I’ve been reading two books with seemingly opposite points of view. The first, If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person is a short some what rambling description of two Quaker pastor’s journeys into embracing universal grace. The second, Facing East: A Pilgrims Journey into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy by Frederica Matthewes-Green is a year, a liturgical year in the life of a convert to Eastern Orthodoxy. These are excerpts from each – the first a vision of heaven; the second a description of beginning such heaven on earth.
“This work of reconciliation must continue until every last person is redeemed. I do not know where we will sit at the final banquet, but I suspect who will sit beside us. On our right will sit the person whom we have harmed the most. On our left will sit the person who has done the greatest evil to us. We will be seated between grace received and grace required.” If Grace Is True p. 190
“Now we are going to do something the devil hates,” he says. “any time brothers and sisters in Christ stand face-to-face and ask one another’s forgiveness and give forgiveness, the demons shudder….” He gives directions for all worshippers to form a long line, extending to his left; they move into place…”The first person in line…will stand in front of me. He’ll make prostration or a metania and ask for my forgiveness. …you can say this however you want: ‘Forgive me for all my sins against you’…I will offer forgiveness and then ask him to forgive me as well”
This description continues in such a way that every person in that gathered church recieves and gives forgiveness to every other person.
“Each interchange is an intimate moment, and I feel on the wobbly border between embarrassment, laughter and tears. Just to pause and look at each fellow worshiper for a momment, to see the individual there, is itself a startling exercise.” Facing East p. 19-20
I don’t believe in eternal damnation in the sense of hell-fires to which God condemns anyone who doesn’t quite get the forgiveness of Christ. I actually agree with the premise of Philip Gulley and James Mulholland in describing the vast and unlimited love of God for all of creation. However, I struggle with this. There are clearly consequences for our actions or lack thereof. And this life certainly is connected with the life after this one – the eternal timelessness. I think it has to do with who or what is God to us. I like C.S. Lewis view of this in The Great Divorce described well by the Jolly Blogger:
“The best way I can describe this book is to say that it is an allegorical study of the psychology of the hell-bound vs the psychology of the heaven-bound.”
I keep reading about Eastern Orthodox worship and practice. I’ve even attended one Sunday service. It seems to be a way to live heaven on earth. Heaven is experienced here and now and Heaven is a demanding place as well as a lucious celebration of love and grace. Except for one thing – patriarchy reigns. God is decidedly male and culturally bound to medieval times from what I can see.
And so I continue to seek heaven on earth and to live in ways that testify to this. Living out God’s grace is not a foo-foo thing to do. It’s demanding, much more demanding than hell.
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