Part Five: Jesus and the Jesus Creed

McKnight writes in the prologue for this final section:  "A spiritually formed person loves God by following Jesus and loving others.  A spiritually formed person embraces the stories of others who love Jesus.  A spiritually formed person lives out kingdom values.  A spiritually formed person loves Jesus personally, and participates in the life of Jesus."  And so here we are, hopefully seeing that the radical ways Jesus was committed to the creed of loving God and loving others are also possible and perhaps even necessary for us as Christians, Christ-followers.

   "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
    Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
    with all your soul,
    with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
    The second is this:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
    There is no commandment greater than these."

IF spiritual formation is as McKnight suggests "about relationship -- with God and with others," then how are YOU building on your relationship with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit as much as with others who share your life's journey here and now?

~*~*~

Chapter 25, In the Jordan with Jesus:  Matthew 3:13-17.  "In the Jordan, Jesus repented for us and we are called to join Jesus in his repentance."  How do you view Jesus' baptism?  What does it mean to "repent?"  Upon Jesus' baptism, it is written that God said, "This is my beloved Son."  Does that feel reassuring to you in your own experience of baptism? 

Chapter 26, In the Wilderness with Jesus:  Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13.  "Jesus was tempted and obeyed for us, so we can join him in his perfect obedience--in his perfect trust, his perfect patience, and in his perfect worship. His obedience is ours because his obedience is imputed to us."  How do you understand the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness?  How might that example be an act of love for God?  for us?  What experience do you have with being "tested" or tempted?  What's another angle of "obedience" in the Christian faith?  Consider your own levels of patience, trust, and worship.

Chapter 27, On the Mountain with Jesus:  Luke 9:28-36.  "Jesus revealed the glory of our true humanity and the glory of his own Sonship to encourage us to endure suffering and death."  What do you understand of the Transfiguration of Jesus?  Why is it important?  How do you face suffering and death?  What do you fear about suffering and death?  Do the words, "This is my Son whom I have chosen" give you courage?  How does your experience with suffering and death or your observations of others experiencing suffering or death take shape in the good news of Jesus' Transfiguration?

Chapter 28, At the Last Supper with Jesus, Luke 22:7-38.  "Jesus has offered us a token of his body and his blood, in the elements of the Lord's Supper, so we can establish a rhythm of remembrance."  How do you understand the Last Supper of Jesus?  How do you understand communion (eucharist or mass)?  What value you is there for you in ritual, routine, and rhythm?  How is communion an act of love for God and for others?  Reflect on the word "remember."  What rhythm of remembering Jesus will you take on?

Chapter 29, At the Cross with Jesus, Luke 23:26-49, John 18-19.  "The cross Jesus endured reveals God's love for us as physical sympathy, spiritual protection, and moral transformation."  Is the cross a repulsive image for you?  Reflect on the physical pain endured by Jesus.  Flannery O'Connor writes, "There are ages when it is possible to woo the reader; there are others when something more drastic is necessary."  Does this help in any way with a different understanding of the cross?  What does your faith journey need to experience of the cross as relevant or not?

Chapter 30, At the Tomb with Jesus, Matthew 28:1-10, Luke 24:13-35; John 20-21.  "The resurrection of Jesus transforms our disasters into new life."   What argument for the resurrection is most compelling to you?  How do you respond to "disasters" in your life?  How is the resurrection important to day-to-day struggles of life?  in the big issues of life?  How is the resurrection of Jesus an expression of God's love for us?

Part Four: Living the Jesus Creed

Now we engage more of what McKnight proposes in his perceptions of the Jesus Creed.  While many are not comfortable with memorization and repetition of a text, the invitation remains just that.  Perhaps this is a challenge on a different level in that we have a few rote pieces of text that without hesitation we repeat.  And we're comfortable with simply mouthing the words of the Lord's Prayer but not the Jesus Creed?  What if in memorizing the text and reciting it regularly we find freedom to experience it as lectio, allowing the Spirit to move through the words and us in ways that require we listen to the Holy Within that is no longer cluttered by words on a page because we "know" them in our mind, which then allows the weaving in our spirits and our subsequent actions and attitudes?  The journey of faith is not such that believing makes life easier or within our control; in fact, I think McKnight is posing the opposite:  we "get" to experience life as it is in new ways, which can be tension filled because we must develop a relationship with God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit in new ways, and in order to develop those relationships--as with any--requires spending time.  Perhaps time, then, is the challenge?
 
   "'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
    Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
    with all your soul,
    with all your mind, and with all your strength.'
    The second is this:  'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
    There is no commandment greater than these."

IF spiritual formation is as McKnight suggests "about relationship -- with God and with others," then how are YOU building on your relationship with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit as much as with others who share your life's journey here and now?

~*~*~

Chapter 19, Believing in Jesus:  Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28.  "To believe in Jesus means to live in personal relationship with him--in mind, body, and heart."  What does Jesus mean by believe?  How are the "friends of faith" dimensions of genuine faith?  What temptations in your life reduce your "believing" to "Christian orthodox thinking, to activism, or to persistence?"  How can "believing" be first of all a personal relationship to God through Jesus?  What does a "gently and vulnerable relationship with God" look like for you?

Chapter 20, Abiding in Jesus:  Luke 10:38-42; John 15:1-17.  "The 'one thing needful' for spiritual formation is constantly attending to Jesus--heart, soul, mind, and strength."  What percentage of your day to you think you are "attending to" or "abiding in" Jesus?  What distracts you, what breaks down your attending to Jesus and abiding in Jesus?  Have you considered reading the Bible as informational or formational?  When you read or hear the words of Jesus:  "Remain in me and I will remain in you," do you genuinely believe them?  Do you hear them as promise for YOU?  What does the word "commit" mean for you in the way of spending time in building your relationship with God through the Bible, worship, fellowship with others....

Chapter 21, Surrendering in Jesus:  Mark 8:34-9:1; 12:28-31.  "We love God (by following Jesus) and we love others only when we surrender to God and to others personally, mentally, and physically."  Where are you in the "surrender" dimension of loving God and others?  Why is the word "surrender" unpopular today?  Consider how you "surrender" for your deepest loves (family, spouse, best friends) and consider ONE way in which you might surrender something of time or gift on behalf of others outside of that circle.

Chapter 22, Restoring in Jesus:  Mark 4:35-41; 9:14-19; John 21:1-25.  "Failure to live out the Jesus Creed is real; restoration can also be real."  Think of a time or two when you failed to love God or others.  What is one major "social disease" to which you are sensitive and assess your part in that problem.  What is our issue with the word "failure?"  What does the "pattern of imperfection" mean to you?  Imagine living in a world where we take an active role in bringing restoration to others, to our community, to our world.

Chapter 23, Forgiving in Jesus:  Matthew 6:12, 14-15; 18:21-35.  "Those who live in the Jesus Creed forgive others."  What is forgiveness?  Why is it easier to talk about than to practice?  C.S. Lewis writes (in Mere Christianity), "Every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive."  Does that fit you and your experience with being forgiving of another?  Commit your heart to giving forgiveness, trusting God for strength and grace to do it.

Chapter 24, Reaching Out in Jesus:  Matthew 9:36-11:1; 28:16-20; John 20:21.  "Living the Jesus Creed means reaching out with the mission of Jesus to others."  How is the mission of Jesus the mission of one who is a disciple (as in you and me, not the original 12)?  What is your primary mode of reaching out to others, words or actions?  What guides you in knowing when to reach out to others?