All those who rely on the works of the Law are under a curse, because it is written, Everyone is cursed who does not keep on doing all the things that have been written in the Law scroll.  11 But since no one is made righteous by the Law as far as God is concerned, it is clear that the righteous one will live on the basis of faith. 12 The Law isn’t based on faith; rather, the one doing these things will live by them. 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by becoming a curse for us—because it is written, Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed.” Galatians 3:10-13

“The most important, the most real, and lasting work of the Christian is accomplished in the depths of His [Her] own soul. It cannot be seen by anyone, even by him/herself. It is known only to God. This work is not so much a matter of fidelity to visible and general standards, as of faith: the interior, anguished, almost desperately solitary act by which we affirm out total subjection to God by grasping his word and his revelation of his will in the inmost depths of our being, as well as in obedience to the authority constituted by him. Our faith is then a total surrender to Christ which places all our hopes in him…” (Thomas Merton, “The Church Sanctifies Her Members”, Life and Holiness, p.56)

So often I encounter people of the church who are busy with their works in the church. They serve on committees, volunteer with ministries, and sing in the choir. They spend many of their waking, free hours serving—but too little of their time in reflection. At least, that is what I suspect. They accomplish much in the church, but leave the work of their souls lacking. Let me ask you, what nourishes your soul? We must be fed with the word, with the sacraments, and with with mutual fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe this is where our souls are nourished and where we receive Grace. Look, how we feed our bodies matters, for life now—and how we feed our spiritual bodies matters for life now, and for eternity.

Pastor Dave

^“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke breadin their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:42-47

“The common life of the religious, regulated by traditional observances and blessed by the authority of the church, is obviously a most precious means of sanctification. It is, for the religious, one of the essentials…but it is still only a framework. As such, it has a purpose. It must be used. But the scaffolding must not be mistaken for the actual building. The real building of the church is a union of hearts in live, sacrifice, and self-transcendence. The strength of this building depends on the extent to which the Holy Spirit gains possession of each person’s heart, not on the extent to which our exterior conduct is organized and disciplined by an expedient system.” (Thomas Merton, “The Church Sanctifies Her Members”, Life and Holiness, p.55)

The church is a building—but it is not only a building. The church is “the people”—the hearts of believers who gather in that building—but not like a social club. If the Holy Spirit does not possess the hearts of the people, the people may possess the building, but Christ may not be anywhere to be found. As such, the church must continue to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit, we may be laboring, but if the Spirit is not in our labors, we labor for naught.

Pastor Dave