Tell Me About Jesus

Apparently we're not the only ones looking for Jesus at #ga221!! Check out this blog post...

Tell Me About Jesus

By Christopher Brown

Originally published: http://christopherbrown.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/tell-me-about-jesus/

It was a hectic morning. I’d overslept, our sixteen-month-old daughter had awakened early, and our small family was grasping for order amid the chaos of what promised to be another busy day. Trying to occupy her attention, I said,  “Why don’t we read a book?” She pointed at the bookcase, said “Book!” and proceeded to grab a copy of the Jesus Storybook Bible. I opened the pages and started reading aloud. Most of the language was still far above her head, but it went straight to my heart. With a sigh of relief I thought, It’s refreshing to simply be told a story about Jesus.

Then I had a flashback. Ten years ago, I was working in a cafe in Boulder, CO. One weeknight during my closing shift, I was sweeping the floor and preparing to clean the sparsely filled cafe when I overheard a conversation between three customers. They were college-age women having a Bible study. One, who appeared to be the leader, was talking to the others who both listened attentively. As I tried to hear more, I noticed that all she was doing was telling them stories about Jesus. And the women she was speaking to kept asking questions curiously. They wanted to hear more about Him. It was beautiful. I could have continued sweeping for hours while eavesdropping on that conversation.

These two experiences stand in contrast with most of the conversations I overhear in the Churchat large. We talk about a lot about things related to our life together, but it’s been a long time since I heard (or sadly, preached) a sermon that was only about how magnificent Jesus is. We have lots of good theological conversations at the seminary, but we constantly run the risk of reducing Jesus to a distant historical figure or a moral principle, instead of the compassionate divine lover of humankind that He is. This distancing of our conversation from Jesus seems to happen even more in the higher levels of the bureaucracy of denominations.

This weekend I’ll go to Detroit for the 221st General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA). I’m not a delegate; I’ll be there to represent and promote Pittsburgh Seminary’s Church Planting Initiative. There will be a lot of talk at General Assembly, good and bad, about a lot of different issues. I’ll even engage in some of those conversations. But I think we’ll all be better off – our hearts will be more joyful, the Church will be edified, our decisions will be more faithful – if we take moments this week to set aside those debates and instead focus upon Jesus. So here’s my suggestion:

If you’re attending General Assembly, try speaking about Jesus more than yourself and more than your agenda. I want to hear you tell me about Jesus. If you’re using Twitter or Facebook throughout the Assembly, hashtag your posts with #TellMeAboutJesus. For one example of a possible tweet, a member of my congregation whom I recently asked to simply tell me about Jesus responded with, “He’s the sort of person who, when he speaks, you want to hear more.” I’m thinking that if we at GA share such holy thoughts with one another, we’ll find ourselves caught up in surprisingly beautiful conversations. Perhaps we’ll even recognize Jesus’ presence with us more clearly. I pray that the Holy Spirit will inspire our words, and guard us against any blasphemy.

So here we go . . . Tell me about Jesus.  

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(Written by: Allison Bauer)

THREE. DAYS. LEFT.

Suitcases are being dusted off, snacks are being purchased, and last minute questions are being asked ... even if it is taking a while to get some answers! 

Soon and very soon PC(USA) commissioners and advisory delegates (PLUS legions of support staff and volunteers) will begin the journey to Detroit for #ga221. 

But it's not just those chosen by God and elected by their Presbyteries who are preparing for GA. Even folks who will be watching from afar are preparing and reflecting. 

Jack Haberer (editor of The Presbyterian Outlook) has written an editorial entitled, "In the Lions' Den" which describes our philosophical identity as Presbyterians and historically what has been important to us. 

Haberer adopts the story of Daniel being thrown into the lions' den and the miraculous "shutting" of the lions' mouths as a narrative for #ga221. 

(Did they fall asleep? Were they knocked out? Did they turn into over-sized housecats? What happened??Inquiring minds want to know!)   

Part of our heritage as Presbyterians is speaking truth to power, like Daniel spoke truth to King Darius. He writes, "Where some other churches shun all matters political, we read the biblical commands both to love neighbors and to break chains as requirements to engage the public square." And, "We Presbyterians also have been people of superior education, of high scholarship and often (but not always) of profound wisdom." 

These days, I'm not so certain the Presbyterian Church has the kind of clout that Daniel had though--he held a position of great power in the king's government and so had the king's ear on many matters. The PC(USA) may have at one time had that same sort of power and influence, but our influence is waning as our reputation for being such bitter disagreers grows. How effective is our voice today? Will the overtures calling for letters and petitions being written and sent to the President, the Congress, and the Senate really do any good? 

With God, all things are possible, I suppose. (But we're certainly not helping much, though.)