The Message

A good friend told me recently: “I don’t believe in this religion stuff. No, not me.” Then we went on to talk about cultural changes, ecological issues, the political climate of the day and a range of other topics that had direct bearing on how we live each day. It was a great conversation for someone who didn’t realize that he was dealing with the same ideas and issues Jesus talked about 2,000 years ago. Same topics, different setting. A word of advice to my friend: Don’t institutionalize Jesus and miss the message. That message was highly relevant then, and it certainly is now. That message lives in the street, not just the sanctuary. It upends the world with its brash claims. It is brash enough to say what our hearts know and our brains sometimes reject. It is free to hear, challenging to accept and insistent that it only works when plugged into life, real hands-on life. While that message is comprehensive and universal, two particular ingredients are of utmost urgency. Those ingredients are identified in this quotation from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. “I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality.” Bypass “that religion stuff” if you choose, but don’t miss the message.