Musings with Grandfather

Not my grandfather. Our grandfather. As in, grandfather of the Presbyterian Church, John Calvin. I say grandfather because I think it's more accurate to call John Knox the father, but even Knox had to get his musings from some place.

I digress.

Reading Calvin in seminary was a chore. A burden, even. The problem was that when they assigned a Calvin reading, to call it "A Reading" was being generous. It was never fewer than 150 pages. I started to have a motto: "Seminary is about learning to balance what you have to read and what God will forgive you for not reading." If I didn't get to all my Calvin, I suspect Calvin was okay with that. And often I didn't get to all my Calvin because every class in seminary thinks they are you only class, so they assign you a ton of reading.

Now that I'm out of seminary, I've been seeking council with John Calvin. I wouldn't say I'm reading him for fun, but as my sermons lean towards the more theological themes, I've been spending a little bit of time reading up on what Calvin would say about things. The interesting thing I've found is that I'm more likely to finish my reading assignments now that Calvin isn't an assignment. I just finished reading Book 3 of his Institutes and I'm kind of enamoured with it. I don't agree with every detail Calvin utters, but I can get behind him theologically on most of his points. I've even located a few things he says that have a touch of humor and a pastoral flare: not something I expected from Calvin. I have a newfound respect for Calvin and my regret now is that I don't have my seminary buds to talk it out with.

People who haven't been through seminary or who aren't connected to the Presby church just don't get Calvin.

In my sermon last week, I talked about how just because we are chosen by God doesn't mean we get a free pass to do whatever we please (a fact Calvin and Luther would get behind). Our task as God's chosen ones is to praise God by doing God's work. We don't work for salvation; we work BECAUSE of salvation. Calvin made a comment his section on election of his Institutes that I thought summed up beautifully how we ought to think of election. He said:

"What did Christ wish to have us learn from this but to trust that we shall ever remain safe because we have been made His once and for all?" (III.xxiv.6).

I thought that was a beautiful sentiment. Election isn't supposed to scare us. God doesn't want us to go through life stressed about whether or not we're going to Heaven. God doesn't want us to live life in fear, but in peace of mind that whatever happens, God is in our corner with open arms. We don't have words to express the gravity of what Christ did on that cross, but God did give us hearts that can be open to receive that grace that He offers so freely.

God chose us as first fruit, Paul says in 2 Thessalonians. If the first fruits are so incredibly important -- so important that Abel's first fruits were an acceptable offering where Cain's measly seconds were rejected -- how much more incredible is it that God calls US as first fruits?! God delights in us: fallen human beings who can never seem to get it right. This all powerful God, who can have anything he wants, chooses US! That ought to create in us such joy and such comfort. That's why I love what Calvin says. What else does Christ want us to do but rejoice in the fact that God has hand picked us to be His own?

Grace is pretty amazing, isn't it?

Peace of Christ,
Pastor Becki