Monday, April 15, 2013

"how can the Christ come from galilee?"

dear emily,

when did you last have your theology messed up?  you know, when it feels like
someone has roughed up your hair and smudged around your makeup, only it's
your heart?   can you imagine how the jewish people must have felt when Jesus
said, "if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink."  what?  were they
even allowed to drink that sort of thing?

about like some republicans.   you mean Jesus isn't a conservative?

Jesus isn't confined to any of our shallow classifications, because He
supercedes them.   the huffington report recently featured an article intended
to encourage christendom.   one of the chief points emphasized that we need
to go a little easy on our Jesus talk.   Jesus seems to cause terrible offense
when we raise the subject.

i was huffed that someone would tell me when i can and can't speak the Name
above all other names.   but then, i pondered the matter.   maybe we are
guilty of saying, "Jesus" flippantly.   it is one of the quagmires of the kingdom
that while Jesus is the sweetest name we know, and we have been urged to
call Him 'friend,' He remains the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

who ever was allowed to call any other king by his first name?  "good
morning, henry."

anyway, i thought of some loose Jesus talk boundaries:  baby christians
could limit it to 'please and thank you' until they know Him better.  the rest
of us could use His name sparingly unless in reverence or cases of extreme
need, obsessive devotion, ecstatic gratitude, hopeless affection, hilarious
joy, delightful adoration . . .

love,
lea




10 comments:

Elizabeth Dianne said...

We can't box Him in, can we?

Love this post, Lea--

You said a lot in a very graceful manner.

Wow, Emily is a blessed girl to have you as a mentor.

Anne Lyken-Garner said...

I make it a point not to say His name unless I'm talking about Him or am actually calling on Him. I teach my kids the same because I hear their friends saying 'God' and 'Jesus' all the time for no reason.

Vee said...

I may have to read this a few times to know what you're saying. :D

Not too many subjects get to call the King "Daddy" either.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Amen...delightful adoration!!!

Sandy said...

Thanks for writing this, Lea. I love it...and Jesus, the Name above all others!!!!
Huffington seems to upset me a lot so I just can't read it as much anymore.

myletterstoemily said...

vee: you were right, this was poorly
and quickly written. i hope the edit
is more understandable.

Farm Girl said...

Well said and I always wondered why people would speak so familiarly about someone whom when John saw Him with hair white as snow fell on His face as a dead man.
It makes you wonder. Great post.

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Excellent post and, again, you're a wise woman, Lea. Dave used to say the more someone talked about something, the less likely it was to be true. Perhaps that's the way with folks who talk Jesus; they aren't walking the walk.

Anita said...

Oooo... you've got me on this one!I'm blessed with many friends and associates and not all of them are Christian. I rarely speak the name of Jesus to non-Christians because the mood instantly changes. My only "witness" these days is to be an example. They know I'm a church going, bible toting Christian, so I hope they give any credit I may deserve to Him. The media and over-zealous Christians have made people feel that saying the name of Jesus is proselytizing. But then again, a lot of lives have been turned around because of an over-zealous Christian.

Single and Sane said...

Beautiful post. Like Anita, I try to witness to my non-Christian friends with my life more than with words but there are times when I feel led to use His name. And I pray that when I do, I reflect more of Him and less of me.