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The faith we Christians claim has been so dented and chipped and discolored by the centuries, so institutionalized and codified and doctrinalized, so written upon and then so overwritten into palimpsest, that there are few Christians who still can discern the contours of the original. There are fewer still who know, and can persuasively teach, that Christianity was only and always just the container, the wrapping paper being used in the shipment through the centuries of time. It is the Jesus beyond dent or chip or discoloring that is the beauty. It is the Jesus beyond the doctrine and the clashing commentary that is the beauty.
*Phyllis Tickle. "Foreword." Ken Wilson. Jesus Brand Spirituality: He Wants His Religion Back.
A very interesting thing happened to me this past Sunday. The "preacher" became the "singer." I had not sung a special in any public setting since a mid-teenager. I came from a singing family-history, but I never claimed to have been blessed with the gift.
I have had two poems set to music. My paternal grandfather had one of my poems put to music: he was a music teacher and published many hymns. Caim put music to one of my poems that appears in my book An Ache for Union. The poem is "Words of Love," and it appears on Caim's most recent CD CAIM - Into the Present Moment. The poem is short, the song brief, the tune beautiful, and could be used for a meditative piece (Go to musicscotland.com and search for the CD; the song "Words of Love" is one of the available selections to listen to).
Anyway, back to the Sunday very interesting experience. As a favor to our dear, retiring music director, Charlotte, I ~ after weeks of prayer ~ agreed, reluctantly, to sing for her a solo in our Sunday service. She asked me to, and I told her I would consider it in prayer for two weeks. Two weeks turned into more, as I frankly did not feel confidant about the public singing opportunity. Opportunity seemed more like possible disaster and public embarrassment to me. Anyway, to calm my fears, she told me "just" to sing for her like she is my grandmother.
After weeks I returned and told Charlotte, "Okay ...". She told me it would be okay for me not to. I told her that I would anyway. She smiled. And, like I told the congregation Sunday, in making sure they knew this was a big leap of faith and love on my part, "Charlotte told me just to sing it to her like she was my grandmother." I made sure they knew that this was not my domain of giftedness. I urged them just to listen to the song as my prayer.
The hymn I had chosen, I did for it keep coming to mind and lips around the house. I found myself singing "Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross" at sundry times. The song is from my childhood and was not necessarily one of the more suited for my voice, but the song was resonating with my heart. So, on a Thursday evening, as I recall, I was in the sanctuary singing the hymn to a home-spun tune, one out of my head and heart. Alright, I had not told you that this was going to be without musical accompaniment.
Sunday morning arrived. I stood behind the Lord's Table, and let the congregation know the song. I sang the stanzas, and I concluded with the first verse of another old hymn, "Tis' So Sweet to Trust in Jesus." I got an ovation, and now persons want me to sing again and join the choir.
Frankly, it was one of the more beautiful moments of my church experience, which means since mom could lay the little baby on that hard-wood bench at Philadelphia Missionary Baptist Church, in Georgia.
Possibly, however, the most important and memorable aspect of the musical presentation for me, and more edifying for others, was to see their pastor in tears and talking about his life-long love of Jesus. The night before I heard a woman say that she discovered she was a "Jesus gal." I realized, "Yes, that is I, just a 'Jesus guy.' No matter the struggles I have had with faith and the church, I am simply a Jesus guy ~ in love with Jesus and no need to figure it out or fight it."
Well, there I stood, and shared that little vignette of witness before the song. "I realized I am a 'Jesus boy,' was raised that way and will die that way." They smiled and, then, I sang.
That witness to me was very important, for, yes, I have had struggles with religious faith and Jesus. I remember a time I was more comfortable with Buddha than with Jesus. Really, it was not about Jesus, per se; it was about struggles with the institutional church and faith issues I had to wade through ~ or crawl through, or be pulled through ... ~ for about ten years. Then, I came Home, and have been falling in love with Jesus all over again.
