Does Practice Make Perfect?
Good Morning Friends,
There is a tension in today’s scripture…a little bit of heaven and a little bit of earth in which we prepare for the final game…the last performance. It struck a chord for me yesterday as we were running through two bell pieces to be shared to prepare people for worship next Sunday. We had been rehearsing as a choir without a director but yesterday we received the help of our interim music director to guide us and improve us. We each had a purpose and so did he. You see people want success and purpose. And the key is learning to do it together. And here there is a problem. We as a society are all about E Pluribus but not the Unum. We have been practicing this for 200 years as a nation and 2000 years as a faith and we have to ask the nature of what we are perpetuating. We have to ask as we train if we are getting better. Does Practice Make Perfect?
Scripture: God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8 (NRSV)
He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him– provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel. I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery that has been hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. It is he whom we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone in all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil and struggle with all the energy that he powerfully inspires within me.
Colossians 1:18-29 (NRSV)
48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:48 (NRSV)
21But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, 22the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ* for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:21-23 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s scripture from Matthew and Romans seem at odds. And if they are both true then there is something about the Biblical concept of “perfection” that we do not understand. So let us explore whether practice does indeed make perfect. The word practice means both preparation and tradition…it means both repetition and the way of doing something. In our lives there is tension in the convergence of this word’s meaning in Christ. Here it also means to be responsible, reliable, and dependable. It means to be mature in a culture of Christ….perfect in the Way. In practice it is not so easy, our great plans look so easy but some things do not go as planned. Our lives get mangled up with sin. We desire to believe we are getting closer to the dream, but our vision is not His vision. Here we need to discover how redemption works through Christ’s leadership, righteousness and love. It is relevant because we live in a culture that loves winners and hates failures. And fear of failure, in a society where success is sanctified, can make us into perfectionists, demanding perfection not only of ourselves but worse yet, demanding perfection of others. To really get good at something it takes two and a half to three hours a day for 10 years of practice. But even then we are not perfect and yet Christ is still an exception and when Jesus is in us we too are an exception. We all need a right relationship with God. We need to be declared righteous and be acquitted. Then we might have a better chance… a chance with some dignity of making it. Here only when Christ is in us do we have the hope of glory. Only when we follow the leadership of Christ do we realize our body is a temple. Only when we are loyal do we realize He has created all things, including a purpose for our future to be one in the Spirit…one in the Lord. And here “perfect” means one who has accomplished the intended goal, being complete and mature…filled with the Holy Spirit. Here we are to show forth glimpses of Jesus in our lives connected with others in love. It is the place of a suffering servant…a servant leader.
Pray we realize that life is a gift and that God is in control. Pray that in our second birth we would indeed be glorified together. Pray we realize that being perfect is not the same as being sinless. Pray we realize that all the practice in the world does not earn us a spot in the winner’s circle. Pray that Christ is not just prominent but preeminent in our lives. Pray we suffer joyfully for the Good News of Christ. Pray we realize that we know Christ best when we suffer with Him. Pray we realize that suffering produces greater faith. Pray we serve according to our calling. Pray we move to maturity. Pray we work wholeheartedly…passionately with inspired energy. Pray we enrich the lives of others, building each other up with encouragement and united in love. Pray we are knit together in love. Pray we delight in obedience. Pray we submit to the supremacy of Jesus over all things. Pray we perpetuate people and purpose. Pray we have peace with God. Pray we draw closer to God through sanctification. Pray we realize that practice makes progress. Pray we become righteous through faith in the reality of Christ in us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
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