Nazarene Scene.

In this past weekend's English-language services, Pastor Althea began a sermon series on our 2013 theme Pursuing Holiness... Promoting Healing. At the heart of the message was a clear prophetic statement: Bronx Bethany, you need to know what it means to be holy. And you need to act on what you know, because a mere head knowledge of the essence of holiness will not keep you in these trying times. You need to recapture the reality of holiness in your everyday living, as individuals and as a corporate body.

Pastor Althea began the sermon by referring to Hebrews 10:19-39. We were reminded that the image of Christ Jesus can and will be seen in us as we submit our lives to Him.

The sermon was of the sort where it is tempting to say, "I wish so-and-so had been here because they really needed to hear this..."-- but as we reflect on our pastor's message over the course of this week, let us be diligent to hold the lighted mirror to our own faces. As was said in the sermon, our usefulness in the church and in the world is directly correlated to our faith. It is an individual measurement with corporate consequences.

This is a challenging prospect. If we are to be honest and forthright, some of us would have to say that we are not Wesleyan-Holiness at heart. We are in Bronx Bethany not because we are Nazarene, but because we like the music and the preaching. We are in Bronx Bethany to stay connected with friends or classmates or culture. But have we taken any significant time to contemplate what it really means for us to be Nazarene, a holiness people navigating the second century of our faith tradition?

We are a holiness people. We believe that what was lost in the garden of Eden's failure has been reclaimed in the garden of Gethsemane's success. Adam built in us a penchant for ignoring God's long-term plan and instead chasing short-term gratifications. Jesus has provided the example of enduring sufferings in our "short-term" life as we anticipate Eternity in the glorious presence of God. And, amazingly, the suffering saint is enabled to reflect the glory and beauty of Jesus while this process is underway. As our pastor said, and I paraphrase, as we embrace holiness, people won't see us. They will see Jesus.

While we certainly don't want to isolate ourselves from the corporate body of Christ throughout the world, we do want to fully embrace the call to holiness which is particular to the Nazarene faith tradition. As Pastor Althea shared, it is not a call to good works performed in our own strength: it is a call to submit ourselves to God so that His image can be formed in us. Amen. If our Lord says "Be holy because I am holy", what better answer can we give Him than a joyful, obedient "Yes"?

Come, Desire of Nations, come,
Fix in Us Thy humble Home;
Rise, the Woman's Conquering Seed,
Bruise in Us the Serpent's Head.

Now display Thy saving Pow'r,
Ruined Nature now restore,
Now in Mystic Union join
Thine to Ours, and Ours to Thine.

Adam's likeness, LORD, efface,
Stamp Thine Image in its Place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy Love.

Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the Heav'nly Man:
O! to All Thyself impart,
Formed in each Believing Heart.

(from "Hymn for Christmas-Day", Charles Wesley, 1739)