Yes, as I said days ago, I believe in openness to all the world faith-traditions ~ but I do not give much credence to a lot that goes under the name "spirituality." Now, it seems trendy to be "spiritual," and to make up one's own potpurrii of religious salad ~ self-fit style, don't cost much, thank you, entree.
Still, I affirm moderate religious pluralism is part of where the Spirit is working in our time. We cannot climb back into tribal-mythic days and hide our heads in the sand of the past ~ at least, if we want to be heads-up, instead of head-buried.
Yet, and this is a big "yet," my openness to diversity in faith does not call into question, certainly not for me, and I assume the holy Spirit would have let me know if it did for Jesus, my love relationship with Jesus. In fact, to me, to be Christian ~ not just a Christian ~ means having a love relationship with Christ Jesus.
This sets true Christianity apart from other faiths. This love relationship with Jesus Christ makes true, spiritual Christian faith distinctive.
This relationship with Jesus makes Christian faith Christian, not simply theistic. Possibly, we have many persons who claim Christianity who are theistic, not Christocentric. A close relationship with Christ is the heart of being Christian, so much that Paul could gather repeatedly the whole Christian life into two words, "in Christ." This is far different from the man who recently smiled at me and pointed his finger upward, telling me of his faith in that "Higher Power." I have no argument with him, for I believe God is the "Higher Power," my point to him would be only that theism is not in itself Christian.
Certainly, I do not think loving Jesus means a person has to be a religious zealot, a moralistic maniac, a sectarian snout, or a doctrinaire anti-all-else. I think Jesus is so beautiful because he is so much more attractive than most of the religion that takes His name ~ most religion period. Much called the Christian faith, indeed, does a disservice to His attractiveness.
I truly wonder if Jesus might say, if He got a review of what all we are doing and saying in His name, "Is this really what people think I had in mind?" I, sometimes, joke, "Jesus may not have wanted the church, but he got it anyway." And, anyway, there can be some godly hilarity and sacred attractiveness to imperfection.
Can a person be ecclesially-committed, mystically-minded, open-hearted, intellectually-demanding, and Jesus-loving, all in one? A translation: Ready, okay ~ committed to the historical church, experience transpersonal consciousness, love the diverse expressions of humanity, have an intellectual faith, and love Jesus, ... Now, is all that possible. Yes.
Some Christians ~ at least "claimers" to be ~, if you choose to be this, might think you are a little near the edge of the cliff or already over it. So so be it! ~ Translated in biblical Hebrew and Greek, too ~ Amen!
Recall, the people of the hometown of Jesus, Nazareth, tried to throw him over a cliff ~ I guess thinking him better dead than walking the dusty-roads-Galilee. He escaped, and His beauty moved on down the road. You will be okay, too, even if you find other of your "religious kin" looking at you as though you have lost it and praying, too, for your soul ~ anyway, you are highly unlikely to get the accumulated and variety of "prayers" and "looks" this Georgia boy has from the "religious kinfolk."
Yes, "Jesus Keep Me Near the Cross" ... He will, too. And, at that Cross we discover that Christian faith, like Christ, is beautiful and attractive. Being a beautiful person of spirit, like Jesus Christ, is one way to make all our lives more graceful and godly, and the religious landscape less cluttered and more safe for everyone. ~ I must stop, seeing it is almost 3am and ... Blessings, and be beautiful like Him!
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*Brian's book of mystical love poetry, An Ache for Union, can be ordered through major booksellers.
*Brian K. Wilcox lives with his two beloved dogs, St. Francis and Bandit Ty, in Southwest Florida. He serves the Christ Community United Methodist Church, Punta Gorda, FL. Brian is vowed at Greenbough House of Prayer, a contemplative Christian community in South Georgia. He lives a contemplative life and inspires others to experience a more intimate relationship with Christ. Brian advocates for a spiritually-focused Christianity and renewal of the focus of the Church on addressing the deeper spiritual needs and longings of persons, along with empathic relating with other world religions, East and West. Brian has an independent writing, workshop, and retreat ministry, for all spiritual seekers.
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