Off the Path-Where Did jesus Walk?

 

There is a vital and important difference between knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus. I have never met anyone who has not heard about Jesus, and more to the point, does not have an opinion about Jesus. There is knowledge about Jesus available at churches, study centers, Internet and many other available resources.

But knowing of Jesus, as in “second hand” sharing of information, is not what He spoke about. His entrance into this world was not to introduce a new religion that discusses principles of a system of belief. He came to bring hope to the hopeless, at a time when hopelessness was a national possession.

Jesus told us little about Himself, and those mysteries still plague followers and scholars alike. He emerged from a virgin birth, which never is retold in any part of the Gospels (except for the actual birth narratives), his family fled to Egypt to avoid a persecution of Hebrew male children that is not recorded in any historical writings of the day, He stayed mainly in smaller populated areas, and His earthly father, Joseph, seemingly vanishes off the map.

Jesus did not feel He needed to explain any of these “mysteries” about Himself. He focused His message on the connection between God and Himself, giving us the path to have that same kind of relationship with God that Jesus maintained. He was a Rabbi of the people, with His only obvious and teachable loyalty being to His Father.

Some 2,000 years later, Jesus is the recipient of the greatest hijacking in religious history. An unbelievable religious institution (or two, or three) has formed that gathers adherents, collects tithes, holds services and ceremonies, and details what the followers of Jesus do and do not do. The iconography assigned to Him is not even close to the actual picture of the Man from Galilee, and many of the teachings and sayings attributed to Him are not any words or thoughts He would have had as a First Century Jew, a Rabbi and Torah Observant Practitioner.

From the millions of dollars in buildings and real estate named after Him, to the billion-dollar enterprises known as “non-profits” all the way down to the book and music industry, raking millions in revenue while yielding extraordinarily little return to the needy, disenfranchised and broken, Jesus has become a religious Brand Name. The good news is He is more popular than Diet Coke or the Beatles.

The bad news is this: That’s not Jesus.

I know there are many arguments dividing the Christian religion, but even with those arguments aside, we have created a legend about Jesus and not a reality. Our current spiritual landscape is more concerned with awareness than consciousness. Christians are on the Path of Christianity, and in turn, missing the Path of Jesus.

The faith has become a lesson in missing the point. While Christianity is battling to keep itself as the “moral police” of this country (and any other country), millions suffer and die from disease that could be prevented, illiteracy that could be reversed, poverty that could be relieved, and a host of social challenges and problems that have led the United States to a new world record holder-we are the most medicated society in the history of the world.

It is worth noting that Jesus spoke volumes about caring for the poor, the needy and the disenfranchised. It would make sense that any religion, following or attachments to His name would follow that same practice.  If it does not, then it is not following Jesus.

God bless the churches that have re-invested their money into the needs of their communities rather than air-conditioning. God bless the study centers that operate with 80-85% volunteer staff so that more monies can go to meet needs.

What moral evils did Jesus battle? What was His hot button? A religious society that turned its nose at the poor and needy and continued to build temples with human hands, that God stated clearly He does not occupy. A brief reading of Matthew 25 should put the priorities of Jesus in clear view.

His path is no longer the Path of Christianity. While Christians often lament the “Jews of Jesus’” time for being religious hypocrites (a subject for another time) they miss the plain and obvious truth: We are the religious hypocrites of our day.

What are some signs that the Path of Jesus is not the current trajectory? Here are a few simple road-signs to tell you if you might be on the wrong path:

1) When answers to your questions are responded to with “Because it is Written” or “I have a degree in systematic theology”, you are on the wrong path.

2) When the message of Paul outweighs the message of Jesus, you are on the wrong path.

3) When they need more money for a building fund and the missions fund has not grown in years, you are on the wrong path.

4) When you are told how and what to vote, you are on the wrong path.

5) If your church’s idea of social action is a pancake breakfast, you are on the wrong path.

6) If you paid $25.00 to hear your favorite Christian band play so you can be filled with the Spirit, you are on the wrong path.

