Christian Perfection

I remember when I was a kid in elementary school we would have these fundraisers where if we were to sell a certain number of magazines, candy, or other products we would be eligible to win prizes like a Sony Walkman, Nintendo Gameboy, or some other hot item of the day. I would go home with the flier dreaming about all the cool stuff I would get, but pretty soon reality would set in and I would realize that those hot items, while rather enticing, were often difficult to achieve. In the end, I would settle for a light up yo-yo that would break within a couple of minutes of use. Probably wasn’t the best message to communicate to a generation about setting goals. Hanging a juicy carrot in front of us that we would never get to and making easier for us to settle on something less appealing.

Several years ago when I was preparing for ordination interviews I remember concentrating on one particular question that I would be asked, “Are you going on to perfection?” Wow! How big of a question is that? The questioning however doesn’t stop there! The next is, “Do you expect to be made perfect in love in this life” and then followed with, “Are you earnestly striving for it?” Nevertheless, I still asked myself how I would respond to such a big question. Am I going on to perfection?

It is my belief that the question asked is purposed to adjust my aim. C.S. Lewis in his book, Mere Christianity, puts the quest of perfection like this:

“Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and you will get neither.”

Where is your aim? When I was a kid my aim would be for the Sony Walkman or Gameboy, but would soon change to whatever prize was easier. What if I had never changed my aim? Would I have ever brought home the prize I originally sought? This is the question I ask my self. Am I working to keep my aim set on Christian perfection or am I willing to settle for whatever comes easiest? Remember we have been called towards a goal, which the Apostle Paul reminds us of in Philippians 3:14:

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

This Sunday at Lake Cities we will be celebrating the work of the laity here with Laity Sunday. I am excited to hear from the various voices that will be speaking, but more importantly I am excited to know that I am sharing in a ministry with others that are taking their aim at things of heaven! I encourage you to join us this Sunday in-person or online at 8:30 or 10:45 AM for worship.

In God’s grip,

Pastor Chuck Church