Becoming Perfectly One With Christ

The Faith isn't magic. It is a focused and purposeful journey to become by Grace what Christ mis by Nature. And you are meant to do this work!

“I want to go with you!”

My daughters love to go places with daddy. It doesn’t really matter where I’m going; they just like to tag along. And that makes sense. After all, daddies buy candy!

There’s something comforting about being with Another Who is stronger than you and seems to know where He is going. There is something comforting in the surety, in the confidence that that sure direction brings. It seems safe, wise, and full of purpose.

But, it also presupposes a level of love, trust, and knowledge that requires something more than just being motivated by fear or insecurity. Because either of these motives always runs out of gas before the destination has been achieved. It’s like when my girls realize that there will be no candy this trip or that we’re going to someplace where daddy is going to have to be busy with a particular task that the childish (rather than childlike) immaturity gets the best of them and then here come the complaints, the tears, and the begging “But daddy; I don’t want to sit still. Please get me….”

Look at our lesson today in John 17:18-26:

At that time, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “As you, Father, did send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.

“I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you; and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

The Lord is about to face the Cross. He will be crucified, buried, rise from the dead, and ascend into heaven. But the disciples only see a mere glimpse of this plan, and they will hit the wall of insecurity and fear, scattering instead of following.

Before you are too hard on these disciples, remember that, after the Feast of Pentecost, every one of these disciples will be transformed into bold preachers of the Resurrection of Jesus. They will all die as martyrs (except St. John) and are still remembered today for their faithfulness and bravery instead of their moments of doubt. That’s what the power of the Holy Spirit given to all of us at Pentecost can do within us IF we embrace the work of the Holy Spirit to mature us!

If we are ever going to be one as the Lord prayed, if we are ever going to be where He is and see Him in His glory, we are going to have to make that life-long journey based on building up our trust, confidence, and love for Christ that motivates us to stick with the journey even in the face of difficult moments. In fact, these very difficult moments become treasures of insight into our own places of immaturity and fear. These moments of temptation to give up or go back or just sit still and do nothing invite us to know ourselves and see those places where childishness has overcome a child-like faith and confidence.

We take leave of the Feast of the Ascension today. On Sunday, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which transforms these disciples and followers of Jesus into the people who will plant the seed of the Faith that will change human history forever. This regular rhythm of celebration we practice every year is a regular invitation to you and me to confront the invitation of God to become like Him by grace! We are invited through this Church Year of Feasts and Fasts to humbly offer our lives to “Christ our God” to be changed by His grace into persons who love God more than they love anything or anyone else. When we are becoming that kind of person, we are then able to love others around us as they should be loved and become the person God created us to be.

Today, are you self-aware enough to realize that bumps in the road of following Christ are wonderful moments of self-knowledge that will help you in the future? Do you have a good relationship with a spiritual father who can help you diagnose those moments in your life so you can learn from them? When was the last time you went to confession and allowed the wisdom of the timeless faith to assist you in staying on the path? We were made to follow the Lord Jesus into heaven and be with Him in His glory. This path is clearly laid out. The Way is made plain. So, what do you say? Do you want to go? Are you ready to live a Normal Orthodox life?

P.S. O Christ our God, upon fulfilling Your dispensation for our sake, You ascended in Glory, uniting the earthly with the heavenly. You were never separate but remained inseparable and cried out to those who love You, "I am with you, and no one is against you."