Virgina Tech and Life in the Way of Jesus

Over the past few weeks when we have got together as a group we have been talking about creating a different kind of community in which we engage our neighbors and our communities differently than perhaps the traditional, and perhaps even market-driven, church has. However, I have noticed rather than talking positively about what doing life in the way of Jesus reframes us in engaging life differently we have more or less focused on what has been unhelpful in the "church' contexts we have come out of.

So last Saturday we began refocusing on how do we engage life with integrity by focusing not so much on what bugs us, but what life in the way of Jesus calls us to.

As I reflect on the tragedy at Virginia Tech last week in light of this, I wonder not so much where God was in this context, because though God is actively present, we were never created to be "robots" who have no will or responsibility of our own. We live in a messed up world largely because we mess it up and we take, rather than give to one another. But I wonder where we see God; where is God visible in this time of grieving, this time for which healing is needed?

One thing I notice is that the campus wants to grieve together. Though students have been given the option to go home, even remain at home -- taking whatever grade they have to this point as their final grade, most students expressed that the place where they want to grieve, the place they want to process this pain is on campus. Virginia Tech is very vulnerable in this time -- not in relation to security because they are evaluating this, but in terms of people open, being human, being real with one another. I see this as a time for listening to one another, for crying with one another, for holding one another -- perhaps being with other students and faculty in a way they never have before.

Where is God in this? I believe in the midst of this. God is very present on campus. Mourning, such as is going on at Virginia Tech, can lead to healing if it is mourning in hope, rather than despair. Though many may despair, those who begin to see God being present with them in this situation can begin to mourn in hope -- hope for healing, hope in the midst of pain, hope that enables students and faculty to wake up tomorrow and live into a new day. And for those who seek to live life in the way of Jesus -- they are the ones who in seeing the emotional vulnerability of the campus do not make it into an opportunity to make converts, but rather are ones who make themselves available to God's Spirit to be persons who make visible the love, the compassion, and presence of God in the midst of mourning. Jesus said, when he was talking about the new reality of living life under the rule of God, "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew's Gospel). Those living in the way of Jesus make themselves available to friends, neighbors, even strangers, to walk alongside them in order to help others to receive the comfort that God offers in difficult and tragic circumstances.

Let's talk more about this on Saturday -- how do we as people seeking to live life in the way of Jesus notice those around us who are grieving/mourning and how do we become persons who bring comfort to those who mourn?

Roland

Jesus Connected with People

Jesus connected with people because he took the time to be with people, to engage them, to see them, to listen to them, to touch them. I have come to realize this simple reality about Jesus that set him apart from so many of us because too many of us, including myself, seek to engage people in ways which promotes our own agenda. When we are about placing ourselves at the center, rather than seeing the other, we miss the point of God coming as a human being in Jesus of Nazareth to be among us and with us. Jesus' desire for humanity was for us to be human in ways we have never imagined -- and in his being human amongst us and with us he showed us how to be human in ways we never could. It is in identifying with him that we become truly human with one another.

We see Jesus connecting with people throughout the early writings of his followers (the Gospels). When people were brought to him who were sick, he spoke to them, touched them and healed them. When he saw people trying to get a glimpse of him, in a crowd, or up in a tree, he stopped and conversed with them and even took the time to eat with them. He saw people feeling trapped in their daily routines and he invited them to come and follow him. He saw people, he engaged people, he listened, he healed, he forgave, he set them free, he enabled others to be human in ways they had never been.

When I think of how Jesus connected with people, and the way I more times than not do not connect with others the way he did, I am reminded of the quotation by Mohandas K. Gandhi -- "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." I want to be like Jesus! I want my life to make his way of being human visible in this world.

I realize that I still am making life about me, rather than about being here for others in the way of Jesus. If Jesus offered us the fullness of life by being a servant among us, why then do we keep on trying to make life about ourselves, our success, our notoriety?

I am discovering more and more each day as I come into serendipitous encounters with people that the only way for me to live is to live in such a way that enables others to live in ways that enables them to live humanly.

In Matthew's account, Jesus expresses to those who are tired and weary with the struggles of life, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I am finding that rest as I discover a rhythm of life that is identified with Jesus.

So it seems that when Jesus said, "Repent for the kingdom of God is here," he was not calling for people to take on another set of religious beliefs, but to begin to be human in relationship with God -- the only way for us to be truly human with one another.

Roland

Continuing the Conversation

sacred space has now been gathering regularly on Saturday morning since mid-February. We have enjoyed the venue at Cafe Barista and the conversation has involved a few regulars as well as others from week to week. At times we are asked if we are a church group, to which we reply that we are not, but that we are a conversation exploring together life in the way of Jesus.

