"Whatever its ancient critics had to say about early Christianity, they never accused it of being boring. Back then, the Church stirred such emotions that some wanted to kill it, while others were ready to die to be a part of it."
Will Willimon and Tony Campolo
If you had a emory board that was just right for shaping and shaving off the rough edges of your fingernails you'd find a special place for it in your purse or desk. For many women long, well manicured fingernails are part and parcel of "their look," a mark of beauty. I would assume, over time, that your preference for this most excellent emory board would slowly but surely wear down its rough surface. There would come a time when it would no longer have enough texture to deliver a manicured 'look.' It would get worn down enough that it no longer worked.
There are those who think the same has happened to the church of Jesus Christ over the years. We began as a bold, wildly counter-cultural movement of unparalleled grace. As Willimon and Campolo assert, there were those who wanted to kill the church and there were those who were willing to die for it, but there were very few who were indifferent to it. I wonder sometimes if we haven't been rubbing up against "the grain" of Jesus so long that we've worn it down, or developed an insensitivity to it. There are lots of folks today who are indifferent to the Kingdom Movement and it seems as if there are fewer and fewer willing to die for it. (In other places in the world there are still those who are doing their best to kill it, but that fact is often lost on North American Christians.)
Most days I don't mind being pastor of a domesticated church. Life is predictable, our mission is achievable, and whatever may be "rocking the boat" might make me a little sea-sick at times, but it poses no danger of capsizing the ship. Then I come across a quote like this one and I am convicted and I am inspired and I want to be a part of something that asks everything of me and offers me the opportunity to join forces with the wild, unpredictable God of Jesus Christ. I intuitively know that if I let him, Jesus will take me where I can make the most difference rather than where I can be the most comfortable. Today is one of those days.
I get tired sometimes of all the study that goes with biblical interpretation, the deep thinking of theological debate, and the need to always be the authority relating to all things religious. Days like today I just want to do the one thing. I want to love like Jesus loved. I want to love like God loves me--throwing it all out there without regard to how it may or may not be received. I may get some of the details wrong, but I would know that I've got the bigger picture right. Loving God, Loving people, loving myself, and loving the incredible gift of creation that's been entrusted to me--that would be more than enough. I want the bold abandon to do what Jesus does and go where Jesus goes even if it kills me. I want to be a pastor of a church filled with people who are ready to do the same.
After all, Jesus had only 12 and they changed the world.
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