Be Jesus…

Despite what you have heard or might have of heard,
Or been taught at sometime in the past;
I want to tell you today that…
It is not about…
Consubstantiation.
Or, transubstantiation.
Or, any other type of substantiation, if there is another type.

And, it is not about…
Christology.
Or, eschatology.
Or, soteriology.
Or, ecclesiology.
Or, any other ology you would like to add.

And, it is not about…
Hypostatic union.
Or, dispensationalism.
Or, pretribulation.
Or, predestination.

It is also not about…
Immutability.
Or, infallibility.
Or, substitutionary atonement.
Or, regeneration.

And, it is not about…
Doctrine.
Or, dogma.
Or, sanctification.
Or, purity.

It is not about…
The Trinity.
Or, the immaculate conception.
Or, walking on water.
Or, even turning water into wine.

It is about Jesus.
Healing.
Teaching.
Touching.
Challenging those who lord it over others in any one of 1000 different ways.
It is about Jesus.
Changing the lives of those who came in touch with him then.
And, those who come in touch with him even now.

And, it is about us…
About you and me…
Doing our best to be Jesus in those places where we live and work each day.
To be healing.
To be hope.
To be light.
To be compassion.
To be challenge.
Doing our best and, each day, striving to do better:
To love God.
To love our neighbor.
To turn towards and not away from those whom Jesus names as the least of these.
To treat others as we ourselves would like to be treated.

Here is what I mean.
When Jesus broke the bread with his disciples and passed around the cup from which they were to drink, he was not talking about sacrifice – his life for our sins like it was some God given trade-off.
Jesus was talking about presence.
About who he was now being a part of who they were.
So they could begin to do…
Would begin to do…
What they had seen and watched him do.

So, let me ask you this…
What is it about Jesus which most inspires you or challenges you or comforts you or sustains you? What is it about Jesus that you get the best?
Start there.
Take that one part;
That one thing;
And, do your best
To do that.
And, to be that.
To be Jesus…the best you can.