Have you ever stopped to think that there must be more to Jesus Christ than what people are telling you, that maybe there is more going on in scripture than your preacher and Sunday school teacher are letting you in on?
I think about this a lot. There must be more to this whole religion thing than what most of us young southerners have been conditioned to believe. There must be something of more substance and relevance than simple tales of how to be morally righteous and formulaic expressions of how to solve life’s problems. I hesitate to say it, but more often than not I can take only about five minutes of that stuff before I head off to la-la land or start thumbing through scripture desperately praying that there is something more to be found.
Christianity has been around for a very long time and I just can’t believe that what little depth I too often find in “church” is what has sustained this faith for so long. And the more and more I look into what Jesus was all about, the more I actually read the Bible, the more I am amazed at how intriguing it all is. Did you know that, in 1 Samuel, God actually commands a demon to possess Saul? God ordered demon possession! Or, that in one of the Psalms, the author talks about rejoicing over having bashed babies heads against rocks? I bet you haven’t heard that in Sunday School!
Sometimes I think churches are so boring these days because the people in them don’t actually read the Bible (this is an exaggeration), and if they do, they read it out of context. To me it seems like people have this indoctrinated idea of what they think the Bible should say, because of their up-bringing and religious traditions, and they try and connect parts of the Bible to fit their preconceived notions of what it should say. I know I'm guilty of this. The problem with reading the Bible like that is that it leaves out all the good stuff.
I like it when, in the Old Testament, God orders people to kill children, or when He commands demons into people. I like it because I don’t understand it. It doesn’t line up with how God is suppose to act. That is my problem with Sunday School Christianity. God fits to perfectly into the mold we’ve created for Him. Its like we’ve got Him all figured out. But I think it is a bit presumptuous to tell God how He must behave, how He must follow the doctrines and theologies we’ve set up for Him.
Truth be told, I like the mystery. I don’t like being comfortable with what I believe about God because then I get apathetic. This doesn’t mean I don’t find security in my faith, quite the opposite. There are so many questions to ask, and each time one is answered, it raises up ten more. The roots of faith grow deep when mystery is explored.
Paul, in Colossians 2:2 (The Message) says, “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery.” (emphasis mine). No wonder so many Christians are without peace, they refuse to embrace the mystery of Jesus! They’d rather have Him mapped out and analyzed to perfection.
When we do that to Christ, box Him up in theologies and wrap Him in formulas with a nice little bow on top, we suffocate something essential to our faith, mystery. And it is this very mystery that Paul tells us we should proclaim to the world (see Colossians 4:3)!
For some reason we have been led to believe that mystery and truth are diametrically opposed to one another, that they present a paradox when partnered together. But the truth is that they coexist in a harmony that tells of the Glory of God. I’d even go a step further and say that the one couldn’t exist without the other, that they are codependent.
Its beautiful really, a beautiful mystery. I find freedom in not having answers, in not having to have answers. I feel like God explains to me just enough of what I need to know to do what it is He would have me to do, be who He would have me to be. This doesn’t mean I don’t explore the mysteries of faith. I think that is what Christianity is all about! I think Rob Bell said it best in his book, Velvet Elvis, "Christianity is about embracing the mystery, not dispelling it." This is a part of drawing closer to God.
Mystery has become the defining component of my relationship with God. I’ve stopped trying to figure Him out, and instead I’ve let Him figure me out. He starts to show you who you are when you stop telling Him who He is. I mean, He already knows both me and Him better than I even know me. I think this is where the rest and peace Paul talks about comes from. The burden of figuring it all out is gone. God’s carrying it for me now. It’s better that way too. He doesn’t drop it as much. It’s much less messy. You should give it a try.
I think about this a lot. There must be more to this whole religion thing than what most of us young southerners have been conditioned to believe. There must be something of more substance and relevance than simple tales of how to be morally righteous and formulaic expressions of how to solve life’s problems. I hesitate to say it, but more often than not I can take only about five minutes of that stuff before I head off to la-la land or start thumbing through scripture desperately praying that there is something more to be found.
Christianity has been around for a very long time and I just can’t believe that what little depth I too often find in “church” is what has sustained this faith for so long. And the more and more I look into what Jesus was all about, the more I actually read the Bible, the more I am amazed at how intriguing it all is. Did you know that, in 1 Samuel, God actually commands a demon to possess Saul? God ordered demon possession! Or, that in one of the Psalms, the author talks about rejoicing over having bashed babies heads against rocks? I bet you haven’t heard that in Sunday School!
Sometimes I think churches are so boring these days because the people in them don’t actually read the Bible (this is an exaggeration), and if they do, they read it out of context. To me it seems like people have this indoctrinated idea of what they think the Bible should say, because of their up-bringing and religious traditions, and they try and connect parts of the Bible to fit their preconceived notions of what it should say. I know I'm guilty of this. The problem with reading the Bible like that is that it leaves out all the good stuff.
I like it when, in the Old Testament, God orders people to kill children, or when He commands demons into people. I like it because I don’t understand it. It doesn’t line up with how God is suppose to act. That is my problem with Sunday School Christianity. God fits to perfectly into the mold we’ve created for Him. Its like we’ve got Him all figured out. But I think it is a bit presumptuous to tell God how He must behave, how He must follow the doctrines and theologies we’ve set up for Him.
Truth be told, I like the mystery. I don’t like being comfortable with what I believe about God because then I get apathetic. This doesn’t mean I don’t find security in my faith, quite the opposite. There are so many questions to ask, and each time one is answered, it raises up ten more. The roots of faith grow deep when mystery is explored.Paul, in Colossians 2:2 (The Message) says, “I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God’s great mystery.” (emphasis mine). No wonder so many Christians are without peace, they refuse to embrace the mystery of Jesus! They’d rather have Him mapped out and analyzed to perfection.
When we do that to Christ, box Him up in theologies and wrap Him in formulas with a nice little bow on top, we suffocate something essential to our faith, mystery. And it is this very mystery that Paul tells us we should proclaim to the world (see Colossians 4:3)!
For some reason we have been led to believe that mystery and truth are diametrically opposed to one another, that they present a paradox when partnered together. But the truth is that they coexist in a harmony that tells of the Glory of God. I’d even go a step further and say that the one couldn’t exist without the other, that they are codependent.
Its beautiful really, a beautiful mystery. I find freedom in not having answers, in not having to have answers. I feel like God explains to me just enough of what I need to know to do what it is He would have me to do, be who He would have me to be. This doesn’t mean I don’t explore the mysteries of faith. I think that is what Christianity is all about! I think Rob Bell said it best in his book, Velvet Elvis, "Christianity is about embracing the mystery, not dispelling it." This is a part of drawing closer to God.
Mystery has become the defining component of my relationship with God. I’ve stopped trying to figure Him out, and instead I’ve let Him figure me out. He starts to show you who you are when you stop telling Him who He is. I mean, He already knows both me and Him better than I even know me. I think this is where the rest and peace Paul talks about comes from. The burden of figuring it all out is gone. God’s carrying it for me now. It’s better that way too. He doesn’t drop it as much. It’s much less messy. You should give it a try.
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