Jesonian … September 4th, 2018

 Jonathots Daily Blog

(3885)

The religious system: a baffling, befuddled, faulted and failing attempt to turn the beauty of faith into a well-funded organization.

It contains two erroneous, if not evil, ideas:

1. Material that was written four thousand years ago doesn’t require any updating in the Spirit whatsoever.

2. The Spirit of God and the lives of believers can be capsulized into a corporate worship experience.

It is restrictive.

It is selfish.

It denies individuality in favor of blind compliance.

It turns Jesus into the sacrificial lamb instead of extolling his true measure as a Good Shepherd.

It wants its children to become advocates for printed material which comes out of old-fashioned boardrooms, ushered forth by spiritually vacant suits.

They envision their young children having a conversation similar to this:

 

Yet truthfully, children were never meant to contemplate the actions of impotent, aged patriarchs. They were intended to have life and it more abundantly. So actually, Sunday morning in America more resembles the following:

Although it would be impossible to limit the message of Jesus of Nazareth to one strain of thought or one stream of consciousness, it is undoubtedly true that he was the champion of children and the Great Equalizer when it came to women.

Because his message was visual and filled with stories, the children flocked to him. And because he refused to teach a Gospel that was just for men, the ladies came his way, bringing their money to support his work. That’s what it says in the gospel of Luke.

How will we know that we’ve escaped the religious system and have begun to be a household of faith once again?

When the children eagerly gather and the women are given their full rights as human beings.

*****

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Jesonian: The Worst Four… February 1, 2015

 Jonathots Daily Blog

(2491)

There are four attitudes that we, as human beings, hate. To a certain degree we even become disgusted with ourselves when we sprout one of them.

So it is truly ironic that modern theology insists that Jesus manifested all four of them.

Shall we review them?

1. I am perfect.
2. I am a prude.
3. I am giving up so much for you.
4. I am God.

I think you will agree that if anybody decides to propagate these assertions in our midst, we are predisposed to dislike them and might even want to try to plot ways to hurt them.

The average religious person will tell you that Jesus pulled it off because he was actually perfect, spiritually prudent, the sacrificial Lamb…and God.

Nevertheless, when you’re standing in front of people wearing skin and smelling as rotten as they do, you won’t get very far or become very popular by promoting these things.

Yet quite to the contrary, we know that Jesus was very popular and he did draw crowds. And people were certainly attracted to him.

Here’s why:

He never claimed to be perfect.

It was an afterthought from those who chronicled. Matter of fact, he even told a young man that “God is the only person who is good.”

And he wasn’t a prude.

Case in point, they accused him of being a drunkard, a glutton and of co-habitating with sinners.

He also did not walk around talking about being “the sacrifice for sin.”

They decided to kill him. He told them that his mission was to “give life, and it more abundantly.”

And only in private moments, and at his trial, did he espouse his total equality with God.

What he told them was that he came to show them the Father through his actions, his love and his perseverance.

So to put it simply:

• The Jesus of history has great appeal.
• The Christ of theology is a buzz kill.

Make up your mind.

If you’re going to be Jesonian, you’ll honor the heart and words of Jesus … and not the interpretation of the modern pharisees who have misinterpreted him.

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Our Redeemer… October 12, 2013

Jonathots Daily Blog

(2032)

It was a five-pound mini-barrel of pretzel chunks, stuffed with peanut butter, given to me by a friend who was beaming with delight when I opened it on Christmas morning and eyeballed the monstrosity for the first time.

He was nearly leaping with joy, explaining how he purchased the gift thinking it was ideal for me, in my travels, to have a ready-made snack which would last for quite a while–and to make sure that every time I grabbed a handful, I should think of him and know that he was praying for me.

Having some acting chops, I was able to feign great appreciation over the humongous container of over-salted carbohydrates and even dodge his ongoing discussion of it during the day over turkey and dressing.

Here’s the truth: nothing is more useless to a traveling person than a five-bound barrel of peanut-butter-stuffed pretzels. Even if you enjoy the flavor, lugging such a burden around is not worth the occasional benefit you would receive in tastiness.

I regifted.

That’s much the way I feel about the idea of heaven. Being informed by highly theological sorts that if I accept certain beliefs and receive adequate amounts of grace, that I will someday have an eternal home with golden streets and jasper walls just doesn’t get me through the daily chores of human struggle. I can’t become a better person by thinking about the day when I will no longer BE a person.

So as I head off tonight and tomorrow to Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in McMurray, Pennsylvania, I will tell you what I think of the word “redeemer.”

Candidly, if Jesus is no more than a sacrificial lamb for my sins, it will be difficult for me to conjure any sentimentality for him in the midst of a traffic jam in the Steel City. At that point, I will revert to my training, giving into my frustration and festering nasty notions of mythical murders of nearby motorists. Here’s the kind of redeemer I need:

First and foremost, he needs to be a friend.

• A friend is someone who tells you the truth but you still like him enough that you want him to hang around.
• A friend is someone who catches you on a bad day but still shows up at eight o’clock the next morning for the next round.
• A friend is someone who sticks closer than a brother.

My redeemer also needs to be a spotter.

• I’m referring to that person who stands nearby when you’re lifting weights in a gymnasium, just in case what you’re attempting to take on becomes too much, and he or she can walk over and help lift the danger from your head.
• I need a spotter who knows that I’m constantly trying to lose weight, and gently nudges me towards less caloric choices.
• I need a spotter who knows me, loves me, but also challenges me to not bathe in God’s grace, but instead, pursue excellence by multiplying my talents.

And finally, I do need a savior.

If I were to describe the journey we call human life, I would refer to it as “pulling up a little short.” There always seems to be a few feet necessary to complete the task just when exhaustion suffocates our soul. At that point, I could use someone to carry me across the finish line.

If all God has to offer is heaven, He’s going to have some awfully crappy followers on earth. But I believe there’s more to being spiritual than waiting to be “spirited away” to the angelic Holiday Inn.

I believe that our redeemer is our friend, our spotter and our savior.

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