ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHING
March 6, 2026
There are days when I feel like my faith (and my position as a minister) is a fraud. It can feel like a bad case of imposter syndrome, where the negatives and failures seem to eclipse everything else. I don’t share this in search of compliment or reassurance, but as an acknowledgement that I am probably not alone. Most of us who are trying to follow Jesus have some good days and some not-so-good days. There are moments when I think I might have heard the actual voice of God say, “Awesome, Bruce! Great job…” and then 35 seconds later, I am embarrassed by how I have treated my neighbor or acted in a judgmental way toward another person.
In Christian Scripture (New Testament), there are numerous places where it speaks of perfection in regard to those who follow Jesus. Even in those really good moments, the word perfection has never crossed my mind. It’s one of those words in scripture that is intimidating, and for some people, can render them unable to move forward in faith. A sort of, “I can’t achieve it, so why even try?”
In the Epistle of 1st John, there are numerous places where we see the word perfect or perfection as a way of describing what occurs when we obey or follow God’s word, giving the impression that we’ve reached perfection. What’s helpful for me is that the Greek word we translate as perfect or perfection is teleió. It can also mean to finish, find fulfillment, or mature. It’s that last way of translating that I find helpful. For instance, the way the translation called The Message renders 1 John 2:5 is, “…the one who keeps God’s word is the person in whom we see God’s mature love.” In reading those words, I am able to think of God’s love being mature and full, and as I am seeking to follow the teachings and example of Jesus, the hope is that God’s mature love is helping me to mature in my capacity to share that love. There is joy in the belief that God’s mature (perfect and fully formed) love can reside within one like me who is still maturing. Equally important, when those of us who are less mature are around those who are more mature, there is usually growth. I can only pray that I am spending enough time with God to see my love mature.
Draw me close, Heavenly Creator, and allow your love that surrounds me to dwell deep within me. I pray for these moments of sacred intimacy to provide growth and new levels of maturity in my capacity to love. Amen.
