The Power of Might is a sermon title I’ve juggled in my mind for many years. When I was reading today’s passage from Matthew, it stirred again. As Christians, I’ve often wondered if we’ve connected power and might in misguided ways.
Scripture affirms God as The Almighty. And we know God’s power and might is something referred to repeatedly. It stands to reason, then, we take on those attributes. We are, after all, God’s own. The problem with that is the Bible doesn’t call us to take on the might of God. Instead, our calling is to take on the mind of Christ.
Often, when we strive for God’s might, it looks like ours. So, God’s power comes in forms we can achieve and control. Politics becomes a game of this kind of might, for example. We need to win to exercise the right kind of authority and power. A great many Christians let this lie fuel their political ambitions.
And as we rack up this futile might, we can’t let it go. And the effort we need to preserve it keeps us from taking on the humble, compassionate and selfless mind of Christ.
Maybe we don’t know scripture or the power of God (Matthew 22:29).
So, what is the might that has the power for us Christians? It’s the opposite of what a lot of us have assumed. The power of might is the uncertainty and mystery of our life with God. Yes, we’re overly convinced of too much. Too much certainty has actually damaged our wonder at the mystery of God. Too much certainty about things God never gave us certainty about.
The power of might is allowing ourselves to struggle with uncertainty and confusion. Yes, this might be a word from God. This might be a movement of the Holy Spirit. This might be the way we should go. It might be, but it might not be. We should be careful how we choose our convictions when the reality is we don’t always get answers. And we need to be okay with that.
Does that sound frustrating? Scary? Good.
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
Those are familiar words to many Christians. But we often sing them with more conviction than we live them. We best understand what the blood and righteousness of Jesus are when we take on the mind of Christ. The power of might sets us free to experience the grace of God. That’s not the mighty power the world dominates with. It’s the wonder of mystery that moves us closer to the will of God.
Stay blessed…john