7) If your faith-healing preacher were bald, wouldn’t he have the power from God to re-grow his hair? You are on the wrong path.

There is a new face to the practice of Jesus.  His followers are looking deeply into His words-seeing that the world today is not the picture of the one He told us to create-each and every day by our actions-and living the Gospel that he wrote, not the one formed and polished into 21^st Century religious practice.

David Fournier Rev. Dr.

The Space Between

 

I am sure many will disagree with me, but we sure don’t have the lyrical quality in a lot of today’s music as we have seen in the past. From Jim Croce, Sting, Bono, Nickleback, B.B. King and many others we have found connections in our own lives that bring their lyrics to life. Add Dave Matthews to that list (for me) with his song, The Space Between. Please allow a few quotes…

The Space Between,

The tears we cry,

Is the laughter that keeps us coming back for more,

The Space Between,

The wicked lies we tell,

And hope to keep safe from the pain.

But will I hold you again?

These fickle, fuddled words confuse me,

Like, “Will it rain today?”

Wasted hours talking, talking,

These twisted games we’re playing.

I won’t pretend that I know what Dave Matthews meant when he wrote this song. But I can tell you how these words spoke to me; and how I hope they can speak to you as well.

Life does not stop teaching lessons, whether we think we need lessons or not. And as much as I desire to somehow not be human, be above the noise and confusion I see as “humanity”, I find I am not exempt from the Lessons of the Spiritual Universe. Everywhere I turn, the lessons and opportunities to learn keep pouring in. Many believe (as do I) this is the Creator’s love for us arriving daily.

The latest lesson I have been experiencing is two-fold: first, the lesson of tension and second, the lesson of urgency. Both of these lessons “fleshed out” for me in the lyric of the above quoted song.

We all reach that point, the moment when we are so violently knocked off our axis, when the world and all in it seems like a spinning and wild ride, when we feel like we are sinking underwater and can not find the surface. At that moment, why do we fight back? Why do we sense we can re-configure and move on? Why do we watch the air bubbles rise to the surface and trust they will give us our path back to the surface?

Because we know that this current pain is The Space Between, somewhere in the sadness will be the moment of laughter, somewhere in the darkness of our pain, will be the Light that heals. Somewhere will be that person who will cheerlead us through this time.

This tension, while painful and difficult, is what gives rise to the blessing of being alive. In order to witness the thrill of childbirth, to feel the wind blow, the cool of the evening, to see a person healed, I must be alive. And by being alive, I mean open to all the sensations, sufferings, joys, trials and tribulations that life has to offer. Attempting to block out the parts and pains of life we do not want to experience is just an Adventure in Missing the Point.

Jesus understood this tension. Throughout His journeys here on earth, He often wept for the people around Him. He lived everyday-to it’s fullest. He did not shrink away (as I would prefer to do) from the pain of being human, He embraced it. He was aware He was here for a little while, and He planned every moment to bring the biggest returns He could.

While I must admit I am not ready to “relish” in this tension, I think I understand its purpose clearer. Regardless of the challenges, the pain or the sadness, I can push back on the tension and remind myself of the laughter and the joy. I can always remember what is on top of the clouds or on the other side because I have been there. I hope you have been there too.

The other lesson for me is the sense of urgency. I have never much shied away from speaking my mind, which is one of the reasons I am not the most popular guy in town. I often joke that I do not get a lot of Christmas cards. But even in my life, I find that I do not say what needs to be said. I get fired up about the injustice of acts being done in the name of God, I will speak loudly against today’s milquetoast and non-Biblical presentation of Jesus, but I quiet down when it comes to letting someone know: I love you and don’t want to live without you in my life.

Every one of you reading this article knows exactly what I am talking about. You already know whom you should be calling right now and telling them the words you hold back. We truly have today, that is it. It all ends with a phone call, a message, and a text. Be on the ready-because the world is going to shake whether we want it to or not.

