Back in 2009 I had a post that explored the idea that while Jesus learned the trade of carpentry, he did not use many carpentry metaphors when talking about the kingdom of God.  

After further reflection on this idea more thoughts have been stewing in my brain.  

Not only did Jesus not use much carpentry language he also did not use much fishing language to talk about the kingdom of God.  It is interesting to me that Jesus did not use much insider language with his parables.  

Jesus used a lot of farming metaphors, wedding metaphors and even the occasional sheep metaphor.  These are the images that the followers of Jesus, the crowd that surrounded Jesus, could understand because it was their world - their images.  

I can understand how the disciples never seemed to "get it" even though they were with Jesus all the time.  

He was using language that was rooted in the life experience of the non-believer and the crowd.  He did not spend much time trying to appease or create insider language with just himself and the twelve.  

Is this not a way to consider the mission of the church?  

Too often we gather on Sunday morning expecting the same things that we who attend, understand and "get". We use insider language and even are fearful to change things because we might "upset" the most faithful members.  So we continue to do what we do in order that those who are in the church can be comforted and those who are not in the church can continue to feel like church is, at best, weird.  

What would it look like to take a model that we might find in the way of Jesus?  What if we created a church that was so concerned about connecting with those outside the church that those in the church would even be willing to "not get it" like the twelve disciples.  

Do you get or understand Jesus, or are you like the disciples and continually scratch your head wondering what the heck this Jesus guy is teaching and saying?  

Blindness

Sarah Boyette is a church member who has gotten into blogging.  She really should write a book, but that is something she is considering and a dream of hers.


Each Tuesday Sarah is in the disciple of posting a top ten list of things she is thankful for -Thankful Tuesdays if you will.


Each week is great but this one was very interesting.  Particularly the opening paragraph which reads:


"It's Tuesday again, which means it's time to list what I'm thankful for.  What's great about doing this every week is that I start to be more concious of gratitude during the week.  I'll be in the midst of doing something and think, "Man, I have got to put this on my list!""


What is profound about this statement is that the disciple of writing each Tuesday has had an impact on the way she "sees" the world.  Each week she is on the look out or is able to see more easily the things she is thankful for.  Each week, because she is immersed in the discipline, allows her eyes to see things she otherwise would miss. 


This is an excellent example of being a follower of Christ and an example of hoe disciplines are critical to our spiritual growth.  


When we follow Christ we being to see the world differently.  However, that initial high of following Jesus fads over time without disciplines to keep us up to the pace of Christ.  This is why we pray each day, read Scripture, worship, fast, meditate, participate in social justice, feed the hungry, etc.  We do these things not only to make the world like the Kingdom of God but also to transform the way we see things.  


When we see are immersed in the spiritual disciplines our vision is affected.  We see things that connect to Jesus all the time.  We become much more comfortable in talking about our faith with others.  We become more at ease with discussing Christ and the message of Christ in social settings. 


When we are involved in these disciplines our vision is affected.  


Is it any wonder that Jesus heals many blind people in the Bible?   Jesus teaches us to see differently.  


So the invitation to non or nominally Christians is to have your vision affected and begin to see like Jesus.  If you like the way Jesus sees, if you are interested in Jesus but not the Church, if you think Jesus had some great ideas, then I extend an invitation to you to practice the disciplines Jesus practiced.  


And see how your vision is changed.  

Selling my stock in beliefs

I find there is great wisdom in this teaching - speak as though you are correct, but listen as though you are wrong.  Too bad few people are really any good at it.


There was a time in my life where I really cared about beliefs.  I mean to the point where I would argue until I was blue in the face and even go around looking for arguments to get into over beliefs.

After about 10 years of defending my positions and arguing, I am coming more and more to the position that beliefs, while important, are not as important as I once thought.

Beliefs seem to be intertwined with our emotions.  I believe some things to be true and it is very difficult for me to be "proven" otherwise.  When someone starts attacking what I believe in, I feel an instant combination of emotion and fear brought together by a sense that I have to "prove" myself.  I have to prove, say the existence of a consciousness outside the individual human being (God), to someone who does not.  If I am unable to do so or unable to convince the other person, then I feel like an idiot or a failure.  Which allows me resort to outshout or demonize or patronize the other person who believes something else.  It is all very ugly and it always ends up with me feeling more entrenched with my own views than more open to the reality that I may be incorrect.

There are studies that even argue that when we are misinformed about something and then faced with facts, we rarely change our minds.

I would argue that we are unwilling to modify our beliefs about facts because beliefs are tied to emotions and emotions are unable to understand logical arguments.  Try talking logic to a child who is throwing a fit, it will not work.  Ever.

Just because you believe you are tolerant does not mean you value it.  Values shape behavior.

Same for adults.

This is why I am placing less emphasis on what you believe and more emphasis on values which are revealed in lifestyle choices.  We can believe things without actually acting on them.  For instance, I can believe that the earth revolves around the moon and not have to change a single thing about how I live my life.  However I cannot hide my values for very long at all.  (see cartoon to the right)

I value my wife and son, so I am with them as much as I can be.  I value the my job so I show up for work.  I value living more simply so I do not eat much meat and have simple furnishings in my home.  My values shape my behavior, my beliefs give me something to argue about.

Frankly I do not really care much about what others believe about who is going to heaven or who is going to hell or even if there is a heaven or a hell.  Those are beliefs in my book.  I am not going to loose a relationship over different beliefs.  Each time Jesus attempted to sway the beliefs of the disciples, they never got it.  So Jesus stopped trying to sway beliefs and attempted to sway values.

This is, in part, what I believe the Christian message has to offer the world.  Not a systematic set of beliefs which we can debate back and forth.  No, the message of Jesus offers us a set of values, in which we die to our own values and take on the values of Christ.

Service.
Self-sacrifice.
Love.
Forgiveness.
Grace.

Contrary to many of my fellow Christians, these are not beliefs.  These are values.  We do not believe in service, we do service.  We do not believe in self sacrifice, we live it.  We do not believe love, we show it. If we just believe in the concepts of forgiveness and grace but never share them, then we are just clashing cymbals making a lot of noise.

Who cares if you do not believe Jesus was God?

Do you value what this Jesus values?

If so, then regard less of what you might believe, you are a follower of The Way.