The Gospel

the gospel is not primarily a set of facts but a way of seeing and a way of being in the world because of God.  Jesus speaks to the heart, saying (1) God is on your side; (2) God can be trusted; (3) the universe is safe and benevolent; (4) trust yourselves, one another and God; (5) there is no reason to be afraid; (6) it’s all heading toward something good! He does this primarily by touch, relationship, healing and parables.

                                                                                                   Richard Rohr

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a lot of people

talk gospel

they know verses

although often only a select and favored few

they know what they believe

which is generally created whole cloth

out of those few versus from the Bible they have chosen to focus on

overlaid with a thick frosting of cultural norms

their values are set by the culture of the world

with its focus on domination and power

Jesus came with plan for a new world

he sided with the oppressed

with the poor, but not just the poor

the destitute

the least of the least

Jesus assailed the establishment

that was what the Kingdom was all about

destroying the status quo, the culture of power and wealth

but then the church became the establishment

it became the power

it controlled the wealth

and the key teachings of Jesus on greed

non-violence

non-control

simply became ignored

very very ignored

and thus we have churches and pastors with immense wealth

taking wealth from the poor

we have churches giving away guns to bring people in the door

we have “Christians” insisting that the only way to have a “moral order”

is to legislate and impose that order through political power

we have “Christians” siding with wealth and power against poor and oppressed

and so Christian culture

has now become, extensively,  not the driving force for change

but the driving force for the status quo

it sides with the rich

looks down on the poor, and calls them lazy and moochers

it endorses the way of violence and guns

it stands for exclusion rather than inclusion

Jesus was killed because his way was a threat to the system

In America the church has become the system

but the gospel is still alive!

It is just not in the places

we normally look

and the Gospel can be shared

it’s just not, mostly likely going to happen through sermons

given in a room where the speaker has to be on a big screen to be seen

it is not going to happen through legislated morality

it is not going to happen through the gospel of success

or come from ministers in expensive clothes, who live in mansions

and fly in private jets (can you even imagine Jesus that way?)

it is not going to come through hateful aggression toward those who are different

or through shaming those who are down and out

it is going to be shared by touch

relationship

healing

and the telling of our stories

in the context of humility and love

talk is cheap

walking “the way”?

priceless!