THE DAYS OF OUR LIVES ARE FEW

Vanitas is a genre in the visual arts 

These are works designed deliberately to remind one about the fact of their own mortality.

The meaning of the term vanitas is "vanity;" emptiness, or meaninglessness. It is an echo of the mournful cry of King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes, "Vanity, all is vanity," he laments, and he would be right about his conclusion IF it were not for Jesus Christ and who he claims to be - which is LIFE itself. The good news of Jesus is that he has rescued us from futility, from meaninglessness, from emptiness and from the terminus of death by giving us access to eternal life.

I encourage you to really ponder the meaning of eternal life. It's probably a lot different than you imagine. It is infinitely "other than," and far grander than any mere concept of the immortality of the soul. Eteranl life is huge. In Christ we have a real living-life pulsing with thriving energy, infused with the Spirit that breathed eternity into existence. It overflows with powers that makes the energy of the stars seem trivial by comparison; and it never ever comes to an end - it is not subject to diminishment or decay - and it grows greater and  sweeter and more like its Maker on into the endless ages. 

Check out the song "Come Along," by Titiyo.
It's kind of a get up and get moving song. It's been around for years, but you can still find it on YouTube. It sums up this call to act, this call to live while you still have life.

Here are some selected lyrics to the song:
"Play with it while you have hands
Dust settles, cities turn to sand
Trespassing this is their land
Time flies, make a statement, take a stand

Come along now, come along with me
Come along now, come along and you'll see
What it's like to be free

Come along now, come along with me
And I'll ease your pain
Come along, come along with me
And let's seize this day

Stay out stay clear but stay close
Friends, foes, god only knows
Let's be the thorn on the rose
Time flies, make a statement, strike a pose

Oh, come along with me
Time flies, make a statement, take a stand
Time flies, take your chance

Come along now, come along and you'll see
What it's like to be free
Come along now, come along with me
And I'll ease your pain
Come along, come along with me
And let's seize this day
Oh, come along with me."

In the visual arts, images such as skulls, bones, sheets of music, books, flowers, hour glasses, clocks, over-ripe fruit, half-empty glasses of wine or water, broken objects, decayed buildings; anything that has a beginning and an end, anything with an expiration date, anything that can rot, decay or whither over time; all of these images are part of the long tradition of the vanitas. Artists continually remind us, "You are going to die," and we should thank them because it is probably one of the most important things about which we can be reminded.

I had a brilliant insight at my younger brother's funeral some years ago. In an instant of time I had a moment of complete clarity. I saw all of those around me, all we who had come to honor my brother, as corpses. I comprehended that with the simple addition of time, and nothing else, we all would be as he was at that moment; cold, still and lifeless. The phrase that came into my mind was this, "Show the greatest kindnesses to those around you while you can, for you all are ALREADY dead, the only thing that stands between you and your brother is a thin and fading sliver of time, and it is only the false impression of the solidity of the present moment that keeps you from seeing this clearly."

That may seem morbid, but it is not, it is the truest of all truths. Our demise is a foregone conclusion and the only things that matter are the things that cannot be quantified by a bank account, fame, or power; what really matters most is how we treat each other while we have the time. So, do good to those around you while you still have the power to do so. Love while you can. Help others while you can. Forgive others while you can. Be reconciled with those to whom you are estranged while you can; for death will swoop down on you one day with inexorable finality and there will never be another opportunity to mend what could have been healed . . . if you had only humbled yourself just a little - for a moment - if only you had been conscious of the shortness of your days, if only you had taken seriously the fact and finality of your mortality. 

St. James advises us in this way, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit' — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." JAMES 4:13-16 - English Standard Version

Whatever it is that you know in your heart must be repented of, acted upon, sought out, healed, or blessed, do it right now, today, do not wait another moment. Do it speedily, sincerely and with all your strength - for the days of your life are few and you will not be given another chance. Act immediately, act decisively, because time is slipping through your fingers even now.

The Psalmist, in Psalm 39 summed it up well when he prays:

4 "O LORD, make me know my end

and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!
Selah

If you don't yet have the inner assurance of knowing all is right between you and God, then call on the name of Jesus today, and place your complete trust in him. He not only will give you hope and strength to live, and to live well, but he will be your source to a life that is not subject to the confines of your fleeting existence.

THE DANCE OF THE THREE GRACES

The idea of grace comes to us from the ancient Greeks, it is not exclusively a Christian concept. Grace is a concept that has gone through both evolution and transformation. It is one of the greatest and best ideas in the world, and it finds its ultimate flowering in the Christian teaching about grace; how so?

In Greek mythology we find grace typified by the figures of The Three Graces. They are not only classical, they are also archetypical. The notion of grace goes through an evolution as well. It would be a good study just to search this out. Perhaps this post will inspire you to look a bit deeper into the etymology of this wonderful word.

