The beginning of the end or The end of the beginning
“Their world is too often that of coffee mornings and wealthy suburbanites, pretending to be angelic.”
Unexpectedly I found myself cornered into helping with the current Alpha … what an eye opener. I watched and listened, prayed and pondered; for each of these guests it was either the beginning of the end – the fulfillment of a lifelong search – or else it’s the end of an old beginning as they resist the good news and turn further away from God, arguing their “rights” every step of the slippery way.Excepting the work of the Spirit in the weeks to come, I can already see who will likely be the most disillusioned as they encounter the reality of the Jesus held before them – a Jesus they are not pleased to find, a Jesus who was not going to offer a platitude of comfort, the Jesus who strips away every pretense of going to church. For others, I could see the stirrings of an excitement – that this was the Jesus they were looking for; slightly scary, bigger than they had hoped, intoxicating, and desirable. For these I was moved to praise … prayerful thanks to a God who continually satisfies … and prayerful pleading to break the callousness of those with rebellious hearts and minds steeped in pride.
How many come through our doors each Sunday, I wonder, “pretending to be angelic”. How many so quickly forget Matthew 19:24? How many wear the burial shroud of self-confidence that suffocates and blinds them to the bright reality of life with Jesus? It saddens me, but then I am given to melancholy.
So as Alpha addresses the one essential question that lies at the centre of our faith, I put this same question to you: “Who is Jesus to you?” Figurative? Present? Distant? Pleasurable? Threatening? Sanitized? Warrior King? Here’s the microphone, please speak clearly!
In a somewhat bizarre related matter, I tried a squeal test recently. Maybe you didn’t notice, but for two weeks I have written nothing. I wanted to see if anyone squealed. Only one did! So likewise, is this the end of the beginning, or the beginning of the end of Mordecai?Please write and let me know: [email protected]