Purity

Purity. This isn't a word that is heavily emphasized in the American lexicon. I often wonder why that is?

Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God." I think that we often gloss over this so-called Beatitude - at least I know that I do. I've not spent much time in this short life reflecting on purity.

Is pollution such a part of our everyday existence that polluted hearts only seem natural? How do we maintain purity in a polluted world?

I'm not sure, but I have been reminded this week of the Collect for Purity found in the Common Book of Prayer. This has become a regular part of my prayer life: "Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love You, and worthily magnify Your Holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen."

We get dirty - we need to be cleansed, purified. God knows our inward being. He knows our hearts, our desires, and all our secrets - we cannot hide from God, though we often duck behind a tree like Adam and Eve hoping that somehow He won't see us in the forest. He calls to us and we say, "How do you know me?" And only confirming our fears, He says, "I saw you when you were still under the fig tree." As if we could hide.

Recognizing the reality that God knows us inside and out is the beginning of purity. Following this revelation, we must seek cleansing by the Spirit for no other reason than to worship and love Him. For purity is grounded in relationship with the Creator.

Maybe if we Christ-followers began to talk about purity more, we would have the vocabulary to speak out against all kinds of pollution...those things which destroy God's good creation. It seems that very few groups have brought the two together - some seem only concerned with purity of the heart, while others only focus on social or environmental purity. Yet, our Story calls for the redemption and purity of all things - besides, what is purity other than restoring something to its intended purpose, function and place within the created order. It is a word that we need to spend a little more time reflecting on. Just thinkin'. Until next time - Blessings in Christ ~ RLS