This Is the Way...

Heart to Heart from the Housewrights

                                     

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going.” “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me - John 14:1-7 (NLT)

We are more than aware of the fact that many of you have not heard of the Disney series, The Mandalorian. But, whether you have or not - know this - the one repeated line throughout the show: “This is the way.”

Just so cool. This is the way.

(And sort of biblical for those of you who have read Jesus’ words to his disciples in the Gospel of John.)

Christians, for over two thousand years, have believed in and claimed as truth Jesus’ statement: “I am the way…”

There is no other way. There was never any other way. There will never be any other way. Jesus is the Way.

Which begs the question - why do “churches” keep doing things the way the world dictates? Meaning this, if Jesus is the way then certainly those who believe in him should follow him…not anyone or anything else. In everything. At all times. In every way.

This is the way.

Jonathan and Jennifer Campbell, in their powerful and potent book, The Way of Jesus, tackle this seemingly never ending obstacle for the local church. But, it is in the forward - written by Brian McLaren - that a brilliant light is illuminated over the shadow of the North American brand of Christianity:

“That less-traveled path will appeal to those who can’t bear the thought of spending decades trying to bring about structural renewal in cold-molasses-institutional settings, especially when there are neighbors to meet and love, neighborhoods to transform, and movements of Christ followers to launch and lead. It will appeal to those for whom staying in the institutional forms of church…is not an option; for them, the only options are walk away from the faith entirely or seek to live - in simple yet costly ways - the Way of Jesus”

 (The Way of Jesus, p. xiii).

Wasted time. Structure. Cold. Institutional. The way of the world…

Neighbors. Meet. Love. Movements. Launch. Lead. Faith. Simple. Costly. The way of Jesus…

In a world where countries invade one another for selfish ambition; in a nation where public servants aid and abet one another for power and recognition; in states where the mass killing of unborn children is legal and encouraged; in towns where meth and opioids are destroying young adults and leaving grandparents to care for grandchildren; in churches where brick and mortar buildings cause people to go in debt with the anticipation that guest will come - although statistics show less and less are “going to church;” we need the way of Jesus.

Just what is the way of Jesus?

It is simple - yet costly. Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:37-40).

Love. Love God. Love others. It is that simple. It is that costly.

This is the Way…of Jesus.

May we all be people of the Way.

Missy and Steve