I grew up in church, but . . . . . . . . .
I hear a statement that starts like that almost every week, sometimes several times in a week depending on what crowd I’m with.
It’s usually an explanation why that person doesn’t have anything to do with Christianity and why they have found spiritual meaning in something else. Some view Christianity as not just irrelevant, but actually toxic to their life experience. They are trying to recover from it. All it gave t hem was guilt and condemnation.
A great irony is that the only people Jesus thought were guilty of anything were the most religious people he knew, not the ones who had bailed out.
So, it’s not surprising that people thought that Jesus had come to reject the religion, including the Law and the commandments.
This Sunday I will be teaching a passage where Jesus describes what he thinks about the Law of God contained in what we call the Old Testament. He wants people to have the fullest experience with the love and purpose of God, and he wants their lives to be ‘good’ or ‘righteous’.
Check out Matthew 5:17-20 as I continue At Hand: Jesus’ Teaching on Living Well.Jesus imagines a transformation in the lives of people that could only be described as ‘good.’ He even promises it.
Is it possible to do church in such a way that most won’t reject their experience when they grow up?
Let’s see.