Dawn is Coming

A series that I did in the past was Armchair QB-Monday morning meditations, sometimes critiques unfortunately, on the pastor’s sermon.  For those that became critiques, I feel quite ashamed. As a speaker, we merely ask to be God’s mouthpiece to share the truth that the Holy Spirit desires someone hear.  Ultimately, it is God who must show up and even show off at times. When God shows off, I can’t help but smile widely. Sunday morning He was showing off. 

I have been meditating on God’s holiness lately and trying to sort out what my response has been, and what it should be. While I haven’t been to Hope lately, and this sounds quite presumptuous, God met me there. Holiness was in the fellowship, in the worship, in the message. Perhaps it is always there, but I finally had eyes to see it and ears to hear it. 

Hope still sung off key and off tempo, but the melody rose to affirm His otherness and our humility. On that frigid January morning, friends and strangers gathered together because God is worth it. He is worth the mild discomfort of the cold, the early hour for some, the sleeplessness for others. Friends encouraged one another in their walk with the Lord. We shared communion, reminding ourselves of His irrational sacrifice in order that we might draw near to Him. The message from Colossians 3:1-10 echoed Romans 6, which I had  focused on this week, but in a delicate way, Paul’s words brought new hope to me. 

Perhaps I needed to feel convicted in Romans 6. In fact, I would undoubtedly agree. Grasping God’s holiness requires a stern humility of self. Not only am I not God (in control) but I am not good as I believed (pride). As I intently I focus on God’s holiness, I keep uncovering a deep hidden and even “tame” (secret motives more than actions) sin of my heart. I despise the ugliness of it. Truly, wasn’t I doing better than this? 

Paul wrote Colossians to help the church mature. In the passage the pastor taught on, Paul had given them instructions: focus their heart and mind on Christ, kill some sin, remove others. But, the pastor reminded us-“Perfection is nothing that you can achieve; it’s only something that you receive.” We kill our sin as God develops a holiness in us, like Himself. 


With deep gratitude for beloved friends, a faithful community, and an amusing, holy God, I went home Sunday. Despite knowing how dark my heart is, there is still hope because my Lord calls me to holiness. Perhaps this dark night was to show me these things. Perhaps it was to show me how brightly His holiness shines in the darkness, how brightly He wants me to shine in the darkness. My spirit is stirring. Dawn is coming.

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