Friday, August 22, 2003
Friday, August 22, 2003
We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be
destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
That's the kind of thing Paul was writing about. If you believe that Christ rules in heaven, that he
has given you a new life and a new perspective on things from his vantage point, then make a
conscious decision to live that way. If you believe Jesus rules, then choose to act in ways that
reflect his perspective and his love! That's the choice of a living faith! That's the perspective of
Christians who celebrate Jesus' ascension to glory. That's the lifestyle of those who have a new
vantage point from which to view the world of God!
(Romans 6.6
NRSV)
When Henry David Thoreau wrote his classic wilderness book, WALDEN (1854), he told of a
powerful custom among the Mucclasse Indians. Once a year they had a village-cleanup called a
"busk." First, they would make new clothes for themselves, and new furniture, and pots and
pans, and all the other necessities of life. They would keep all of these new things in a new
building just outside of the village. When everything was ready, they would begin the annual
spring cleaning. Every corner of every house was scrubbed. Every stick of furniture was thrown
out. Every child's toy went on the garbage heap. The dirt paths were swept, and the weeds were
plucked up. Even the food that was left over from the winter was thrown out the door. Now all the
refuse was gathered together. They piled it high in the center of the village. Then the chief set the
heap on fire, and while they were watching it burn, they took off their old clothes, and threw them
into the flames. They tended the fire carefully, and made sure every last piece of garbage was
burned. They even waited for three days to make sure everything had been destroyed, and no
coals were still glowing. And on the fourth morning, washed and bathed, and dressed in their
new clothes, they gathered again at the heart of the village. Now the chief started a new fire, by
rubbing sticks together, and from the fresh flames each family took a burning faggot home. The
old was gone. Life was beginning again!
Lord Jesus, help me to live with the new spirit of Jesus Christ my savior. Amen.
