The Relational Mission

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. —John 1:1 No single word in English conveys the meaning of the Greek word that is most often translated “the Word.” It means something like the ultimate truth, the foundation of all things, the source of all life beyond which there is nothing greater. If we were to search for the center point of the center of what it means for life to be life, then we would be talking about “the Word.”   This one sentence claims to speak about the most significant reality of existence.Yet, the claim of this sentence is absolutely absurd if we think about. It refers to the ultimate center of the center as demonstrated through the life of a historical figure named Jesus Christ. To us, as the recipients of 2000 years of talk about Jesus, this claim does not scream with problems. However, when these words were written, it referred to a man, one who was born out of wedlock, from a country with no government, who held no posit...

“I will never leave you or forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5 Jesus parting words to his closest friends was that he would always be with them. This is a weird thing to say after you have come back from the dead and you are about to ascend to heaven. Of course, rising from the dead and ascending like Jesus did were not exactly normal things to do. The stories about what Jesus did not fit into common expectations in the first century or any century for that matter. But Jesus says that he would “be with them always,” mimicking the promise of God given to the Israelites throughout the Old Testament (Deut. 31:8), and returning to the original plan of God walking with Adam in the Garden. Jesus claimed that he would present with us at all times. However, Jesus left his disciples and returned to the Father. It surely did not look like he would remain in their vicinity, much less be near them in an up-close-and-personal way.  I struggle with believing this promise of Jesus. It is hard for m...