Sobriety

Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. (I Peter 1:13)

 

As I read today’s Biblegateway.com verse, two ideas came to mind that I hope are worthy of sharing. The first is that being alert and fully sober doesn’t only have to do with not being under the influence of alcohol or stoned. It can also have to do with not being under the influence of adrenaline, emotions, or idealism. It’s not about “Woo hoo, a new you!” or “A new and improved church.” That takes us back to the idea of dealing with the universe as it is, not as we believe it should be.  

The second is that setting our hope on the grace to be brought to us when Jesus Christ is revealed tells us that heaven on earth is not going to happen. Too often, I hear people rejecting the Church because it and the people in it are not perfect. It doesn’t seem to occur to them that they aren’t perfect, and if perfection were a prerequisite for being part of the Church, they’d be rejected. They call for humility in the Church but show none themselves.

Some people have responded to calls to “be realistic” with “If you shoot for the moon and miss, you end up among the stars.” That’s great! There’s no oxygen, no food, no water, very little heat… “Among the stars” means dead. For that matter, the moon means dead, too. I’m not saying “don’t have lofty goals,” but to be fully alert and sober, and recognize that you will still have need of grace when Christ returns.