“You don’t become more spiritual by becoming less human.”
This quote from Sunday’s sermon really resonated with me. Too often we measure our relationship with the Lord and our spiritual maturity based on how often we are praying or studying and learning about who God is. That's not how God called us to live. We know our works don’t save us and yet that is how we measure where we are in our spiritual journey. How does that make sense? That is how we excuse ourselves from being a part of a community and thinking we can do things on our own which is completely contrary to the gospel. We miss out on the benefits of being part of God's kingdom here on earth.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.” - Matthew 5:3-5
When I read this passage, it reminds me that we have to be broken and low to see who God truly is. The contrast of our humanity allows us to have perspective of how great and magnificent he truly is. Being poor in spirit means remembering that we are human and have fallen short of God’s glory and mourning is a part of our human experience. These things that remind us of our humanity are also tied to promises from the Lord. If we only focus on “spiritual” things and “deep thinking” and forget about what makes us human, we forget that we need a savior. That’s why community is so important.
Community is something that is offered right here and right now. Community shows us where we fall short and celebrates where we have grown. Community makes us look more like Jesus and simultaneously reminds us that we are human. It keeps us out of the clouds and into relationship. Being human is not easy. We are broken and dirty and messy, but the fact that we are human is what makes the gospel so beautiful. When we realize how low and needy we are, we realize how high and glorious He is. We cannot achieve anything on our own but He has enough grace to use us anyway.
-Kelsey Turner