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Pastors Musings - May 2009 |
Minister’s Musings
I recently heard that many people are attracted to Buddhism because they see it as a way of living while they see Christianity as a set of things one must believe in. This idea, in my experience as a Christian, couldn’t be more wrong. But I also see where it might come from.
The fights we’ve had in the past, first between Roman Catholics and Protestants, were over doctrinal issues: what one believes. What happens in Holy Communion? Does the bread become the body of Christ or not? We often divided over what words were used. I’ve encountered this in discussions with other Lutherans. Sometimes I feel like I’m being labeled a heretic because I didn’t use the correct phrase. And then when we look at how other Protestant Groups came into being, it was often over a differing understanding of a certain doctrine.
What we believe is important, certainly. But doctrines are important because they (should) become actions - a life style. As a Lutheran, I don’t think anyone can dictate that certain actions are Christian or not, nonetheless, I do think that we are disciples, followers, first and foremost. Jesus challenged the way that people lived in his day and he continues to challenge the American (or European or African or South American or Australian, etc.) way of life. Whatever Jesus is about, he is not about greed, keeping up with the Joneses, or selfishness.
I see Jesus inviting us to be expressions of God’s love for the world. The way that that love is expressed will be different for each person. God does not seem to be a God that wants total uniformity - otherwise we would have one species of flower and one kind of tree. But what we see in nature and what we see in the Bible are people trying to live out God’s love in very different ways. Terry Kyllo says that at least one aspect of Christianity is exploring together what it means to be fully and authentically human. That’s a way of life, and an exciting one for me.
Christianity is not simply about the head, but about the heart and how that is expressed in my relationships with other people and with the creation that God has given us. I won’t always get it right, but in the light of my Lord who was willing to go to the cross and the grave for me, I can continue to explore what it means for me to be a “little Christ” in the world.
In Christ,
Pastor Betty
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