Stubborn in our Sin

There is a new movie being released soon. Greeks those who love Greek life are very excited. The third, and I hope final, Greek wedding movie has just released a trailer. I admit it looks like a fun movie about Greece, but something in the trailer has caught the attention of those in the Church. Mr Portocalos was cremated! This has created an uproar in social media among Greeks in the Church.

The Church teaching is clear. Cremation is unacceptable. Funerals are not to be granted for those who are going to be cremated. Memorials are not to be celebrated for those who have been cremated. Cremation is a total rejection of God’s grace in the human body. I wrote about this last year.

Today’s post is not about cremation. What has struck me this week is the insistence by so many that, not only is cremation permitted by the Church when it is most definitely not allowed, but the assertion that the Church is being cruel and insensitive when funerals and memorials are forbidden.

The Lord said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham, and have never been in bondage to any one. How is it that you say, ‘You will be made free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house for ever; the son continues for ever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do what Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God; this is not what Abraham did. You do what your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.”

John 8.31-42

The Jews in today’s passage would rather kill Jesus that give us their life of sin. They insisted their father was God, yet rejected God in their presence. That’s the thing about sin. We fall into the trap of thinking we know better. We begin to question and reject the teachings of the Church because we don’t want to change.

Like so many spiritual struggles, this also in nothing new. When we are faced with any challenge to our worldview, our initial reaction is rejection. It is as much a part of us as running from danger. All things different imply danger. You can thank our primitive ancestors for that. We have all learned about fight or flight. It is as true spiritually as it is physically.

What we can learn from today’s reading is that God changed the paradigm for us. Just because we have been living in sin doesn’t mean we are forced to continue. It is our choice. Some choose God. Some choose to fight against Him.

The Church isn’t being insensitive when we are held to standards. We are free to reject the teachings of the Church. When we do, there are natural consequences. It is our choice to choose the Church or to fight against it. Making our choice does not mean the Church is forced to go along with our choice.

Cremation is just an example the coming movie provided for us. Every sin choice has the same result. We can choose God or choose sin. Just because society endorses a behavior has never meant the Church follows suit. In fact, it should be the other way around, but it isn’t. We are stubborn that way.

American Christianity is a testimony to what happens when we choose to remain stubborn in sin rather than change. In the American model of Christianity, God and Church don’t shape us. We shape God and Church. If we don’t like what the Church is teaching about God, we either change the Church teaching or establish our own Church.

The Jews in today’s passage chose to fight against God. It hasn’t worked well for them, and it won’t work well for us. Choose God and give us being stubborn in sin.