a new sacrament
I am reading through The Shaping of Things to Come and I have come across an interesting chapter on a new sacrament…the sacrament of good deeds. Our church generally acknowledges the sacraments of the Lord’s supper and Baptism, but i never thought of the sacrament of good deeds. Basically Hirsh and Frost look at the basics of sacraments (as pointers to God’s goodness and grace), and then guide into the discussion of works in that same regard.
Just as the Lord’s supper and baptism are sacraments in and through which God’s grace is made visible and apparent, so is the holy deed of a godly person. (136)
I have to say I like where they are going with this. Just as baptism is an announcement of God’s goodness publicly and is not necessary for salvation, in the same way the Lord’s supper is an exercise of acknowledging God, deeds have a role in this regard. I am not sure where i am going with this, but it is interesting to think about.