In very early Greek mythology, there were only two female graces, but a third was added as mythology evolved. The development of mythological stories is very helpful in a number of ways, mostly because it is through the myths of a culture that we find ourselves directed toward universal truths and values that guide our attitudes and actions in the beneficial ways. Myths teach us how to live.

Christians seem to forget, at times, that very great civilizations existed and functioned well for thousands of years before Jesus walked the earth. This is a testimony, as several Apostles point out, to the good things God built into human beings. Human kind is the offspring of the Divine, and for this reason, human culture has cohesion. All human culture has certain components that promote the survival of society. One of those good things is the consciousness of the value of morality, justice and goodness. These are hardwired into every culture. The Three Graces echo this phenomenon.

What do the Three Graces represent?
There are numerous explanations and descriptions. Various writers represent them differently. This is not meant to confuse us, it is a good thing. Just as some would describe a blazing sunrise as beautiful, others might describe it as majestic, or inspiring, or exhilarating. These descriptors serve to expand our understanding because no single adjective can encompass the whole experience of such an event. The same is true about The Three Graces. They represent a larger story.

I suppose, if one could distill all the statements about the graces into three terms that could sum them up, one might end up with something like my description: UNRIVALED BEAUTY / PUREST VIRTUE / OVERWHELMING JOY. This is pretty good stuff.

Who could be against such wonderful attributes, regardless what culture they come from? In every case, these qualities resonate in the human psyche as "good" things. That is why they are called "graces," they are good. This reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said about the Fruit of the Spirit (not unlike the three graces), "who would make laws against such things?" Of course, no one.

In antiquity the graces were portrayed in the nude
. . . or wearing transparent clothing. They were depicted as either standing together, or dancing. They are sometimes holding or exchanging golden orbs from hand to hand, they are sometimes shown with sober expressions and other times exuberant with jubilant laughter, as in Jean Baptiste Carpeaux's sculptural rendition of 1874. All of these depictions feature vital and revealing aspects of their pure characters. The graces are not merely naive or innocent, they are pure, unblemished and unjaded by any form of carnal corruption. Regarded as the children of the gods, The Three Graces were never reported as being involved in any form of violence or in any of the naughty sexual intrigues of which the gods themselves were so frequently guilty. This is unusual in Greek mythology. The graces alone remain unreprovable.

In Botticelli's depiction of The Three Graces (in his painting, La Primavera, shown above), he represents them wearing transparent clothing rather than nude, as say, we see in Rubens' portrayal of the same graces – but, why are the graces shown either nude or as wearing transparent gowns?

The transparent garments (as well as nudity) indicate something very high about them. These are not merely sexy women having a party, in fact, they are not supposed to represent sexiness at all. Quite the contrary. They are intended to inspire in us the highest desires for goodness and purity. Our vision of their lovely forms show us that the graces are without pretense, they wear no mask, they are guilty of no falsehood, they are guilty of no deception. What you see is what they are in fact. They are as genuine as light itself; authentic, and without guile or fraud; pure, as they say, as the new driven snow.

What do the golden orbs represent?
The orbs represent their gifts - I mean, what they are, what they offer us. They also represent to us the entire necessity of giving, receiving and returning the grace that's been bestowed on us. What graces have you received? Think about it. We all have received "grace upon grace" as we shall see later.

Sometimes people say that grace is free, but this is not so. Grace is always "freely given" but it is not free, that is, it is not without responsibility. The reception of grace, rather, demands greater accountability, not less. The gifts of The Graces require something more of us than what was required before its reception. What is required? . . . to do as they do, to be as they are, to imitate them in our own lives by giving grace to others after we have humbly received the graces given. In the gospels Jesus revealed to us that the only real sin is the sin of refusing the grace being offered, for without grace, there is no hope of formation or transformation, and without these there is no hope of salvation. Nothing is more terrifying than to be left alone, with no hope of improvement. But grace forms and transforms. No matter how darkened may be the soul of the one receiving grace, God's radiant beauty, his virtue and his joy will heal and transform it and fill it with light.

The giving of The Three Graces teaches us at least three things:

1) Given – generosity – A gracious person is compelled by love to be generous 2) Received – humility – A gracious person is humble enough to receive with thanks 3) Given back – reciprocation – A gracious person includes others in their blessings

Why are they depicted as dancing?
. . . because this giving and receiving is the GREAT DANCE OF GRACE. They are exhilarated by their giving and receiving, and giving again, and they invite us into this magnificent eternal dance. It is as if they say, "DANCE WITH US!" If we do, we are transformed. If we do not join the dance, the graces reveal us as unworthy, we are the losers, but the graces dance on, bestowing benefit and wealth to all who will receive them. Our failure or refusal to join the dance of grace shows us to be either in the darkness of ignorance, or the possessors of an evil selfish heart. I have heard people say, "I feel no need to accept grace. I am happy as I am." This is the voice of a darkened mind, and yet these are the very people to whom grace seeks to bestow their sweetest gifts. Once received, their blessings illumine and alter the course of those lives forever.

