It seems to me that, as Christians, we can find ourselves walking along two quite different paths. And I wonder if those paths are taking us further and further apart.
On one path (probably the wider and more familiar one), Jesus did some amazing things so that we don’t have to. Jesus served, suffered, and died. And because he did all that, our job is to be happy, forgiven and blessed, and then one day go to heaven where, presumably, we’ll eat cake forever! (Okay, I’m exaggerating for effect... But you get the idea).
On this path, there’s a huge gap between Jesus and us. We praise him. We worship him. We believe in him. We love him. He’s way, way up there. We’re way, way down here. And actually, we’re quite comfortable with that arrangement.
But there is another path.
And on this path, Jesus didn’t do all those wonderful and difficult things so that we could simply admire him. He did them so that we could join him.
- He sought God’s kingdom and justice — and so do we.
- He challenged traditions when they got in the way of love — and so do we.
- He cared for the sick, the poor, and the vulnerable — and so do we.
- He welcomed outsiders and ate with people pushed to the margins — and so do we.
- When he encountered suffering and injustice, he didn’t turn away. He moved towards the pain with compassion, hope and healing — and so do we.
And he didn’t just do these things himself. He taught people, trusted them, and sent them out to do the same.
Perhaps, then, Jesus never intended to create a church full of happy consumers of his sermons. Perhaps he intended to create doers. People who don’t simply admire Jesus but learn to live like Jesus. People who don’t just come to church to be fed but leave ready to feed others. In other words, perhaps Jesus wasn’t starting a fan club.
He was starting a movement.
And perhaps this Harvest, the question is then not simply, ‘What has God given us?’
But: ‘What are we going to do with what we’ve been given?’
Blessings
Dwayne