I learned that there is a big difference between standing tall and standing strong. No matter how tall you stand, the Universe can bring situations that bring us all to our knees. But even there, in the gorge of eternal despair and sadness, we can all still find strength. I know I did.

Do not worry about “Will it rain today”. Who cares? Why care about it? What we need to be concerned about is if we have it right with each other. It is time to get it right with each other. I promise you, we can argue all day and night about how right you may be to be upset, feel cheated, betrayed, or whatever it is that hurts you. You can wait a lifetime for that person, family member, or group to come seek you out and offer forgiveness. You can stand tall-but you will stand-alone.

More to the point, are you ready for the bell to toll? If it ends today, can you honestly tell yourself being right was worth love? When the cost of being right costs love, then the cost of being right simply costs too much.

The sense of urgency we all need is this: live in this moment as your first and last. Live out your dreams, share ruthlessly, forgive relentlessly and most of all, love endlessly.

On that note, I know I have work to do.

David Fournier Rev. Dr.

The Centre for Hebraic Insights

Finishing Well....

 

Each of us has an opponent. Much has been written in almost every religious adherence about this enemy. More than the understanding of God, a Higher Power or a Supreme Ruler, almost all religious teachings agree on an enemy of our souls.

Part of gaining victory over our opponent, which I understand and teach to be Satan, or Asatan in the Hebrew, is recognizing that he exists and looks for opportunities to torment us mentally and emotionally, which he fully understands will impede our growth spiritually and possibly misdirect us on our path.

These attempts by the Adversary are not always blatant frontal attacks, with a postcard signed, “This attack made possible by the Prince of Darkness”. His attacks work inside our ego, the regular grain of our existence. One big area he must operate in is our past. No portion of Scripture tells us that the Adversary has the knowledge or ability to know the future. So, he throws the past in our face to blind us from the Light of the Creator.

Unfinished tasks or goals are one of his favorite playgrounds. Unfulfilled promises, missed opportunities, being late to an event, forgetting a birthday, all these situations create the opening he needs to remind us of what total failures we are.

To squelch his attacks, we need to become finishers. Many people can start well, but there is great power in finishing well. The Apostle Paul addresses finishing well in the closing days of his life. Finishing well brings Glory to God, the sense of accomplishment and finality to you, and closes the door to the Adversary.

It is one thing to meet your goals when someone is standing over you shouting, “Get it Done!” But true spiritual growth, true connection with God gives us the ability to be our own “drill instructor”, to carry out the tasks we have in our life to help mend our souls and help repair this world. God’s plan for us is-with His help-to work through our spiritual growth ourselves, gaining the valuable lessons from our experiences.

The good news, the great news is, that God, in His Highest Wisdom, accords us a Helper. This Helper was addressed in the teachings of Jesus as the part of God that will guide us. This Spirit of God, the Ruach HaKodesh, will give us the strength and direction to not only start well, but to finish well. We need to fearlessly and shamelessly evoke the Spirit’s influence in our life, making the Spirit of God a welcomed part of our development.

Here is a practical prayer to help us get started in finishing well…

(Think of an unfinished project that is an obstacle in your life. Decide you are going to finish it and follow through, and begin this prayer)

I see the unfinished project/work in front of me.

I am going to complete (enter it here), as I visualize myself (enter the process for completion here).

I feel frustration and procrastination drifting away.

I am getting closer to completing my goal.

With each breath I take, I feel the Spirit of God strengthening me on my path.

I feel stronger, as the fiery darts of the Adversary are being rejected by my partnership with the Holy

Spirit, who is guiding me to completion and certainty.

Laziness and doubt are gone, and I see myself fulfilled, creating more spiritual space for more of God’s

Spirit and even greater future accomplishments.

Lowe’s hardware store has a motto that says, “Let’s Build Something Together”. It is a great sounding

motto, because once you buy their building products, they do not care whether you finish or not. Our

motto for attaining the Light of the Creator should be, “God, let’s finish this together”.

I hope this helps…

David Fournier Rev. Dr.

The Centre for Hebraic Insights