June 11, 2015

“As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited.” 2 Corinthians 6:1,3

“So Paul appeals to the Corinthians as cooperators with God not to accept his grace in vain. The phrase in vain means “without effect or result.” Paul’s concern is that God’s grace will not have any meaningful impact on their lives. The story is told of a small boy who closely watched a neighboring pastor build a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine. The youngster did not say a word the entire time that he watched. Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor finally said to the boy, “Well, son, trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?”

“No,” replied the boy, “I’m just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he hits his thumb with a hammer.” (A Plea Not to take G*d’s Goodness for Granted BibleGateway)

So many things can become a stumbling block within the church and the Christian community. We, as Lutherans place primacy on the issue of Grace for our justification with G*d through faith in Jesus Christ. Just that alone, trusting in the promises of G*d through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus can be a stumbling block for many. Then you place the trust of delivering the message of that Grace through faith to a body of “human” believers — who can find it hard not to be the sinful, egocentric, selfish and graceless people because these behaviors come to us by our very nature — well you can see why there can be many stumbling blocks to the faith of “believers” and “potential believers” alike. Even pastors, those who are called to be the shepherds of the flock, can become selfish shepherds trying to lead a flock to their own selfish desires — or leading a flock of people who are simply waiting for the pastor to “hammer his own thumb”. It seems almost every day that we hear a story about a church or a church body and how they are dealing with clergy who have behaved badly — behaved outside our calling to be servants and role models of the faith.  G*d’s Grace is too costly to cheapen it through behaving badly.         

How might you be a stumbling block to someone’s faith today? And, how might you help remove a stumbling block from someone’s faith today?

Pastor Dave