A Way of Life
This may surprise a few of you, coming from ME. I wrote it out of my reaction to one of those repetitious emails that come daily, from well meaning friends, and require you to send it on to at least X number of people and it usually begins with "Don’t read this if you don’t have time for God!" .. something on that order. Bear with me, please .. I simply HAD to get this out of my system!
I believe in God. I believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that He DID rise from His tomb three days after a human death over took His human form. I believe He was the fulfillment of the prophesies, written by the ancients, after God’s own heart. These same prophetic writings, forecast the great leaders and the great events that followed in history and those that were/are chronicled in the Bible are being borne out as truth by new discoveries of ages passed, more and more.
I don’t believe that when the Bible refers to God, as the bridegroom and His Church as the bride, that His Church has a set denomination, such as Catholic, although instructions to Moses, written in the Word, to establish His Church among the people of Israel, does paint a beginning, laden in precious metals and fine cloth, an elevated behavior ruled by respect and reverence to God, with specific materials and measurements as exact as the construction of the Great Ark, in fine detail.
Upon Peter, Jesus built His Church. Upon Peter, His Rock. HE must have known that MAN, in his diversity, would chip a chunk from that rock to glorify God and exult the name and teachings of His Only Son, Jesus Christ. HE must have known, because men live by different rules in different lands and Christianity was a Way of Life, not a religion. Not a religion in the sense that man, in his lack of Divine Wisdom, would be able to comprehend. Man made it a Religion.
I don’t believe our Father in heaven, would confine His love to one people, in one land, beyond using them as the first stone, in a long path of stones, chipped in chucks from that first ‘rock’ .. that would lead ALL of us to Him in heaven. You may argue otherwise and therefore, I ask you. If you were to undertake a long journey, with a destination known to you, but had no map to guide you, beyond the firmness of the earth that you pressed your next step on to and had the promise from your Host on the other end of your trip, that where the ground is firm, you will eventually arrive safe and sound .. Which step would you consider MOST precious and meaningful? The first .. the last .. or each step you took? I would suggest that your FIRST step would be the most meaningful and each step on a firm spot would be precious for it would trumpet that you were on the right path and one step closer to the house of your Host, at the other end.
So, it was in the beginnings of our faith .. the formal beginnings. The Jesus years and the history of our faith brought forward from that time. We have as Christians, accepted the Word, as our road map. The GOOD book, translated and carried with us through the ages .. The Word of God. It was NOT a book for one race or one religious dogma. It took centuries to write. Parts of other great religious books are in it and when it was compiled, this was done ‘in counsel’ , ‘by council’ with a final Seal of Approval from a religious convert, who was a Caesar. Not a holy man, but one who was thought ‘upright’. Many books of merit, no less inspired by God (Jesus), were not included. For whatever reasons, they were rejected. This fact DOES NOT dilute the gravity of the books chosen. It does for me, though .. question the strength or weaknesses of the books discarded. Why were they left out? What were they and why were they NOT fit to be included? Was it for religious reasons or political reasons? Were books deemed unworthy, because they were written by persons held in low esteem, in spite of those persons (perhaps) being disciples that walked in Jesus’ own footsteps? (The Book of Judas) Perhaps, like Moses .. they were people who were not articulate or people who held a political view that was unsavory or were ritualistic in ways not understood.
From the beginning .. Adam and Eve .. Mankind was given Free Will. The decision to ignore the wishes of God was the clearest example of mankind exercising his right of Free Will. For this, mankind was given its consequence. Until Jesus, the Son of God, the Way and the Light .. mankind has sought whatever means it could think of, to explain the heavens and the earth and every detail of life in its pursuit of regaining the trust of our Creator, that was lost in Eden. We made Gods of every facet of our existence and now, make Gods of our lifestyle and behavior. Gods of THINGS.
Until Jesus, we had no other methods of redemption that we could rely on. Many are still skeptics and refuse, even now .. to consider that Jesus made a difference. When, if you look at the history of the Christian faith .. the growth out of one group into the hearts and minds of many different people in different places .. the influences that have enhanced the Message, without destroying or distorting it, you have to recognize that this is a message that has depth and meaning. It’s a Way of Life. It is based on Love and expressing that love through discipline to ONE God.
