
At a camp I worked at they had appropriated the traditional Hindu greeting, "Namaste" (Nah-mah-stay). Which roughly translated means, "I greet the divine in you." It was a nice way to remind one another that we believe God's Holy Spirit dwells within one another. As Lutherans we believe that God promises the presence of His Holy Spirit in our baptism as an unearned gift. Similarly, when we participate in Holy Communion, when we consume the bread and the wine, we believe we are taking in the body and blood of Jesus through, with, and under those earthly elements. So we can say Jesus lives in us and we in Him. I believe that since we believe in the Trinity there is no harm in using either phrase interchangeably, but I am sure someone can point out a heresy in that. The point is, we as Christians, believe that God has oddly enough chosen to reside also within us. The mere fleshy bags of meat and bone and organs that we are. So we expect to see Him in ourselves, and in other Christians. This is an understanding that the whole world actually pretty consistently adheres to, and therefore holds accountable to as well. That is why it is so offensive even to non-Christians when Christians behave in ways that are not at all like Christ. Ironically it is insulting to even non-Christians for someone to foist blatant sinfulness upon Jesus, which we all do every time any one of us sins. We know that Jesus is big enough to take it, and loves us enough to not shut us out of living the better life he desires for us. So this life we live in the divine, and with the divine, is what drives us and defines us as Christians. So it is perfectly appropriate for us greet, seek, and lift up the divine we see in one another.
It's just that Jesus is never one for sticking to boundaries. He is His Father's Son after all. Keep God in an Ark, that won't do, keep him in a temple, that won't do either... Jesus waltzed through the lines in the sand between Jews and Samaritans, Israelites and Romans, Hebrews and Tax Collectors, Woman and Man. He defended adulterers, healed slaves and children of the enemy/occupying force/Romans, and fed people without checking their ID. All people were valued and honored on no more merit than they simply existed. It makes sense, if God created everything, everything is of God, and God loves it all.
So recently, I have seen Christ in some non-Christians. They would probably balk at my saying that, and they are welcome to do so, it doesn't make it less true for me. There is an atheist man in Colorado who has been guarding a local AME Church, so people can worship in peace. It is noble for him to give his time to do so, he may see it as a patriotic duty or simply a duty to his fellow man, and it is. I see it as greater still, because let's be honest, he is willing to put his life on the line, to put his body in front of bullets or bombs for others. John 15:13 reads, "No one has greater love than this, to lay one's life down for one's friends." We say God is love, love is what this man is doing, so I see God in him, even if does not.
During the Baltimore riots citizens lined up to protect the police. Admittedly some of these people probably are actually Christians, but some are not. Once again these people are willing to put themselves in harms way, for the sake of other people they probably did not know. I see Jesus in their willingness to protect those who some would view as an occupying force in these circumstances.
After the shooting in Charleston, several black churches were burned down. A coalition of young Muslims raised over $100,000 dollars to help rebuild the churches. They would certainly site other inspiration for their action, even the simple statement that "All houses of worship are sanctuaries..." is a noble enough reason. Yet I see Christ in their willingness to give of their own money to make better lives for people who believe in something different than they do themselves.
So for myself and my fellow Christians, I ask this, "How am I showing others Christ in who I am and what I do?" For my fellow non-Christians, thank you for continually holding us accountable to and reminding us that we are called to live like the Jesus Christ that we say we live in and lives in us.
It's just that Jesus is never one for sticking to boundaries. He is His Father's Son after all. Keep God in an Ark, that won't do, keep him in a temple, that won't do either... Jesus waltzed through the lines in the sand between Jews and Samaritans, Israelites and Romans, Hebrews and Tax Collectors, Woman and Man. He defended adulterers, healed slaves and children of the enemy/occupying force/Romans, and fed people without checking their ID. All people were valued and honored on no more merit than they simply existed. It makes sense, if God created everything, everything is of God, and God loves it all.
So recently, I have seen Christ in some non-Christians. They would probably balk at my saying that, and they are welcome to do so, it doesn't make it less true for me. There is an atheist man in Colorado who has been guarding a local AME Church, so people can worship in peace. It is noble for him to give his time to do so, he may see it as a patriotic duty or simply a duty to his fellow man, and it is. I see it as greater still, because let's be honest, he is willing to put his life on the line, to put his body in front of bullets or bombs for others. John 15:13 reads, "No one has greater love than this, to lay one's life down for one's friends." We say God is love, love is what this man is doing, so I see God in him, even if does not.
During the Baltimore riots citizens lined up to protect the police. Admittedly some of these people probably are actually Christians, but some are not. Once again these people are willing to put themselves in harms way, for the sake of other people they probably did not know. I see Jesus in their willingness to protect those who some would view as an occupying force in these circumstances.
After the shooting in Charleston, several black churches were burned down. A coalition of young Muslims raised over $100,000 dollars to help rebuild the churches. They would certainly site other inspiration for their action, even the simple statement that "All houses of worship are sanctuaries..." is a noble enough reason. Yet I see Christ in their willingness to give of their own money to make better lives for people who believe in something different than they do themselves.
So for myself and my fellow Christians, I ask this, "How am I showing others Christ in who I am and what I do?" For my fellow non-Christians, thank you for continually holding us accountable to and reminding us that we are called to live like the Jesus Christ that we say we live in and lives in us.