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The Holy Dead
The Holy Dead Meditation: In Praise of the Holy Dead
Monday, January 14, 2013 at 03:14PM “Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming ourselves.” ~ St. Francis of Assisi, born 1182.
"Educated Christians like myself expect God's grace to prefer people of greater natural ability, higher standards of behaviour, and superior education in the liberal arts. In fact God mocks my expectations." ~ Augustine of Hippo, born 354
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| C.S. Lewis - A Dead Guy |
When I became born again in 1970, at the age of 14, It never occurred to me I was born into a family nearly two thousand years old. I figured that (after Jesus) it all started with me. I was soon introduced to the works of C.S. Lewis--a dead guy! Lewis died in 1963, so at least we were briefly alive at the same time. This made him acceptably “modern.” Years later I discovered Lewis took most of his ideas from St. Augustine--who was even more dead.
I suspect many followers of Jesus, if they read at all, limit their exposure to names like Francis Chan, Rachel Held Evans, or Tim Keller (and they are just fine--it would be wrong of us to hold it against them that they are alive). Christian publishers understand that “new” sells, while “old” is simply, well, old.
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| Augustine: Even Deader |
So today’s mini-rant is in praise of our ancestors. They have left us a legacy that rests among the cobwebs of eminent domain websites, awaiting rediscovery. They are not worthy because they are old, they are worthy because their instruction and encouragement is timeless. Nor were they born as saints: Augustine was a young man consumed with pride and lust; Assisi was a hipster in his day (complete with a jaunty scarf), in danger of wasting his life on passing fancies. They--and a cloud of witnesses more--have so much to say to us.
Are you willing to make room for the dead?
Reader Comments (4)
Ray. This is great. First, you made me giggle, and I do so love to laugh. "More dead."
Second, absolutely. And let's not forget those dudes in the upper room, standing around trying to figure out what to do when their leader died. Or those early church pioneers who smuggled offerings to other churches. Or....on and on. What an amazing family.
Indeed, Jen: an amazing family, with an even more amazing older brother. I believe the "cloud of witnesses" extends forward from the book of Hebrews as well, and it's humbling to think that apart from us they are not made complete.
Isaiah 29:13, Isaiah 42:16, John 14:25-27, Matthew 28:18-20, Luke 10:26-28
We are blessed with more than enough resources available to all of us in the Family, more dead than alive. It is simple mathematics that the sum of all dead and alive forever is still finite, but all who will never get the opportunity to live with the influence each of us has is infinitely greater. Today I can call up an author in a matter of moments relative to the ages it took my grand-mother to order something of interest. She was more dependent upon what was just laying around which included a Bible. Thank our Lord that the Holy Spirit was able to teach her all things and reminded her of everything our brother Christ said to His other disciples of her stature.
Now, how do we make disciples of those who don’t know our Lord but want to? I cannot believe we are left to only hunker down inside the Family circle to tell ourselves great stories of comfort? My grand-mother was one of the greatest anonymous dead disciples even with her 8th grade education, in my heart and mind.
You're right, Herm: the resources we have available would cause our grandparents to faint. I loved, too, that you personalized this by talking about your grandmother. My grandfather's given name was "Martin Luther Hollenbach." I should have asked him the story behind how his parents came to choose this famous name, but I squandered that chance years ago. Bummer.