WHAT IS AT STAKE?

The Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel once wrote: “Something sacred is at stake in every event” (Ken Gire, Seeing What is Sacred, page 11).

The sacredness of every moment is a concept, a reality and a perspective that I was not taught growing up. But for the Christian there cannot be the secular/sacred dichotomy and split. God is present and accounted for every moment. It is amazing to me the immediate and profound implications this has for Christian living.

First, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then life itself is sacred. Life and death issues, as far as ethical demands and decisions are concerned, all of a sudden become much more simple. Beginning of life and ending of life realizes the sacredness of the event. How is one born in a sacred way? How does one die in a sacred way?

Second, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then spontaneous praise and worship is the proper response. If our thinking restricts sacredness to a building and worship services, then we cheat ourselves of sacred moments in which our hearts are allowed freedom and spontaneity to praise God.

Third, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then I need to have a stewardship theology that accounts for how I approach each single event, each single moment and each single experience in a responsible way. This responsibility recognizes that each conversation, each personal interaction, each decision, each occurrence, each moment, etc. is an opportunity for me to respond with eternity in mind.

Fourth, if God is present every moment and something sacred is going on, then the Sovereignty of God is real for me. It is His world and I am his child. This dependence creates a humility that drinks in the divine presence to fill the human soul. This is how I empty self and become more like Jesus.

What is at stake with this sacramental view of life? Everything to the glory of God!
In Christian love, Curtis