A Season of Surrender

Spiritual experience, if it is of God, will indeed lead to a life of activity. But the nature of the true activity is surrender and obedience. The most striking revelation of this is found in the conception and birth of Jesus. When the angel came to Mary he told her, 'The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you.' And she answered, 'Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to your word.'

It was in this submission, this surrender and obedience that Christ was conceived. And it is the laying down of power that is revealed in his birth....This pattern of abandonment of human strength in total surrender to God's will is of vital importance for us, both in our lives of activity and of spiritual experience. It was the surrender of herself to God that Mary became the mother of Christ. It was her acceptance of Gabriel's message that the great decisive event of history took place. And in our own daily lives, in our effort to do right, what is decisive is that we accept and live by and surrender ourselves to a strength that is not our own, to the piercing white light of God's love.  

The meaning of Advent and Christmas is thus the coming down of God's love. This love alone revolutionizes our lives. Only God's love, not the elevation of human souls, can effect a transformation of the world. Those who mourn the futility of their own efforts receive the comfort of the love of God. Those who are meekly obedient to his will are filled by the love of God, not as a prize to be won after death, but as redeemed life for this earth...All our human goodness is relative; there is nothing in us immune to evil. Besides, Christ came not for the righteous but for sinners, for all those who can say, 'Be it unto me according to your will.'

The peace on earth the angels proclaimed is reconciliation with God. It is brought about by the coming of Christ into our poverty. In John's words, 'Herein is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us.'"

Choosing to Believe

Gary Greeno - April 2012

It seems like at one time or another I have trouble believing everything. That God exists. That forgiveness is truly free and not something I have to perform to a certain level to get. That I am truly saved and not just a good actor playing the role of a "good Christian." Don't get me wrong. Ultimately, I do believe. But, it is work. It is a repeated choice to believe, and sometimes I don't feel like choosing. Sometimes I don't feel like working.   Sometimes I don't feel like believing.

Early on in the 2012 Embracing Life Series, God reminded me of a song I'd written in 1984.

Wow, that truly was a lifetime ago. It even feels like I was a different person way back then. Well... I was. But, I digress.

As I pause and look back on the past 28 years in view of the lyrics,

I see how The Lord was confirming and maybe even commending me for...

all the work...

all the choosing...

Yes, all the times I chose to believe in Him.

Here are the lyrics. They are simple.

My hope is that they will bless someone else for

Choosing to Believe.

They are written as a direction from God to the reader:

I AM A ROCK

I am a rock, a sure foundation

Go build your life, build it on Me.

I am a rock, a sure foundation

Go build your life for all to see.

They'll see the glory. They'll see the honor.

I'll give the blessings. You sow the seed.

I am a rock, a sure foundation

For thee.                   

�1984 Gary Greeno

� 4-2012