Monday, January 05, 2004
Radical Truths - Introduction
In the coming of Christ, in the incarnation, in what Jesus taught, in what we as Christians are asked to do, we have some certain and definite truths and ideas to deal with. I like to call them "radical truths" both because they are root concepts, but also because living them are radical in our day and age. I am going to talk about a number of these over the next series of postings.
There are some core things to start with. The Incarnation. Christ's death and ressurection. You cannot be a Christian in the full sense of the word if you don't buy into all of these. Jesus is God come to earth to be with us. He didn't just appear here as a full-blown adult, but let himself sit nine months in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and let himself be born. He truly became Emmanuel, God-With-Us, from the moment of his conception. He is not just a man who had some sort of enlightenment experience in the Judean wilderness and began preaching,. He is the Word Incarnate, and the Word was with God and is God, and predates all creation. He is also the true biological son of Mary, and fully human at the same time. There is no other person born like Jesus, fully human, truly God, simulaneously.
The marvel is, that knowing our true nature, knowing what we are like and capable of, knowing the evil that man is capable of, he still calls us, suffers with us, and loves us.
If you don't start here, then your Jesus is just another philosopher. You might as well go do zazen.
In the coming of Christ, in the incarnation, in what Jesus taught, in what we as Christians are asked to do, we have some certain and definite truths and ideas to deal with. I like to call them "radical truths" both because they are root concepts, but also because living them are radical in our day and age. I am going to talk about a number of these over the next series of postings.
There are some core things to start with. The Incarnation. Christ's death and ressurection. You cannot be a Christian in the full sense of the word if you don't buy into all of these. Jesus is God come to earth to be with us. He didn't just appear here as a full-blown adult, but let himself sit nine months in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and let himself be born. He truly became Emmanuel, God-With-Us, from the moment of his conception. He is not just a man who had some sort of enlightenment experience in the Judean wilderness and began preaching,. He is the Word Incarnate, and the Word was with God and is God, and predates all creation. He is also the true biological son of Mary, and fully human at the same time. There is no other person born like Jesus, fully human, truly God, simulaneously.
The marvel is, that knowing our true nature, knowing what we are like and capable of, knowing the evil that man is capable of, he still calls us, suffers with us, and loves us.
If you don't start here, then your Jesus is just another philosopher. You might as well go do zazen.
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