"Your Image of God Creates You?"

Have you ever heard this statement before:  “Your image of God Creates You”

A young psychiatrist was walking down the hallway of the isolation ward at a psychiatric facility.  A man standing outside his room door saluted the Dr. as he passed by.  "What is your name" said the Dr.  "Napoleon" the man said.  "Who told you that" said the Dr.  "God did" said the man.  A voice from the next room rang out, “Oh No I didn’t”   

How would you understand this statement? 

May 6, 2018  Readings:  Acts 16: 16-34, Psalm 97, John 17: 20-26

Did you know that this passage in John today is referred to Jesus’ high priestly prayer?  It is a prayer for unity, one body of believers, unified in the body of Christ.  Now as strange as that may sound to some denominations, that does not mean that we should all become Methodist, Baptist, AME, Wesleyan ,  Pentecostal, Catholic, or Anglican,     If we all though the same, worshiped the same,  performed all the same religious rituals in the same way, believed one interpretation of scripture and following the same doctrine, we would be nothing more a carbon copy of the church’s leadership, more like zombies than vibrant, spontaneous, free thinking, spirit filled human beings.  That is not the unity that Jesus’ high priestly prayer was about.  In fact denominations of the church did not yet exist in Jesus’ time, the disciples would not have known what we were talking about if we were to try and describe or justify the Christian church of today.   The scripture indicates to us that Jesus’ prayer and Gods intention was not about uniting denomination, but the intention was about being united together in Christ, who is united with the one Spirit and are therefore united as one with God.  “I in them and you in me” says Jesus then we are one.  John 17: 21-23.   The prayer is for unity, not for its own sake, but for the sake of witness to the love of God and the authenticity of Christ as the head of a church both then and now.  One body of believers united with Christ, 1Corinthians 6:17.     It is a prayer we need to hear especially in the divided and fragmented Christian communities of today.   One commentator which I have read recently said: if we whom claim to be His professing disciples would begin to love one another in the way He loves us, the people around us would get to know our mentor by the way we conduct ourselves.  They would get to see the Christ in us as we show others His way, putting His love in action.    He went on the point out that the quarrelsomeness of His followers has often caused others to distance themselves from us and the church.  Jesus often referrers to this behavior as church heresy. 

Sounds much like what the church is experiencing today does it not?  People appear to be avoiding the church, seemingly not wanting to participate in any type of organized religious experience.  On the other hand these same folk are looking for signs of authentic forgiveness, a love without judgement, an openness to grow and the compassion heart for those who have been left on the margins of life.   

In the ancient world as in ours, trying to unite religions has unfortunately caused more divisions among Christs’ followers.  While we are being distracted by long-standing controversies and separations over the sacraments of communion and baptism, marriage, free will, Jesus human or divine or the theological view of predestination, we have somehow forgotten to practice daily the love of God which is found and was shown to us by Jesus.   That love is answer to His priestly prayer, a love that unites His followers.  In fact it was His Love for us that keep him hanging on the cross at Calvary.  It may have been our sin that put Him there, but it was His love for humanity that keep Him there.   Jesus could have ordered the legions of angles to come to His aid but He chose to be Obedient to His Fathers will and He offers us a convenient of love and forgiveness for all who would follow in His way.   His love is the way that leads to God for His love is the only way to the Father, no one comes to the Father accept by His way.   Jesus Himself tells us: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.      

Despite differing and sometimes sharply conflicting theological perspectives among denominations, there is a longing for a deeper understanding and unity among the followers of Jesus that keeps surfacing.   People are becoming more aware that the dogma, and doctrine of our religious traditions within the Christian Church need to be examined with an open mind.  We should no longer take for granted what has been preached nor not preached from the pulpits over the years as the truth.  It is an interpretation of the word as was seen by the presenter.   Let us also understand that any theological perspective is never the whole truth and nothing but the truth, it is only the truth as you of I see it at this moment.   Growth requires this understanding: the words of scripture are living words, meaning they will continue to deepen your understanding as you grow in spiritual maturity and wisdom.   

Many today are finding out, as they deepen their spiritual lives, that the focus of unity and some of the traditions within many denominations today just do not emulate the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus knew this would occur for his twelve, so I’m sure He understood that this dilemma would continue to plague the modern church as we know it today, otherwise why would he have asked it in his prayer. Verse 20 states” I ask not only on behalf of these{meaning the 12} but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through this word, they must all be one.  As you Father are in me and I am in You, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. ” This is a prayer that should help us to begin to re-focus our energies to do His work, rather than try and build our faith on a religious doctrine or ritual.  The work He has called us to do will be the root out of which our faith will come.   Nothing will unify a group of people more than working together in the spirit of Christ with the gifts God has given us, not only to satisfy ourselves, our ego, but to share what ever our gift is to help those in need, the less fortunate, the underprivileged, or those who are being oppressed by their own personal circumstances or the powers of this world.  There is much work to be done and much of it may not be pleasant or without sacrifice.  Want to grow in faith, unity in Christ is the only way, for his way is the way of God.