A number of years ago I read an interesting article comparing the baby Jesus and Peter Pan. The writer suggested that some people want to hold on to the image of that sweet, angelic baby, born in a manger, not unlike the boy who never grew up. They want to hold on to that idea of Jesus because they don’t want to come to grips with the adult Jesus who often challenges not only how we view others but even how we live our lives.
Certainly Jesus was a teacher, a healer, a prophet…not to mention the Son of God and our Lord and Savior. Rarely do we think of him as an angry subversive who was threatening the very order of things…but he was all this and more. He called out those in power and he offered a hand up to those who had been shunned by society.
Maybe because of these things it is hard for us to reconcile who Jesus is and what following him really means for us today. I just saw a Facebook post that asked, “How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday, and ignore another one on Monday?” That is the very conflict all of us face as we try to take our faith out of Sunday morning worship and into the rest of our week.
I’d like to spend some time exploring more about this radical side of Jesus and I would love it if you would do this with me. Beginning Wednesday, April 8th, and continuing for six weeks, we’ll be exploring Mike Slaughter’s video and book study, “Renegade Gospel: The Rebel Jesus.” We meet from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.
In the ninth chapter of The Gospel of Luke we find Jesus asking, “What about you? Who do you say I am?” That’s the question I want to explore with you. I hope you’ll consider joining me as we take a walk on the wild side of scripture!
Shalom!Pastor Andy