“But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came to the temple courts again. All the people came to him, and he sat down and began to teach them. The experts in the law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught committing adultery. They made her stand in front of them and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone to death such women. What then do you say?” (Now they were asking this in an attempt to trap him, so that they could bring charges against him.) Jesus bent down and wrote on the ground with his finger. When they persisted in asking him, he stood up straight and replied, “Whoever among you is guiltless may be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then he bent over again and wrote on the ground. Now when they heard this, they began to drift away one at a time, starting with the older ones, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up straight and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” She replied, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you either. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”]] John 8:1-11

“The nonconformist Jesus who associated with the religious and social “Lowlife” of Palestine also serves as a corrective to a Christianity that is ever tempted to become respectable by this world’s standards …he frustrates all attempts to turn Christian faith into relevant ideology, right or left, and is a constant catalyst for renewing theological thought and church life.” (“The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”, scripture scholar John P. Meier)

If Jesus escapes all neat categories and is neither left nor right, then faithful disciples of Jesus can expect to be similar to the one they follow. But it is so hard to take in and love Gospel values and not want to lean to the left – or the right. That is because our understanding of the meaning of life and our reactions to events of the world often are rooted in the competing messages of society – rather than in the scriptures.

This past political season has challenged many and highlighted much conflict between the Gospel life we are called to live and our own deeply held convictions.

What steps should or could you take to move beyond turning toward the competing political or economic or cultural  convictions in determining human value — and instead turn toward Jesus’ ethic of treating all people as valuable deserving love, mercy and Grace?

Pastor Dave

“The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I called to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I have been saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me.” Psalm 18:1-5

Our relationship with G-d is at the heart of our moral life. And the images of G-d we form play an important role in how this relationship develops. For example, for many of my younger years I had formed the image of G-d as an angry G-d, a harsh punisher and ultimate judge. As such my relationship with G-d was one formed out of fear – not love and grace.

As Christians we have certain influences for forming an image of G-d: the Sacraments, prayer, and bible study have as much influence as our experiences in and out of the church. These all influence how we think and feel about G-d. One image of G-d that comes to us through scripture  comes from the Psalms (18, 62). These suggest the image of G-d as “Rock” – “The Lord is my Rock, my fortress”; “G-d alone is my Rock and my salvation.”

Now you may not be comfortable thinking about or comparing G-d to a rock, but we should not hold just one image of G-d in our hearts. We need to multiply our images of G-d. Different images help us to appreciate different aspects of G-d, who, truthfully is always greater than any description. But each image we have gives us a glimpse of the mystery of   G-d.

The bible offers a wonderful variety, including fire, love, shepherd, shelter, bread of life, and the Holy One. And the parables point to an intimate, loving G-d. So, what image of G-d is at the root of your relationship with G-d?

Pastor Dave