in our lives.  He talks about how we can prepare ourselves – not so that WE can make ourselves into a holy people but so GOD can do it.  He talks about how we can change our minds and our hearts into something God can work with.  That is the path Peter point out for us to follow.

And who would know better – than the one whom Jesus changed from being a lying, traitorous, failure – into the one upon whom the very foundation of the Church would be built for all time.  Peter knew first-hand just how deeply and completely he could fail God.  And Peter knew just as well – how God’s love in Christ could redeem and save him and take what was corrupt and selfish and turn it into something truly holy.

So – what does Peter say we must do?  Look at it again.

Do you want to understand holiness?  Do you want to live the life God has planned for you?  Do you want to take all the gifts you have been given, all the talents you have - all your God-given strengths and freely place them into God’s hands so that he can work miracles with them?  Do you want to take all the weaknesses – all the failures – all the sins and shortcomings with which you struggle and let God lift them or transform them into something beautiful and useful?  Do you want to really “be holy” as God is holy?  Then what must you do?  Peter has the answer.

PREPARE YOUR MINDS FOR ACTION

BE SELF-CONTROLLED

SET YOUR HOPE FULLY ON THE GRACE TO BE GIVEN YOU

WHEN JESUS CHRIST IS REVEALED TO YOU

AS OBEDIENT CHILDREN DO NOT CONFORM TO THE EVIL DESIRES YOU HAD

WHEN YOU LIVED IN IGNORANCE

BUT JUST AS HE WHO CALLED YOU IS HOLY, SO BE HOLY IN ALL YOU DO

It’s a tall order – no doubt about it.  But Peter, who should know, promises us it is possible. By God’s grace it is possible.

Holiness isn’t primarily about animal sacrifices and temples and the holy of holies and the high priest.  It isn’t about priests and nuns and the Pope.  It isn’t about keeping kosher or observing certain prescribed hours of prayer.  It isn’t about lighting candles and responsive readings and little cups of communion and tiny pieces of bread.  It isn’t even about coming into this sanctuary – as holy as it is – every week.  All those things are just SYMBOLS – they are just creative expressions of this thing we called living a holy life.  Holiness is about living in relationship to a Holy God – it is about having minds that are ready for action when God gives us answers, it’s about being self-controlled physically and mentally and spiritually so that God can make use of us when he wants to, it’s about keeping our focus on God and what He desires for us – and not being distracted by everything the world throws at us every day.  That’s living a holy life.  And if you notice – that has nothing to do with removing ourselves from the world – but instead everything with living IN the world in a critically important way.

Where we live our lives day in and day out is a broken, hurting place.  There is an awful lot out there that can hurt and kill and destroy.  People need hope.  They need focus and direction.  They need to know that there is more to life than drugs and alcohol and making a lot of money and pursuing selfish life that dead ends nowhere.  Our world – our nation – our cities – our county – our schools – our work places – and even our churches – are screaming out to be redeemed and made into holy places where God is alive and vital.  And we have been given the opportunity to show others the way to that redemption.

But it requires of us clear minds, disciplined bodies, and focus.  Otherwise, we will be caught up in the same questioning emptiness that has so many trapped.

Holiness is mysterious – but it isn’t beyond our reach.  The question is will we, at the end of day, just spend our lives chasing after lesser dreams?

I began by saying that a lot of people these days spend a lot of time talking about religion and spirituality and holiness and yet they are the last ones to ever darken the doors of a church or temple or synagogue.  Well – those are the very ones – the ones who are curious about the spiritual life – who we can reach with the truth.  The truth that God loves them, desires for them a new and deep and fruitful life.  They are the very ones who might just slow down long enough to realize that chasing after some things leads only to death – and grasping hold of others brings life.  WE can be the ones to open that door for them.  But it takes clear and disciplined lives.  And it takes commitment.  The commitment to daily seek God’s will for our own lives.  “Be holy – even as God is holy.”  It’s not a suggestion – its marching orders.  And our world hangs in the balance.

Let God transform you today. Let God take hold of whatever you offer Him. Tell Him – “Lord, I am yours, completely.  Make me into who YOU want me to be.  Make me HOLY.”  And then just watch what happens next.