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What exactly does Jesus ask of his followers?
Most of us quietly hope it won’t be too costly.
Author Anne Lamott wonders aloud, “Why couldn’t Jesus command us to obsess about everything, to try to control and manipulate people…to stomp away to brood when people annoy us, and then eat a big bag of Hershey’s Kisses in bed?” That’s an assignment most of us could handle.
Various Christian groups tend to promote a signature behavior or decisive act that is assumed to surpass everything else.
If we work a little bit, we can even express the most common alternatives (the “special sauce” of each group) as words that fill in a pair of blanks:
In order to experience the fullness of the life to which God calls us, all we need to do is “blank what is blank.”
In no particular order, here are the nominees:
Accept What is Offered. Churches of the evangelical and revivalist traditions are eager to help people get their tickets punched for heaven. Jesus offers the gift of eternal life. That can become ours by praying a certain prayer, walking a certain aisle, or surrendering ourselves with open-hearted trust.
Once that mission is accomplished, however, it’s less clear what is one supposed to do between now and their last day on earth.
Believe What is Correct. This is the gospel of right theology. We’re called to get the right answers concerning baptism, poverty, the book of Revelation, and virtually everything else. The problem is that the Bible doesn’t present itself as a textbook that has to be memorized in order to pass some kind of final exam.
As Walker Percy says about one of his fictional characters: “He got all the right answers but flunked life.”
Do What is Right. This might mean working for social justice, freeing oppressed peoples, or transforming broken social structures. Action-oriented groups, however, tend to be comparatively less passionate about spiritual practices like prayer, worship, and evangelism.
Avoid What is Wrong. This is the flip side of the previous option, and has become an attractive rallying point for fundamentalist Christians. Who could quarrel with trying to stay out of trouble at every possible turn? Actually, Jesus did. He taught, as a matter of emphasis, that it is far healthier (and a lot more joyful) to walk with our heads up than to be obsessed with not falling.
Partake What is Redemptive. This is the historic posture of the Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican traditions. At its best it mediates the beauty of a sacramental encounter with the Living Christ. But it can also tempt busy worshipers to show up and go through the liturgical motions as a way of “checking the God box” this week.
Fix What is Broken. This is the therapeutic vision of spirituality. We are a mess, but God is our faithful Healer. Life is a long, restorative journey – so long, in fact, that it’s possible I’ll become overly preoccupied with Me and never get around to loving and serving others.
Get What is Missing. This is the Back to the Future version of Christianity. If we can just get into the right De Lorean, travel at the right speed, and end up at just the right place at the right time, spiritual lightning will come down from heaven and supercharge our inner worlds. This hope animates a number of Pentecostal and charismatic fellowships.
When all else fails, what do pastors hope their people might do?
Attend What is Scheduled. The best one-word assessment of that strategy? Yikes.
The list could go on. There is good support for each of these formulas, and we would neglect any of them at our peril (with the exception of the last one).
So is there one behavior, if mastered, that might be the key to experiencing all the others?
Follow the One Who is Faithful.
You’re right: I just altered the formula. The “what” became a “who.”
And that makes all the difference in the world.
The heart of Christianity is not a spiritual SAT exam, or a litany of Don’ts, or a never-ending series of good works.
It is the adventure of a living relationship with a Living Person.
Paul makes that clear in Colossians 2:6-7: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness” (New International Version).
Here’s how Eugene Peterson renders the same two verses in his paraphrase called The Message:
“My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.”
We follow the One who is faithful – knowing full well that his faithfulness to us is the only chance we will ever have of being faithful to him.
So we can begin each morning with a prayer – something like this:
Lord, what shall we do together today? How are you calling me to deepen my love for you and my love for others?
Then we count on God’s Spirit to fill in the blanks.