Me and Jesus: Episode 5

I deliberately didn't read any Christian books while I was on retreat, though I did have one book of Jesus' words for emergencies.

I wanted to try to be with the divine through a window other than Jesus. Inevitably my mind came back to Jesus occasionally.

But I did have one insight. I was thinking about what it might mean to be a 'progressive' Christian. I suppose I've been getting caught up in the idea of being a 'follower' of a man limited to one period of history. What could that possibly mean?

But I've changed the image. What if, instead of me being a follower of Jesus, I imagine Jesus having pointed in a direction and walked some way in that direction. I have seen the way he walked and am walking in the same direction. What if being a Christian isn't walking behind Jesus, but keeping my eyes on the same point Jesus did, and walking in the same direction as Jesus. Being a Christian is caring about the same things Jesus did. It's not about mechanically imitating Jesus but moving, progressing, in the same direction as Jesus.

When I look at it this way I can see myself as being on the Way of Jesus while accepting Jesus as limited, and perhaps on some issues, plain wrong. But I can decide that the overall direction, the overall orientation of Jesus is worth following, which may not be the same thing as walking the same path.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Wow, Stephen. Just wow!

1:24 am

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