What this has meant over the weeks is that we have engaged what it means to be human in such a way that it makes God's presence visible in the world. We have talked that for us to be human in this way necessarily leads us to identify not only with the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth, but indeed with Jesus -- for he is God who has become one of us, God who has become a human being making visible the presence of God in the world. So in being human beings identified with Jesus of Nazareth, we make God visible in the world by the way we treat customers and employees if we are business people, the way we treat our spouses and children if we are married, the way we treat our neighbors, the way we treat strangers.

Making God visible in the world as human beings who identify with Jesus, calls us to view others in ways that God views them -- not to reject people, but for us to be open to accept whomever God brings into our lives. This is not always easy, but then it is not about what makes us comfortable, it is about making space and making God visible in our community.

So as a group gathering on Saturday mornings, and those who join us in conversation, we are discovering what it means in real ways what it means to do life in the way of Jesus. We are discovering that we are becoming more than a conversation group, but a community of persons who want to help each other be the kind of people who make God visible in the world.

If you have thought about being a part of the conversation of sacred space I invite you to join us on Saturday mornings at Cafe Barista in Lake Villa, IL from 9 - 11 am and engage in a conversational journey that is stretching us.

Roland

Who is Jesus?

Since sacred space is a conversation exploring life in the way of Jesus, it might be a good question to ask, "who do we think Jesus is?" or perhaps, "what are our thoughts about Jesus?"

This was a question Jesus asked those who hung out with him as well. As he spent time with blue collar types and people on the edge of society, he asked the twelve who were closest to him, "Who do people say that I am?" I think this question caught them off guard a bit and after they had a moment to think about it they began repeating to him what others were saying about him. As one of Jesus' followers, Matthew -- who happened to be an ex-tax collector, remarked that some said he was the prophet John the Baptist (who was in reality Jesus' cousin who told the people about Jesus' coming -- some people must have figured he wasn't executed after all); some said he was one of the prophets who had wandered the earth hundreds of years before, but somehow appeared again (maybe like a ghost).

But then Jesus asked them, like he still asks each one of us, "Who do you say I am?" That is a question we all have to figure out. For Peter, one of Jesus' followers, he said, "You are the One who has come to liberate humanity, the Son of the living God."

What this means and what implications this has for our exploring together life in the way of Jesus is something we can talk about this coming Saturday, March 17th.

See you there.
Roland

God-Moments in Our Lives

I was watching the film Alfie on DVD. Its about a guy who enjoys being single and has a lot of one-night stands. However, in the midst of his hedonistic lifestyle, he begins to encounter issues that bring his life to a standstill, or at least a very uneasy forward movement. While he is in the midst of this time, he experiences what I call a "God-moment."

We all have them if we have ears and eyes to notice them. God is indeed moving through each of our lives, trying to get across to us that God loves us and desires for us to be in relationship with God. Usually when life is going our way, when we are in control, we are too focused on ourselves to notice others, let alone God speaking to us. But when we experience some kind of pain -- emotional or physical, some kind of news that knocks us to the ground, we are vulnerable, our insides are open -- and these times are God-moments in our lives. These are times when we cry out, we long for a different direction, we long for hope -- and if we open up our ears and eyes we will discover that God is next to us reaching out to us, to walk with us, to touch us and bring healing and hope to us. But most of us remain somewhat blind and deaf and don't take the opportunity to see God in these God-moments. We figure out a way to get out of the situation we are in and find a way to go on -- when the life God gave to us was meant to be more than a mere "going on."

I don't know if Alfie was ever open to the God-moments in his life, though he came close -- but one thing he did realize (at the end of the movie): though he was single, unattached, had freedom to do whatever he wanted to do, he did not have peace of mind -- and as he stated, "Without peace of mind, you've got nothing."

I want to try and be open to God in the God-moments that make themselves visible in my life, and perhaps somehow discover God in ways I never experienced before.

Roland

Sharing Our Stories

We all have a story. It is the story of our life -- where we started, where we have been, what we've encountered, what dreams we have, what disappointments we've experienced, what hopes we have. sacred space is a place to share our stories with one another.

For this coming Saturday, February 24, we will take time to share our stories -- and then ask the following question as well -- "Where have we or do we see God in our stories?"

I think this is an important question. Especially, as last week's blogpost asks -- if God was one of us in the person of Jesus of Nazareth -- then how do we experience/encounter God today if not through our lives, our stories in which God reaches out to us. If God indeed does encounter us, then there have to be clues in our lives, in our stories that help us see God. -- so "where do we see God in our stories?"

