Last month, I wrote about my robot lawnmower, using it as an example of the fact that doing something “little and often” is usually a better way than erratic patterns of “nothing then loads.” Certainly, in terms of nurturing relationships, including a relationship with God, a regular and continuous engagement with the other person is more effective than an occasional moment of intensity. Was I suggesting that people (especially those who call themselves Christians) should make a habit of coming to church (to engage with and alongside others in the study of God’s word and in the practice of prayer and worship)? Yes, I was. Unashamedly so. It is harder to maintain a relationship with someone from a distance. Indeed, if a person is serious about a relationship, that person will do all they can to reduce the distance and increase the amount of contact they have with the one they love.
And that’s where Christianity is good news. God, in his extraordinary love for us, has come right to where we are. In the Gospel of John – in the part that we often read at Christmas – we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (Jn 1:1-3) Just a few sentences later, we read, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” (Jn 1:14). The Word who was God and who created all things made his dwelling among us. God wants a relationship with us and has moved close to us to make that possible. How has he done this? He has done so in Jesus. The Bible and two thousand years of Christian teaching in line with the Bible, have maintained that our only hope for a good relationship with God is in Jesus. Jesus himself said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6) One way or another, if we are going to pursue a relationship with God, we must do business with Jesus – either we will accept what he says and come to him in faith, or we will reject what he says and walk away from him (and also away from the God to whom he claims to give exclusive access).
Sadly, in my experience, a lot of people do not engage with Jesus. In the minds of many and despite the incontrovertible evidence of the historical record, he has been relegated to the realm of legend or fairytale and largely dismissed as irrelevant. Others consider him to have been something of a good teacher but don’t know much of his teaching (and are content to leave it that way, suggesting they do not believe it is good enough for them to bother finding out more). Both of these responses are the relational equivalent of rejecting him. If he were just a legend, a fictional creation of a fairytale author or an ordinary human being with a few interesting ideas, that wouldn’t be a problem. But his claims should give us all pause. Amongst them are: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16); “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote [the first five books of the Bible 1500 years ago] about me” (Jn 5:46); “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10); “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30). In making these claims, Jesus can only be mad (so an unreliable teacher) or lying (so not good) or telling the truth (so Lord of all and hope of the world). What do you think? And what are the implications of this for you and for those you love?
May God bless you with a deeper knowledge of the love he has for you.