THE WAY…
by SteveIn the column on ENCOURAGEMENT last week, I said this: ”It looks as if we’re finally beginning to recognize that Christianity is about following the WAY of Jesus.” I’m surprised that no one disagreed or even questioned what I meant. For me, discovering this great truth has changed practically everything.
Marcus Borg tells of being on an airplane and striking up a conversation with the woman passenger beside him. He quotes her as saying, “I’m much more interested in Buddhism and Sufism than I am in Christianity, because they are about a way of life, and Christianity is all about believing.” Most Christians, I fear, have the same opinion of Christianity, that it’s all about believing the right things, and once we get our believing right, we are then “saved,” and there’s no more to be done.
There are many things wrong with that way of thinking. First, Christianity was a “way” long before it degenerated into a belief system. Second, who could ever say to us that our beliefs are now finally correct? Third, believing right makes everything dependent upon us rather than God. And finally, it turns faith into a matter of the head rather than the heart.
I prefer to think of Christianity as, first and foremost, a commitment to following the way of Jesus, and that way is the way of sacrificing self each day…following Jesus on the path from Galilee to Jersusalem…a way that leads first to death, then to new life and transformation. It is the way of the heart, it is the journey of a lifetime, and it is walking that way, not alone, but with the One who knows the way. It’s building a heart-relationship with God, a relationship that will transform us into people who love God and who love what God loves.
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I for one think that following the WAY may actually be a “safer” lifestyle than Believing or basing our Hopes and understandings on beliefs. Beliefs are too easily questioned, not just by others but more importantly by ourself. When we follow the WAY it is a liftstyle and something that can be discerned through study and contemplation. Beliefs many times can be difficult in that the “experts” vary so much in what some of them say we should believe.
REading about the life of Jesus and understanding the choices he made give us a pattern to follow and base our life and lifestyle on. By the way, What did Jesus “believe”?
Once again, I have to “chime in” with my usual “word of caution” When we start to talk about the Way, (with a capital “W”) we set ourselves up to believe there is a “correct” way, or an only way. I came to believe long ago that my life is a journey. I wander to and fro, up hills and into valleys, through dark woods and across beautiful sun filled open plains always encountering many, many cross roads. But, it has taken many years to realize no choice leads me away from God, because God is omni-present. Now some road choices make it harder for me to recognize God’s presence and certainly are a lot more tiring, painful and “dark” to travel. But God goes with me, even through this way of life. So when talking about the way I always have to remind myself a journey should be open to marvelous new adventures, sudden changes in directions, unexpected breakdowns, and even discoveries of things I never dreamed about. How can I grow in my relationship with God is my daily question. And thus my journey continues hopefully using all the road maps, directional devices, and knowledge available while still remaining open to the fact that I don’t always need the right way, just the right companion for the journey.
Mike…you have exactly the right idea…the Way is a lifestyle, one characterized by the implementation of love as a policy (like the signs around here say).
Linda…thanks for the caveat, but I hope anyone who knows me will assume what you pointed out. No one knows better than I that the “way” is full of ups and downs, hairpin turns and dead ends. I also would want everyone to know that this “way” can be and is followed by practitioners of other religions as well.
Mike…I neglected to answer your question. Jesus believed:
1. That the most important thing in life is to love God with all one’s heart, soul, and strength, and neighbor as self.
2. That the law of love is primary in every situation, regardless of religious or political law.
3. That our obligation as his followers is to look out for the needs of the poor and outcast, and to proclaim the good news: Jesus Is Lord (not Caesar) and that there are no limitations on the love of God.
4. That the kingdom of God is come, but not yet fully present, and we can help to bring it in all its fullness.
That should be enough to keep you busy….sk
There is one thing I know about myself. I have to “talk” it out sometimes, to say what I am really trying to say. According to all the personality profiles, I have a way of processing that is sometimes difficult for others to follow. So, I want to continue with the way discussion for just a minute. The terrain along the journey was not the point I wanted to make. The question I have is, how are you going to “package and sell” the journey idea”? What is the motivation factor for promoting this theory? What is the purpose? Is promoting the “journey idea” any different or better than promoting the “Saved in an Instant” theory? What leads one to change one lifetime of beliefs for another set of beliefs?
Linda…There are several ways to approach the questions you raise. One would be say that I was a salesman twice in my life…right out of college I worked part-time selling pianos. Later I went into business with my dad and became a furniture salesman. I was no good at either. Today, I am not a salesman, but a proclaimer. I have no product to sell, only a message to proclaim. That message is simple: The God revealed in Jesus loves us unconditionally and our response should be to love God back. Announcing that love is my main priority, and I am not responsible for the results.
The other way is to draw a comparison between today and Old Testament times. After the Hebrews returned to Jerusalem following the exile, they finally came to the conclusion that their fundamental theology did not work. What’s called “Deuteronomic” theology said simply, if you do what’s right, God will bless you physically and spiritually. If you don’t, God will get you. The problem was that after the exile, they were doing what was right, and yet they continued to suffer. From that realization, two movements developed, Wisdom and Apocalyptic, and from those came a theology that did work: bad things happen to good people, but even then our priority must be faithfulness, for God can be trusted to remain steadfast and will one day soon establish a new order.
Today, I think, millions of people are finding that their theology doesn’t work, and so the progressive movement has blossomed and is flourishing among all kinds of people, with its insistence that following Jesus is more about believing “in” than believing “that,” believing really means beloving, and we are called to walk the same path (journey) that Jesus did…leading to Jerusalem, death, and finally new life. I don’t have to sell that…most people are seeing it as the truth as it is simply proclaimed.
Hope this helps some. sk
Steve, Amen to all of the above. I am not a “fan” of blogging. I need the face to face interchange of human to human. You know me well enough to know I challenge the vocabuary we all use and the manner we say things because every word can be taken a millon different directions. It is our lives that forms the backdrop for our words,and thus what gives them meaning. I look forward to your sermon Sunday. But,no more blogging for me.