I find it too complex to believe that a human man with only a handful of human men and women have been able to circumnavigate the earth with such a simple message and not believe it was divinely wrought. The faith in it, changes lives. It has given birth to far more, than it has TAKEN lives, because many have died for it. Many more have lived for it. To know that you are loved so profoundly, so unconditionally that there’s nothing you can’t be forgiven for, beyond blasphemy of the Holy Spirit .. the denial of your own soul and being, the presence of God in you, is unbelievable!
Jesus existed. The writings of the time mention him. Writers who chronicled the times, not Christians or magicians, but learned men who kept the eliteabreast of the events of the day .. mention the man named Jesus, who is a worker of miracles and a great Rabbi, among His people, gathering large numbers of them to Him to hear Him teach. They made no judgments, only reported the news. John the Baptist existed. A human man, also mentioned as a crazed prophet, who dwelled in the desert and submerged people in water to make them ready for a ‘deliverer’ that was at hand. The nature of the times was one that courted change and there WERE some ‘magicians’ that blurred the miracles of our Lord, by also healing and doing marvelous works. But, there’s no record of His miracles not working and not making permanent change for blindness or other recorded works. This man was different. So, ironclad .. he was feared, as well as revered.
‘Upon you, Peter .. I will build My Church’. HE was saying that the foundation of His teachings will be laid upon Peter’s head in THAT day and times and it came to pass. Peter WAS the first Pope of the Christian faith. However, men are not perfect, regardless of how close they stand to perfection. Jesus was perfection. As the movement took hold, took form .. it lived a devout, but tormented life. In time, it BECAME a religion. But, it has never been more than a Way of Life. I think that’s all Jesus and His Father in Heaven only wanted was for each of us to love one another, as we love ourselves. It’s the key to living the Ten Commandments. Until Jesus shed His blood for our forgiveness, we had no way to forgive ourselves. It took a wonderous, unbelievable miracle to cement the teachings of a remarkable man of His times, in the minds of His diverse following. How could a small band of men and women, who at times argued among themselves on mundane issues of foot washing and purpose, remove a rock that took many barrel chested soldiers to roll into place, to empty that tomb (undetected) of their Rabbi and friend, while it was guarded by loyal troops of the Caesar in Rome? What would they do with the body of such a notable? How could they do this and why? Who had the brilliance to set into motion a plan so devious and not have some part of it fall apart? How could ANY man be able to appear to His followers within a week and have scars on His hands and feet .. on His side, after enduring the pain and the torture of a scourging .. of being crucified and not be bent and broken .. and bloodied? At some point, a live, conniving Jesus would die, if this is what really happened. Do you think the purpose of His life was to teach and preach for three productive years and then fade away in isolation, knowing that people remembered His words and died for His beliefs? What greatness is that? What reward for His trouble? How did/would He prosper?
The fact remains that He existed and He was crucified. I believe He rose from the dead. I don’t believe He spent three years, or even one moment, perpetuating a hoax.
I believe He was of God, sent as His Son to save His creations from themselves and give them a Way to Live together. There’s no evidence to suggest otherwise and no reasonable explanation for such an insanity of betrayal giving anyone a profitable reason for spending their lives teaching His beliefs. None of the Disciples led carefree lives after their Rabbi ascended. Most were also crucified. All remained Christians to the end.
If you believe this is a bedtime story, a fabrication for your imagination, challenge yourself to read from the Bible or better yet, try prayer for a week. Ask to be shown. Prayer isn’t really a hard thing to do. It may be as simple as saying ‘Thank God’. If you can think aloud and talk about WHATEVER you want to .. "God, I feel like I’m talking to myself. I don’t believe in you, but I’m told I need only to ask to be shown and you will show me. Can you show me, will you? In Jesus Name, Amen" I assure you, He will. Whether you acknowledge Him in you or not, He IS there. In whatever you’ve done to feel unworthy, He was there when you DID it and you’ll never outrun His love for you.
I know, I lost my point of ‘sending to X many’, etc. This paragraph is an edit to my original written work above. I didn’t mention that God made us breathing sexual beings. Granted, we court that side of ourselves too generously, but in each era from the start of things, I’m certain that our species has ebbed and flowed on relationship vs. society. I consider this ability to fantasize and dream, bite hard on another person and hear them writhe, a blessing .. being able to express my thoughts about it and give another a blushing bliss .. a gift. I know when I go too far and I know what drives me crazy. I think I’ll go bite something hard and drive it crazy! This IS ‘Hump Day’, you know!
Bless you all and have a wonderful Wednesday!