If I could sum up the month of January in 1 word, it would be choice. In January I felt as if I was faced with the choice of whether or not I really buy into the the reality of the cost of what it means to follow Jesus. How ironic considering that I have been serving as an apprentice campus pastor for the past 6 months. Over the Christmas break, our FOCUS staff read the book “The Jesus I Never Knew” by Philip Yancey, and it was this book that very disturbingly brought me face to face with confronting exactly what I had signed on for by calling Jesus lord.
I was going to try to summarize the contents and purpose of this book on my own, but the back of the book does a much better, and fuller job at it, so I have included the description of it below:
“…Philip Yancey’s award-winning book on the teachings, person, and life of Jesus Christ is a groundbreaking, disturbing, and exhilarating look at the Jesus described in the Gospels. Yancey writes: ‘The Jesus I got to know in writing this book is very different from the Jesus I learned about in Sunday school. In some ways more comforting; in some ways more terrifying.’ Now you can share in the same exciting breakthroughs as the author. This book will rock your preconceptions and challenge you with hard questions about why those of us who bear his name don’t do a better job of following him…”
I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments of “comforting” and “terrifying” after reading this book, hence my internal dilemma I mentioned earlier! While this book was a game changer for my understanding of Jesus and what his life meant for the world, it really shook me up with the reminder that when I followed Jesus I willfully relinquished a life of autonomy for a life of dependence on Him. And within this life of dependence on him, I voluntarily choose to adopt his world view. And adopting his world view means that I will allow the Holy Spirit to shape my heart and mind around God’s truth that,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you
Signing on for a life as a follower of Jesus, for me (and Im guessing would be or was for you), is signing on for a life that is way different from my childhood visions of what my adulthood was gonna be like. So I had to ask myself: “Do I really want this?…Am I truly committed to the depth of what I’ve just read that this means?”
As I examined my heart and remembered again that I don't get to decide what is right, who's in or who's out, and that I don't get to pick and choose when I will take up my cross, I was filled with despondence, irritation, fear, and doubt. Surely the rest of that Sermon on the Mount was allegorical...right? Whether it was allegorical or literal, you cannot ignore the blaring, radical code of ethics that Jesus is daringly introducing. While my understanding of what it means to live out these truths is still en process, I am fully confident that following Jesus hasn't led me astray yet, so I chose him again 😃 (*wipes sweat off brow*). Though its challenging, I trust and have been shown in many ways that He is true life.
Enjoy some photos below from Winter Camp! (The highlight of the month of January for FOCUS!)