Looking forward to connecting with those who come to engage in this time of sacred space together. See you Saturday.

What If God Was One of Us?

sacred space begins this coming Saturday, February 17th. We will be meeting at Cafe Barista (in the strip mall on the corner of Route 83 and Morton Drive in Lake Villa, IL) from 9 - 11 am.

We will be meeting regularly every Saturday morning (unless another time will work better for the group that gathers) from 9 - 11 to engage one another as we explore together life in the way of Jesus. You can come when you wish and stay as long as you'd like.

Every week there will be something presented to focus and guide our conversation with one another. For Feb. 17th, we will use Joan Osbourne's song, If God Was One of Us to guide our focus. If you are there, besides talking with one another, you can post further ideas on this blog. If you can't make it, but would like to be a part of the conversation, you can share your ideas here as well. The focus is on exploring together life in the way of Jesus.

For February 17

This first session explores Jesus as God among us -- for that is the claim of the earliest writers who wrote about Jesus -- that Jesus from Nazareth is God as a human being. This is more than Greek mythology, rather these writers make the historical declaration that Jesus from Nazareth is God in human flesh -- God actually being one of us.

Here is the flyer that will be available to guide our conversation:

If God Was One of Us
Joan Osbourne

If God had a name, what would it be

And would you call it to his face

If you were faced with him in all his glory

What would you ask if you had just one question
And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good

yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us

Just a slob like one of us

Just a stranger on the bus

Trying to make his way home

If God had a face what would it look like

And would you want to see

If seeing meant that you would have to believe

In things like heaven and in jesus and the saints and all the prophets
And yeah yeah god is great yeah yeah god is good

yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if God was one of us

Just a slob like one of us

Just a stranger on the bus

Trying to make his way home

He's trying to make his way home

Back up to heaven all alone

Nobody calling on the phone

Except for the pope maybe in rome
And yeah yeah God is great yeah yeah God is good

yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah

What if god was one of us

Just a slob like one of us

Just a stranger on the bus

Trying to make his way home

Just trying to make his way home

Like a holy rolling stone

Back up to heaven all alone

Just trying to make his way home

Nobody calling on the phone

Except for the pope maybe in rome

Conversation

What is Joan Osbourne trying to say with this song?

What is she saying about God?

What do you think of her thoughts on God?

A Thought

Christmas celebrations were a little over a month ago and the claim of Christmas is that God did become one of us. God did not just take on human form, like a mask or a costume, but God actually became a human being and lived among us. This God who lived among us is identified as Jesus from Nazareth.

What kind of human being was God? Was he very much like you and me – the same passions and needs? Yet, he lived in a way that did not manipulate people to get what he needed. His life was about connecting with us and helping us see what life could be. And so as Jesus got up in the morning, washed up, ate breakfast, worked, hung out with his friends, talked and helped people in his neighborhood, he also lived out the way life was meant to be lived. He invites us to discover his kind of life by walking with him.

Further Conversation

What would be different if God was really one of us?
Where do we see Jesus today?
What would it be like if Jesus lived next door?
What would Jesus touch in our lives if we spent time with him?
What would it take to live life the way Jesus did?

Introducing Sacred Space

As human beings, I believe we are created in God's image -- and by that I mean we are created to be in community with God. Being in God's image means that God gazes upon us and desires for us to experience the fullness of life which is only to be found as we enter into communion with God. If we have ears to hear and eyes to see what God is saying and doing in the world, we begin to see that God's sacred presence and actions are all around us. God invites us into this sacred space and extends an invitation to us to enter into all that God is doing, all that God is creating and recreating, all that God is saving and restoring, all that God is making whole.

Living in this sacred space transforms our living in this world and our living with others in community in this sacred space acts as sign and demonstration of what human life and relationships can be like when they are lived in community with God.

I believe God has revealed to us what this life encompasses. God entered into our humanity and revealed to us the fullness of life in community with God through the person of Jesus the Christ. At Christmas we celebrate God entering into our human world as a human being, but God in Jesus remained more than a babe in an impoverished setting -- Jesus revealed to us the way to live in community with God in the midst of the daily struggles of life -- but more than that -- as we identify with him, as we participate in community with him, we are given the privilege of entering into communion with God.

This blog is meant for communal engagement in sacred space -- as we creatively explore and encounter together what it is to live life in the way of Jesus -- because as we engage life in the way of Jesus, we begin to discover the fullness of life in communion with God. I share this journey with you and extend an invitation for us to journey together.