Posted on by andy

W.W.J.D.?

So, Pastor Paul mentioned a month ago when Brooke and I visited Columbia that he’s looking for people to talk to the 9th grade confirmation class about “what Jesus means to you,” and as I understand it, in the context of where your life has gone since the 9th grade. He was shooting to get a relatively wide range of age groups represented, and needed someone in their mid-20s. Somehow, I got asked… 😛

Anyway, I’ve been contemplating how exactly to go about this. In all honesty, I’d never really thought about the issue, certainly not in recent years. It is further complicated by the fact that I’ve got that whole “go to church on Sunday” thing and then “do science and research” for the rest of the week – two things that don’t necessarily jive well with everyone, but is still certainly doable. There are certain things with Christianity and science that tend to not mix, but are rather key… For example, while one could argue that “Creation” occurred, the specifics behind how that came about would be looked at very differently if you asked someone on the street and if you asked someone with a heavy science background (i.e. me). Or, the immaculate conception…or many of the miracles talked about in the Bible.

Therefore, for the purposes of the discussion on Sunday, I think I’m going to steer away from those issues, but still acknowledge that it’s something that I struggle with frequently, even as I get older and learn more about life. It’s something that it’s O.K. to struggle with and, in my opinion, it makes your beliefs stronger when you feel that you can question them and that it’s alright to really think hard about the Bible and how things should be placed in the context of those that were writing it back nearly 2000 years ago…

So, I guess I view Jesus himself (as that’s really what I’m supposed to talk about…not Christianity as a whole…) as a representation of who we all should strive to be. Someone that taught by his actions. If someone was sick, he healed them. If someone needed defending, he defended them. It didn’t matter who you were, you deserved the same treatment as everyone else. And, at least according to the Bible, he didn’t scold you for being who you were, either.

The man lived by example, and that’s the thing that many Christians don’t do today, in my opinion. Many of them go to church on Sunday and then on Monday return to having the same prejudices against Arabs and homosexuals and unwed mothers that they had earlier. It’s as if many of us today took that message and forgot the “forgiveness” part, and that’s the key. Whether you believe Jesus actually turned water into wine, or died and rose again is a plus…but for me, it’s more important to know what he stood for and how he stood for it, rather than all the “neat stuff” he did, too.

So “What Would Jesus Do?” He’d show his beliefs by his actions, not by telling you you’re wrong. He’d lend his help to anyone that needed it, including his enemies.

And that’s what Jesus means to me.

Any thoughts?

8 Replies to “W.W.J.D.?”

  1. It will be quite interesting to see how your acquaintances respond to this one! Or maybe ‘if’ they respond. Of course, as your MOM, I’ve always said that lots of kids would do well to have an example such as yourself to look up to. (And your wife is certainly another great role model!) Obviously, I’m prejudiced! I’m sure what PrPaul is looking for is a young adult who early teenagers may see as more similar to themselves, who asks the same questions they do, doesn’t have all the answers, but still keeps the faith. You’ll do a great job! Any memories of your pre-confirmation Sunday morning classes??

  3. And Andy… come now. Christians don’t hate homosexuals or unwed mothers on Monday. They love the sinner, but hate the sin. That gives them free reign to shit all over people. Haven’t you heard?

    I have always admired your perspective on religion. However, I don’t think it is one that most of your peers share, nor do I see much support for it from any religious documentation.

    You say – “Whether you believe Jesus actually turned water into wine, or died and rose again is a plus…but for me, it’s more important to know what he stood for and how he stood for it, rather than all the “neat stuff” he did, too.”

    That is a fantastic quote. I agree with one exception – I fail to see any importance at all in believing that Jesus turned water into wine. In fact, i’ll take it a step further – An all good, all knowing God wouldn’t care at all whether people believed in him or not as long as their actions reflected what he stood for. This premise that you have to believe in him hints that God has some need of celebrity or fame or something that I have just never understood.

    Having said all that, I think you will be a fantastic person to speak on this subject.

  4. God has blessed you with wisdom beyond your years. I have been blessed by Him to watch you grow into a person who has a strong faith and lives it out. How we live each day is an example to so many people that we may not even know. God is good and has blessed you with a deep and abiding faith. I will be praying for you this weekend.
    I am out of town (OVerland ParkP for my birthday celebration with my kids). I am sorry I will miss seeing you and Brooke. Give her my best.

  5. I wouldn’t say that I disagree with much that you’ve written, only that there might be an omission there that, if it were me, I would be sure to include. Jesus treating everyone well is a nice theme of the bible. He is kind. He also called people hypocrites; he said he didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword. The lover of prostitutes and drunkards and tax collectors also flipped over tables in what today we would describe as something of a rage. Here is a guy who when a force of the Roman army came to him they trembled with fear, over the sight of a single unarmed person. Whatever we might feel about him, when they saw him in person it was apparently pretty terrifying. Jesus is the son of God, and is the flesh and blood invasion of earth by Him, for you.
    Jesus didn’t come, by his own admission, to simply make everyone treat everyone else better. If you asked him why he was there he would have told you that it was to give you a chance. He would say he came into the world so that those who do not see may see, and he didn’t mean in the literal sense. He said that he came to seek and to save that which was lost. In John it says that Jesus died so that whoever believed in him would have eternal life.
    I mean, these things about Jesus really reveal what he was all about, for me. Jesus is, to everyone… every thief, every murderer, every church going failure, every sinning pastor, every yelling evangelist, to everyone, he is how to get to God. He is how to be in Gods favor, and in his presence.
    Jesus is a warrior, who came for destruction. First john says he appeared so that he might destroy the works of the devil. Jesus doesn’t want me to wave to people on their way to hell. He is the one who gave the great commission. He is the guy who talks about millstones being tied around necks and about coming to the truth. He wasn’t a tolerant person. He yelled at people for being wrong. He rebuked a whole lot of guys for someone being so ‘forgiving’. Jesus forgave people who wanted forgiving. For instance, he tells the pharasies a lot of stuff and even says that they are blind, but without a change of their heart, i dont think he’s going to be very forgiving. In matthew it says that a lot of people will come to him after their death saying, “lord, lord” but that he will tell them that __” I never knew you, depart from me”___
    I think the thing about forgiveness as a theme of the bible is that Jesus is urging people to accept him… to just ask for forgiveness. The great commission is about telling people a way to forgiveness, not in just going around touching people’s shoulders and saying… “guess what, I came all the way here to tell you that you don’t need to ask to be forgiven”

    As you probably can guess I have a lot more to say, probably pages and pages, but I’ll just stop here. I should, in sum, say that to me Jesus is the person who set me free, who swallowed all of the wrath god had for me, and I strive to make myself a bond servant to him every day, loving him and delighting in him.

    Hebrews 2:14
    “Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

  6. Andy and Brooke — you did a great job! The challenge is to know how questions and uncertainty can lead, through faith, to confidence…but confidence in what? In my belief or in God’s grace revealed in Jesus?

  7. I did actually mean to reply before Sunday, but I played halo 3 all week instead. Sorry about that. 😉

    Anyway, around 9th-10th grade was when I started to think critically about my whole childhood religious upbringing. Up until that point, it was mostly “believe this, the Bible says so”

    What I would’ve told them was this: Think critically about what you’re being taught: Strengthen your faith by questioning it. Talk to your pastor, youth leader, parents, friends at church or whatever and ask lots of “Why” questions. Talk to friends or other leaders from other religions. Go to all sorts of different services: quaker, revival, unitarian, catholic, whatever.

    Find something that _really_ feels right. Just because your parents go to a certain church doesn’t mean it’s the right one.

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