This is a brilliant subject, however, one thing is lacking in the Greek and Roman descriptions of the three graces, wonderful as they are. What is missing? Truth.

The Apostle John's introduction of Jesus is so revealing
The absolutely wonderful thing he reveals about Jesus is that Christ is FULL OF GRACE , and that through Jesus the world has now, at long last been treated to a pure vision of grace in the actual incarnation of beauty, virtue and joy -- but he adds the element of truth. He addresses what the Greeks left out. John says that, through Jesus, God demonstrated both grace and truth. In Christ, grace and truth have found a dwelling place, a home, a pedestal of display, and a location in which all may engage the dance of grace. Consider what John says in these verses.

John 1:14, 16-18 – ESV
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Thank God that he revealed his Law to us through Moses!
This is a great gift to us, for we never need to guess about what pleases him. He tells us plainly in the Torah. The Torah contains not only the Jewish religious ordinances, but it includes the heart of the Christian scriptures as well. But this is only one side of the coin, there was more to come - just as was promised in the Law itself . What was promised, God promised that the Messiah would bring us special things, and that is exactly what Jesus brings to us.

In Jesus we find not merely another iteration of the Law, though that is there in the Sermon on the Mount, but Jesus provides something the Law could not - not because there was anything wrong with the Law, or that there was anything unworthy about what Moses did, but because the Law was the shadow being cast by the one who was coming into the world. Jesus was the substance who would bring us what the Law could not; the grace to live a life pleasing to God - the ability to become what God desires us to be.

When John says of Jesus that he brought to us GRACE & TRUTH he means that Jesus brings us God's gifts of ability, virtue, mercy, power, goodness, and all the rest that is revealed of God's grace in the New Testament. This comes to us through Jesus alone and it comes straight to us from God's own fullness, from Christ's fullness of grace. He possesses all grace, not merely one attribute of grace but grace that is full, complete, overflowing and beyond all you could ever imagine or ask for. Peter speaks of it as the multi-faceted grace of God. It has many aspects to it, not just unmerited favor, but endless and nuanced shades of endowment. God does not just attribute grace to us in some legal sense, he infuses us with the riches of his gracious endowments. Its forms are endless.

The grace of Jesus does not evolve, as do the descriptions of attributes of our figures in the Greek myths, his is complete from beginning to end. As the last verse in that classic hymn, "Jesus Lover of My Soul," by Charles Wesley affirms, Plenteous grace with Thee is found, Grace to cover all my sin; Let the healing streams abound; Make and keep me pure within. Thou of life the fountain art, Freely let me take of Thee; Spring Thou up within my heart; Rise to all eternity.

Many different kinds of tales were told of mythological figures
. . . this was convenient for the tellers, for they could manipulate the meanings of the myths to suit their purposes because the myths are just that, myths, and though they might at times point to wonderful truths, they are not the truth itself. But in Christ, his grace is coupled with the fact that he himself is also the truth. The truth incarnated in him does not change and cannot be manipulated by crafty people who would use Christ to serve their own designs, no matter how vigorously they try. In the end the TRUTH itself will be known, for the truth that remains is not a set of propositional statements about facts or ideas, but it is a MAN; a real live human being who is the absolute embodiment of grace and truth.

It is not too much to say that Jesus IS GRACE & TRUTH
We can claim nothing of ourselves, but point only to the unrivaled beauty, purest virtue and overwhelming joy that Jesus himself is. He doesn't just give us grace as a thing, he gives us grace as himself. This is what he calls all people to partake of - to partake of himself, not religion, not good works, not morality, not self-sacrifice, not social action devoid of his love. Our participation in this grace is complete when we enter the dance by receiving in humility the gift of God, Jesus, and in gratitude extending God's grace to others.

How do we extend the grace of God to others?
We do this by giving freely to others that which has been given freely to us in Christ, which is everything in our lives. The joy of God's grace remains ours only so long as we enter that dance with Christ and give the grace of God away. Grace is freely-given, but it is not free. Grace requires that we include others, that we keep receiving and giving away the gift of grace again and again and again. This is a cyclical dance. To gobble up the grace of God for our own enjoyment alone, rather than feasting on it in humility for the sake of all those involved in the dance of grace, severs the process of grace in our lives and creates a stagnant stinking pool of putrid religion in our heart that can do nothing but poison both us and those with whom we come in contact. It interrupts the flow of grace and what once was living grace becomes to us only a memory and a fading shadow. Rather than transforming us into the likeness of Christ, it reveals us as unworthy of the grace that was given. We must keep that channel open and let God's grace keep flowing outward. That is the only way healing can come to this poor sick world.

