What About the Second Coming of Jesus?

admin — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 22:13:13 +0000

There are many ways to understand Revelation, whether it points us to the future or to the past, and whether or not its proclamation of a second coming by Jesus reflects a coming historical event. People of genuine faith hold very different views. Most important is that we approach faith as a whole with passion and relevance–that our interpretations of apocalyptic literature and our reactions to the interpretations and beliefs of others do not divide us from each other and do not prevent us from doing what Jesus taught: “Love one another.” There is a clear biblical priority to work for justice, peace, and compassion among all people. All Christians need to live courageously and with passion as we seek to follow Jesus. It is crucial that we always remember how the Apostle Paul reminded us: “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8: 38-39)

As a fifteen year old, I was drawn to an exciting view of Revelation, one that made my faith seem real, relevant, and important. I no longer believe that particular view reflects good biblical scholarship, but I still find faith to be real, relevant, exiting, and important. This past week, at Church camp, I experienced that reality, relevance, and importance through the majesty of hiking through mountains and woods, the poignancy of sharing life and life stories with others, and the mystical presence of taking time away from usual routine to hear the still, small voice of the Spirit. I was reminded that the presence of God is around us always and the life of God through the Spirit of Christ is in each of us. I believe God waits eagerly for each of us to step up to full partnership with God’s own Spirit in realizing God’s own dream of Shalom. This dream seeks not to destroy evil, but to transform evil into what is good and holy through the power of love. Life doesn’t get more tangible, exciting, and real than that!

Jesus and Us: Divine and Human

admin — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 01:25:16 +0000

We are in God and God is in us. We are one, inseparable. The dual natures of humanity and divinity that were present in Jesus are present in us as well. Let us remember that we all are divine spiritual beings and we all are human, physical beings. We all are one in God. There is no distance between God and each of us, though at times the distance can seem infinitely large because of our perspective. In reality, we are two sides of the same coin.
We are called to awaken to the true and divine nature of ourselves and of each human being. As we do, we begin to see each other as reflections of God’s very nature. As you recognize and treasure that divine nature in each human being, including yourself, you will find that you are working to transform the world into the shalom of God. You will begin to hear that voice within you saying, “this is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.” You will discover, even without even intending to, that you are giving birth to God’s new creation. And that matters a lot. In Jesus’ name, it’s what we’re all about!
What did you learn from this article? There is so much more to the question of Jesus’ humanity and divinity than appears on the surface. When you look at the facts, you can see that the idea of Jesus as God developed within the Christian Church. It was present, but not fully developed, in the New Testament. But as with most things spiritual, there is a deeper meaning that is available and vital for us to discover.

Finding Faithdivine Jesus

What About the Second Coming of Jesus?

Jesus and Us: Divine and Human