Set to Lead a Study
Well, starting Sunday, I will lead a week-long study on Philip Yancey's book The Jesus I Never Knew. I've lead a couple of small groups on this book, and I always enjoy sharing this material with others. Yancey does a great job of stimulating engaging and insightful conversation on the topic of Jesus.
As I did with my Counter-Cultural Christianity study, I will write a few of my current thoughts on who is the Jesus that I know. I will then re-visit this topic when I finish the study on Saturday.
The Jesus that I know was often calm, wise, capable of laughter, capable of tears, and capable of bouts of anger. He was very human in the display of his emotions.
His Gospel concerns the over-turning of this world into a kingdom of love, peace, and forgiveness. His life modelled this kingdom. He spent his time with the downtrodden, the rejected, and the poor. He taught his disciples to love one another as they would love each other. He had his own example of love.
He claimed to be the Son of God yet he served his followers as a slave would serve his/her master. His love was not a love that dominates or demands. His love was a love that gives and serves. He gave his life so that we would not have to give ours in order to make up for our sins.
The Jesus that I know is very difficult to follow, but I feel compelled to try nonetheless.
I'll stop there, and when I finish, I will share what I hear from others through the course of my study this week.
