During the last 2 to 3 years, I have heard the message, "Go and be like Jesus, be one with the people'. So I did. After examining the bible and realizing that God has called us to love the other, I went and did so.
It was fun. I had a good time pouring out free Starbucks coffee to the women at the bus station who was on crack by her own admission. I had good times laughing with the homosexual pastor about Hollywood stereotypes. I even had good times dancing and smiling at a party for 'the one'. The messages about giving, sacrifice, loving, and helping the poor were the ones that I embraced with all my heart.
I don't know why, but in embracing those messages, I started rejecting some of the fundamental messages that I have heard from my childhood to youth. It seemed reasonable at the time and in my young adulthood mind-set I started blasting the ideals that had nothing to do with 'the other'. I sacrificed substance for style. I told myself that certain habits were fine because I am progressive. And to be progressive, you have to progress from something right? So I progressed from the fundamentalists. Self-righteousness never felt better for me.
But now I am at this place. This place is a place where I realize that I shouldn't have ever replaced style for substance. That being progressive has nothing to do with giving up the ideals of integrity, purity, and righteousness. It has all to do with up-keeping those ideals because in doing so we get to a place where loving the other is done because of our integrity towards God and his calling in our lives.
I came to this place because of a situation. I want to lead a group of young people at my community. I think God has called me to do it. I think that I can do it with Gods love. Most importantly, I love the young people. But to be the best leader for them and to be honest with them, I have come to an understanding that there are things in my life that need to change. Maybe I am being to candid, a little to honest. But what is life and the beauty of humanity if we are not able to be transparent.
The message that no Progressive wants to hear, the one that I missed was when the speaker was sharing about how Jesus became the poor and how Jesus loved the unrighteous was the message of how Jesus never changed. He became poor, but he didn't change his ideals. He ate with the prositutes, but he never accepted their lifestyle. He saved the young adultress from death and we love this story of how Jesus started writing something on the ground and how he told the right-wing fundamentalist to go throw the first stone, but we forget that Jesus asked her to leave her life of sin at the end. With Christ there is a huge underline of redemption and forgiveness. At the same time there is a huge underline of integrity and honesty.
In my youth I gave up certain habits because it was the popular thing to do in a fanatic pentecostal church. I now give up those same habits, not because of my progressive emergent post-modern church, but because of Christ's calling in my life. Him calling me to be me. Which is calling me to be more like him. To love the poor and to help the oppressed while keeping the traditional ideals of integrity, honesty, and purity.
Please let me know your thoughts.
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1 comment:
it's true... and you're very smart.
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