Skip to main content

Comfortable with Jesus

I grew up in a Christian household. I went to church every time the doors were open. Congregational events took precedence over pretty much everything else in life. This upbringing is something I'm extremely grateful for, but it did lead to an interesting side effect; I was incredibly comfortable with Jesus.

I imagine that the majority of my readers also grew up going to church or at the very least have been a Christian for a while now. Most of us have heard the sermons and sat in the Bible classes that have talked about Jesus. Most of us, I would guess, are pretty comfortable with Jesus. We know who he is and we're kind of used to it.

We are used to hearing Jesus be called the Son of God. We are used to hearing Jesus be called the Messiah. We are used to hearing Jesus be called the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, our Redeemer, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, and so on. We are used to it and are comfy in it. 

Have you ever thought about how crazy it all sounds?

Now, to preface this discussion, I DO believe that Jesus is all of these things. I believe 100% that Jesus is God incarnate. I'm also saying that for people who haven't really been around this kind of talk, it sounds crazy.

Have you ever stopped and thought about what we are saying when we talk about Jesus the way we do? We are saying that the most important time in history isn't right now or up ahead, but happened 2,000 years ago. We are saying that a man who lived in ancient Palestine is the ultimate authority over the whole universe. We are saying that this man, who was executed as a criminal, is alive today. We are saying that this man is the fullness of God revealed to us and is the only way to salvation.

In church we talk a lot about family issues, marriage issues, being a good steward, and a host of other things we've labeled as "practical." When was the last time you, either alone or your congregation, took time to reflect on Jesus. Who is he? What has he done? What is he continuing to do in our lives and world?

When I examine Jesus carefully I lose my sense of comfort that I've built up over the years. To call Jesus the Son of God is no trivial matter. It is, with no exaggeration, the most important thing you can claim. If Jesus really is the center of history, the ruler of the universe, and God incarnate how can I not follow him?

Jesus constantly challenges us to grow closer to God and to conform to his image. It is not a comfortable process, but it is a necessary one that brings joy greater than any we can imagine. Follow Jesus.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thankful

Today is Thanksgiving, the day that we are supposed to celebrate all the things we are thankful for. It is a time of family reunions, football, and turkey eating. I sincerely pray that each and every one of you has a good day today. I'll admit that being thankful has not been easy for me this year. As pretty much all of you know, my mother passed away December of last year. Though she had been in the hospital for months, we were not expecting it. In fact I was sure she would be finally able to come home within a matter of weeks. Instead she peacefully passed on into the arms of Jesus, whom she loved more dearly than anyone else. As you can imagine, the entire family was heart broken. After what can easily be described as the worst Christmas ever, I returned to home to Illinois. It was here that I finally broke down. I spent the next months doing everything except being thankful. I cursed God, wept, screamed, begged to have her back, and was generally not the nicest person to be...
3 comments
Read more

We Need More Images

What is your favorite way to describe God? Is there a particular name of God in scripture that you are drawn to? What images and pictures come to mind when you think of God? These are questions I don't think we ask often enough. We all have an image of God in our heads that we work with. It may not be a literal picture, though it might be, but ideas and concepts we tend to associate with who God is. Some of those images and associations may come from the Bible, but some may not. These things are influenced by our upbringing, Bible reading habits, personalities, relationships, culture, and more. The way we picture God has a dramatic impact on the way we live our lives. For example, if the primary idea you have of God is "Healer," when you hear or read that you are made in God's image you will likely feel called to heal, be it physical ailments or spiritual wounds. But, if your primary image of God is "Judge," that changes things. You very likely might tend to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Augustine of Hippo: Historical Friday

We pause our overview of the history of Christianity to talk about an extremely influential figure, whether we realize it or not. Augustine of Hippo, so called because he lived in the town of Hippo Regius, has had a tremendous amount of influence on Christianity in the western world. Many of the theological conversations we have in our churches today have been directly shaped by this man. Many of the terms and ideas we throw around originated with Augustine.  Today we are going to look at SOME of the ideas that Augustine has shaped. In reality this man has touched in some way or another every aspect of Christian thought. If I had to choose the most influential people on Christianity outside of Jesus and the Apostles, Augustine might very well be number one alongside Martin Luther. Before we get into the theological ideas, a brief biography is in order. Brief Biography Augustine's story is actually very interesting, one I cannot hope to do justice here. If you are intereste...
Post a Comment
Read more