“A new way of looking at things”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, June 16, 2024
2 Corinthians 5: 6-10, 14-17 (Forward, p. 47) CEV p. 1208
It is interesting—and rather informative—to see how people’s perspective changes, sometimes rather dramatically, when they enter into a new situation. For instance, how a couple, long without children, suddenly change their minds about many things when they finally have children of their own. I have seen similar about-faces when someone moves, say from eastern Canada to the Prairies: fairly quickly they begin see things in a new light.
Here the apostle Paul talks about some of the changes in attitude, in thinking, that take place when one becomes a Christian:
-our physical bodies, and physical well-being, simply don’t have the
same importance as before.
-we now live our lives on the basis of trust, of faith in God, rather than
on the things we see around us.
-our lives are now ruled by the love of God, knowing fully well that
Christ Jesus has died for all of us. Therefore, we now live for Him.
-our lives, therefore, as a kind of response to that love, are given over
to trying to please God.
-and all this now means that we now view others in a different light,
that is, no longer based on what they seem outwardly. Indeed, we
now see our fellow believers as new ‘creatures’, new people in
Christ. Their past is now gone and done away with.
All of this is pretty radical: to see ourselves, our neighbours, and the world around us in such a new and different way. But then, it only goes to show, seeing as Jesus has utterly changed the entire dynamic of the world. Death, for once, has been defeated, and so too have the Devil, sin, and shame. Jesus is now Lord of all, and there is nothing, nothing at all, that does not now fall under His feet. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Forward notes: “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (verse 17)
“On my first visit to the storefront mission, Miss Kenisha stood over me and grabbed my arm, ‘Honey, you don’t need to sit back here all by you-self,’ and led me to the second row of folding chairs. Miss Kenisha guided me like a lamb, teaching me when to stand, sit, and pray during the service. At the communion rail, she showed me how to hold my hands for bread and sip from the cup.
“This was a recentering moment for me. I had prayed the liturgy and received communion a zillion times, but her humble, endearing manner made the eucharist come alive. With new eyes, I saw Kenisha’s heart, not my notions associated with her being unhoused. Miss Kenisha welcomed me, a stranger, one who usually didn’t belong, into her fold. I was on the receiving end of Christ’s pure, effortless love.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Today, see someone with new eyes.”
