The Same Jesus

I listened to one of my best friends give a "talk" last night at our church's Lenten Service. She talked about how she had sat in the same church, in the same pew, with a friend, and how they had come away with what seems to be a very different understanding of Jesus. She asked how they could hear the same words and hear a very different message--a very different Jesus. This idea of the "same Jesus" is amazing to me. I have attended a United Methodist Church my entire life--the same one from the time I was 8 to 22. I learned about the parables Jesus told, of his birth and resurrection. I learned that Jesus healed the sick, fed the hungry--all of those "charity" acts that we as "good Christians" are now suppose to emulate. What was missing was Jesus's commitment to justice--not just charity. Though Jesus did not come to liberate "his people" through becoming a governmental figure, he did come to liberate ALL through the power of love, peace, and justice. How did I sit in Sunday school and church all of those years and miss the most important message of all--Jesus's call for us to live a life of justice? I am not blaming my Sunday school teachers or pastors, I think the church (the body of Christ as a whole--not just one denomination or congregation) has lost this most important message. Many times we do a good job at feeding the poor, but when was the last time we as the body of Christ stood together and advocated for change so that we did not need to feed any of God's children any more? Don't get me wrong, I am not saying this is never done in the church--my own job in the UMC is a great example, but why are some living out this image of the Justice Jesus, and others have missed it all together--are we learning about the "same Jesus"? My best friend stated that she was led to this point in her life because she knows the church has to be held accountable to live out all aspects of Jesus's life--without justice there is no peace or love. I agree with this "calling" and believe we are all here to hold each other accountable to make sure all of God's children, including the least of these, are able to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with their God. I do not know if you have learned about the same Jesus as I believe in. I can only hope that by living as a child of God, you will see that Jesus in me--the one who walked with the poor, gave of his limited resources to feed thousands, healed the sick on the wrong day of the week, and gave the best example of living a life of love, peace, and justice. Peace and blessings, Lauren