It’s the weekend and I’m off in a flash. Keeping up with the tradition. I’m thinking I’m going to keep this tradition going. At least for a bit.

Anyway, I’m peddling away on my trusty bicycle. Just swerved by that pothole! This might well be a calamity free commute!

Nah. Immediately following the thought a huge truck whipped out of nowhere. Then on top of that, out of the corner of my eye I see, to my horror, a perfectly soggy pothole lined up to spring on me a muddy mess of a shower. In a panic I swerve toward the sidewalk. A little abruptly, I’m afraid, and sprawl all over that puddle! Just as the truck splashes through, thereby adding another burst onto me. Minutes later I reach the shop in a huff! I hobble inside, order and find a seat.

I pull out the letter and begin reading.

Hello Friend!

How was your week?

Today I’m continuing my thoughts from last week. Last week I ended in mid rebuke toward my friends who were not living up to their claims of accepting our friends on the margins. My last words were: “How dare you judge another by their belief claims when that wasn’t what it was about to start with?” Let me continue.

“Let me clarify. I can see why you would be tempted to judge based on some system of law. It’s what we grew up with. Plus it’s quite difficult to dig through all that. But, nonetheless, we need to do it. Even though we tend to fall back to the default setting of black and white, we can’t stay there. Christ is still calling us ahead. We are still free! The system of law, as a means of proving our worth has still been completed. In fact, if we were to go back to the way of the law, we’d be breaking the law. That system was never meant to be a parking lot. It’s an arrow pointing ahead!

When we surrender our grasp, when we die with Christ, when we refuse to bend the knee to the idea that life is but a stream of yeses and nos. When we refuse to live as if we experience the depth of existence by proving our worth we have died and our egos no longer control us. We are, instead, guided by Christ consciousness. We live by faith. Not powered by a bunch of answers. But by moving through the darkness, as if toward some light at the end of the tunnel. When we follow the example of God’s Son, who loved us and showed us a better way, we are able to open ourselves to the mystery of life.

I say all this because I just can’t let go of grace. The idea that we are already accepted unconditionally! I mean, if we could’ve found salvation by proving ourselves, Jesus’ surrendering even to death to show us a better way would’ve been completely pointless! All is grace.

All the best my friend.”

……

Time to head home. To another week.