As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." – Luke 9:57

Today's Scripture Reading (January 2, 2024): Luke 9

It is a mistake that we sometimes seem to forget. Our call, our commitment, is to the person of Christ; it is not to a belief system. We prefer to give our commitment to a belief system. We argue over the fine points of the faith. We build up elaborate systems; we are pretribulation, post-tribulation, or for the undecided among us mid tribulation, all according to when we think the Jesus's second coming might occur. We are Calvinist or Arminian, depending on whether or not we put the priority on God's power or his love.

Maybe it is a dispensational way of looking at church history or one that looks at the covenants that God has made with man. They are labeled, and we argue. We quote our favorite Bible verses, but they all miss the point because we are not called to a belief system. Our call is to the person of Jesus Christ. Our Christianity is based on our relationship with him.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it this way:

Discipleship means adherence to Christ ...An abstract Christology, a doctrinal system, a general religious knowledge on the subject of grace or on the forgiveness of sins, render discipleship superfluous, and in fact they positively exclude any idea of discipleship whatever, and are essentially inimical to the whole conception of following Christ.

Discipleship without Jesus Christ is a way of our own choosing. It may be the ideal way. It may even lead to martyrdom, but it is devoid of all promise. Jesus will certainly reject it. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer – The Cost of Discipleship)

Christianity is not based on good deeds; it is not based on a belief statement. It is based on Jesus Christ. We come to Jesus and commit to follow Jesus, but what do we mean by that? Are we willing to really follow Jesus, or are we committing to follow a caricature of Jesus built out of our particular theological leanings? It is a tricky question because the real Jesus will often carry us into some unexpected places. Jesus's reaction to this man reveals that it was likely a caricature of Jesus that the man wanted to follow, not the real Jesus.

For a while, the business community has been discovering something. Authors from Marcus Buckingham to Steven Covey stress the importance in business (and in the business of the church) to keep the main thing, the main thing. Success depends on keeping what is central to your organization's survival at the center of what you will do. And for us, the center of absolutely everything we do is Jesus. It is so easy to get sidetracked; many other things like beliefs and doctrines, can become "The Main Thing." But our main thing has to be Jesus – Jesus – no one but Jesus. I love the ending of the Lorica of St. Patrick.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

The Lorica of St. Patrick (ca. 377)

This is our confession; it is Christ that we are about and Christ to whom we are being called. Christ, Christ, and Christ.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: John 6