Sam and I have begun a journey with some friends over the last few months where we are interested in assessing our faith in Jesus. Trevor Hudson is helping us do this. In last week’s discussion he encouraged us to read the Gospel of John as a ‘beginner’, without the expectations, pressures, perceptions and hangups we’ve picked up in our journey as Christ-followers thus far. It’s both a challenge and a blessing doing this. One of Richard Rohr’s daily meditation’s popped into my mailbox this morning, and I thought it pertinent to the journey I’m on. Here’s the quote:

Jesus is the microcosm; Christ is the macrocosm.  There is a movement from Jesus to the Christ that you and I have to imitate and walk, as well.  A lot of us have so fallen in love with the historical Jesus that we worship him as such and stop there.  We never really followed the same journey which he made, which is the death and resurrection journey—Jesus died and Christ arose.

Unless we make the same movement that Jesus did, from his one single life to his risen and transformed state, we probably don’t really understand what we mean by the Christ—and how we are part of the deal! That is why he said “follow me.”  The Jesus that you and I participate in, are graced by, and are redeemed by is the RISEN Jesus who has become the Christ, which is an inclusive statement about all of us and all of creation.  Stay with this startling truth in the days ahead and it will rearrange your mind and heart and change the way you see everything, because you are the Christ Mystery too!