St. Nathaniel
April 7, 2020
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Truth had become a hidden thing in the world.
Men thought it originated in the minds of their leaders, whether political or religious,
And they gave them allegiance, and fell over one another to hold the coats of those at the top.
Do you think I talk of this present day? No, I talk of my day.
When we began to follow Him, we clung to His words for we were hungry for truth,
Having found ourselves with spiritual rickets due to a lack of sunlight in our lives.
We devoured His words like hungry birds,
And craved His presence like men who had emerged from the cold
And sought a place to sit in the sun.
But now is your time.
He has been no less present among you.
And yet men now find it much more difficult to find Him
Because the fallen manufacture false sunlight and sell it for pennies.
Their slogan is, “sunlight without sacrifice,”
And the multitudes come forward in droves to buy it.
We were walking close to Him that week.
We had become no less seekers of truth, except for one of us, who no longer saw truth as an absolute.
But when the bearer of truth turns over tables, it causes one to take a step back.
The temptation then is to try to soften the impact, to try to file down the rough edges,
To try to add a spoonful of sugar to hide the bitterness,
And to offer an emetic so that those who find truth poisonous might purge their souls of it.
And is this not evident throughout the Church today?
We made the mistake of seeing truth as something Jesus held,
But instead truth was what Jesus was,
And not being able to differentiate between those definitions made all the difference.
We offered alternate plans to Him,
And when He accepted no other path, but instead accepted the cup,
On Thursday we fell asleep.
Because if you cannot change the uncomfortable truth, then you seek a way to blunt its impact.
In the end, we fled from truth, for there was the shadow of a cross hanging over it,
And we too adopted the slogan, “Sunlight without sacrifice.”
But to our great sorrow, we were soon to find out that the two words are synonymous,
And that by avoiding the sacrifice, the sunlight was taken away.
The world now grows dark. The great and terrible day of the Lord is upon you.
And He has walked into the next room so that you might see
How inadequate artificial sunlight is for a hurting world.
You have been given His truth as you have dwelt in His presence,
And you have carried Him forth to His people,
But your mouth has been sealed by your own reticence that you might not offend.
We did the same.
We placed him on a donkey and carried Him to His people, but our mouths were sealed,
And when it was most important for us to speak, we denied knowing truth and ran away.
You know truth well for you have sat in His presence.
Open your mouth.
People are freezing for there is no warmth in artificial sunlight.
Proclaim to the people that, “Sunlight without sacrifice” is an oxymoron.
Therefore, embrace the cross.
For truth was crucified upon it, but did not die, and is even now among you.
But He has stepped into the next room,
Where, in your embracing of the truth, you might join Him.