Imperfect, ordinary freedom

Below is a lenten reflection from ‘The Project on Lived Theology’ that I enjoyed. I preached last weekend on a similar topic from the lectionary texts about relying on faith through grace, not our own works, and how starting from a place of being broken, flawed, and imperfect can actually be what frees us in the church to do ministry – and love others who are broken and flawed. I think this idea of claiming and starting out in a posture of being ordinary, being imperfect, just trying to do our best, but ultimately reliant on God to do much of anything – this is part of the journey of Lent. It’s a freeing reminder, that instead of the lie that we need to know it all or be better or do more, we need God for all good that we do. It is okay to be flawed – and that truth and that freedom helps us be who we are, and also reminds us to let God be God.

Here is another reflection on next week’s reading, in a similar vein:

“Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who were buying and selling there.” Matthew 21:12

“We read in the Gospel how Holy Week began with Jesus entering the temple and driving out all those who bought and sold. He rebuked the vendors of doves; ‘Get these things out of here!’ He was so crystal clear in his command that it was as if he said, ‘I have a right to this temple and I alone will be in control of it.’

What does this have to say to us? The temple God wants to be master of is the human soul, which he created and fashioned just like himself. We read that God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image.’ And he did it. He made each soul so much like himself that nothing else in heaven or on earth resembles him so much. That is why God wants the temple to be pure, so pure that nothing should dwell there except he himself…

But who, exactly, are the people who buy and sell? Are they not precisely the good people? See! They strive to be good people who do their good deeds to the glory of God, such as fasting, watching, praying and the like–all of which are good–and yet do these things so that God will give them something in exchange…

Lest we forget, we do what we do only by the help of God, and so God is never obligated to us. God gives us nothing and does nothing except out of his own free will. What we are we are because of God, and what we have we receive from God and not by our own contriving….

Jesus went into the temple and drove out those that bought and sold. His message was bold: ‘Take this all away!’ But observe that when all was cleared, there was nobody left but Jesus. And when he is alone he is able to speak in the temple of the soul.”
– Meister Eckhart (ca. 1260-1327)