Finally
We really do need to see ourselves as the offspring of grace, because he who is grace and truth brought us into newness of life through our humble reception of himself.

As we dance the dance of grace with him, we become beautiful through our participation. We become virtuous as he extends his life into ours. We experience overwhelming joy in the midst of our transparency as believers in Jesus. As a result the whole world is transformed by grace and truth. This is NOT about doing religious stuff. This is about an existential dance with the grace of God. If you do not know what that means find someone who has experienced the grace of God through Jesus, and ask them to pray with you, to instruct you, to walk with you until you too come to know the grace of God in truth.

If you understand what's being said in this blog post, know that your calling to participate with Jesus in the grace of God (especially as he extend grace to others through you) is the truest happiness and the highest calling in life.

The next time you think about The Three Graces, remember how wonderful an idea grace is, but even more so, remind yourself that there is infinitely more to be known about the "manifold grace of God" through Jesus.

This week, intentionally invite others into this amazing dance of grace; invite someone you care about into a life of grace and truth, in Jesus. This can begin with something simple like inviting someone to coffee and reaching out to them through beauty, virtue and joy.
________________________________________

Final considerations:
Being intentional about extending grace to others changes and benefits YOU in the following ways:
It causes one to pray & act for others rather than being diminished through one's own selfishness

It inspires you to turn from your own ways and seek God on behalf of others.
It provokes a gracious inspection of one's own life with a view to one's improvement.
It prompts one to be free from the sins that cause obstacles that hinder others.
It makes one live for things greater than one's self.
It builds healthy relationships, community and friendships
It encourages one to incline their ear to the gracious voice of the God of all grace.
It promotes the liberality of God's Kingdom rather than grasping self-interest
It demonstrates grateful acknowledgement of the manifold graces one has received.
It glorifies God (i.e. shows the reality of God's existence).
It displays God's Character and Beauty through one's actions.
It produces joy in your inner being, and fuels the grace that is yet to come from your life.
It transforms one into Christ-likeness.
It rejoices the heart of God.

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

FEAR NOT!, is one of the most frequent commands in the Bible. God is constantly telling people not to fear. Of course there is the good kind of fear that keeps one from stepping in front of a speeding bus, but there is different kind of fear that's not so helpful.

Sometimes people say, I like the Jesus of the NEW Testament, but it's that OLD Testament God that scares me. I understand this view, it is a commonly held misperception, and it produces a false comparison between the earlier Jewish scriptures and the later.

When Jesus taught, he made a perpetual point of referencing the OLD Testament God as a loving Father. What we sometimes forget is that all that the world knew at that time was the so-called OLD Testament. Nothing had been "updated" as yet. So, this begs the question, "How do some people read the original Testament and see an angry God and Jesus read the same set of documents and sees a loving Father?" This is curious, don't you think? Even the Sermon on the Mount seems to show us just how dramatic that difference can be.

In that sermon, Jesus set in motion an interesting comparison. He said, "You have heard it said back in the day . . . whatever the subject might be . . . but I say to you . . . " He repeats this kind of comparison between what others thought and what he thought in a number of ways throughout the sermon. What he was NOT doing was saying that the Old Testament had to be discarded, he was saying that people had a commonly held misperception about the meaning of its teachings, and those misperceptions had to go. When Jesus said, ". . . but I say to you," he was telling the people something like this -- "You have all viewed and understood these scriptures to mean "X", but I am telling you that these scriptures are really pointing to "Y."

I won't go much more into that today, but I did want to use this contrast to point out something Jesus said - and he said, "DO NOT FEAR." He knows exactly how prone to worry, apprehension, nervousness and panic all we humans are. Sometimes he said "Don't be anxious about your provisions." Other times he told people not to be afraid to trust him for their eternal salvation. Sometimes he told people that he would take care of them - that their heavenly Father would love them in many wonderful ways, and that they should not be worried about their futures. This message came through loud and strong in the teachings of Jesus. Do not be afraid. God is continually speaking peace to us. Peace and confidence in life are the messages of the New Testament.

So, however we may view God, Jesus wants to correct any misperceptions or false beliefs. He wants us to release our fears and learn to lean into him . . . to trust him. Don't be afraid. All will be well, if you place your trust in him. Not to do so is like stepping in front of that proverbial speeding bus. You really don't want that to happen. God is not the speeding bus, life is. Life can kill you, someone rightfully and candidly said. However, when we are walking with the Prince of Life, all is well, and all will be well. Don't be afraid, but trust.

Whatever your friends and loved ones do to you, Jesus will not disappoint you. Trust, and learn how "resting" in God will bring your mind into health, and your soul will find assurance and calm.