January 2 seems to be a good day to finish the unfinished and move on.  Apologies to readers at the lack of posting last year.  Creative energies seemed to go in a different direction...mostly creating inches around my waistline apparently, but that is for another blog.  

The "test" that originated the answers enumerated grew out of a conversation at Montreat...thus the ensuing "we will check your answers when we get home" comment.  The five questions were:

1. How many sins does it take to make you a sinner?
2. How many good things should you do to make up for your sins?
3. Are you a good person?
4. What do you need to do to become a good person?
5. What can you do to live more like God would want?

The only one not previously answered in the blog is number 5...and the answer, again, waffles sufficiently to make us thoroughly reformed.  One the one side, we can really do nothing.  On the other, we can do much.

The nothing side takes us back to the sinful muck in which we are mired, and the fatal expectation that by following a set of rules or defining correct thoughts and actions for all time, we can somehow make ourselves good.  We can't.  The very act of trying to define what would make us good and then judging ourselves and others against that criteria is quintessentially playing God.  

But, that is not to say we do not have choices to make about our behaviors.  Take, for example, the Ten Commandments that our friend the rich young ruler (see previous post) took so seriously.  When God established the nation of Israel as God's "people" through whom God would provide blessing for the world, the idea was that living by the commandments would enable us to be the people of God--and that our behaviors would indicate we were different (in the most positive way).  Didn't actually turn out that way because we are so very bad at it.  But we already went down that street.

The Commandments, in a rather amazing way, reveal God's identity.  They are not just who we are to be, they reflect who God is.  In choosing to follow the commandments, we are invited to be where God is.  Honor your father and mother...that's where God is to be found.  Not killing...find God again.  No idols...hello, God.  

But, we find an even more clearly defined, knowable revelation of God in Jesus.  That is another path to follow...and Jesus starts with the commandments, though without the detailed twists we humans put on them--like not healing the broken on Sabbath.  The willingness to suffer for others, the working for justice and inclusion, that's again what we learn about where God is and what God does.  It's not easy, and it goes far beyond just "thinking" that Jesus is Lord.  Being "good" requires following.  

We are called to follow...not judge...ourselves or others.  The judgment is up to God.  So we follow and trust, learning and growing in community and we let God make us good as God will.  

Don't know if that is good news or not...but I think it is the message we have received.  So the test is over, the new year begins.  I promise to be more faithful whether anyone is reading or not.  I kind of missed being about to look back over a year's worth of posts to see what happened and where we were--though I supposed the lack of posts is revealing as well, if you want to get philosophical about it...which I don't.