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Open Door Articles May "Both Savior and Mentor" 5/10/04 | "Both Savior and Mentor" 5/10/04 |
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| Friday, 06 August 2004 | |
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Both Savior and Mentor At the leadership breakfast, held on Saturday, May 1st, I told those gathered about one of the messages of good news that this church and her people express. The words are printed on the t - shirts and sweat shirts worn by Elliottsville members. From Paul's letter to the Roman church you have chosen these words as your positioning statement, " Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers " ( Romans 12: 9 ). This is nothing short of extraordinary. In a world where most all the language of religious apparel is directed toward conversion and hell - avoidance, you have stepped out of the normal arena of church language and claimed the more significant road: Jesus is not only our Savior ? Jesus is our mentor. If salvation and conversion do not lead to an outward turning of selfless acts of mercy, love, compassion, justice, and the search for peace then what good is all the salvation and conversion in the world. There is significance in claiming Jesus as Savior and claiming Jesus as mentor. Both are essential to kingdom life. Both bring about completion in the life of a disciple. Mostly, we are familiar with the concept of Jesus as Savior. Most of our lives we have heard the truth of relying upon the grace and love of God shown through Jesus to save us. We are unable to save ourselves, so God has acted in mercy to restore us to a good relationship with God. We remind ourselves of that each time we meet in worship. Following our prayer of confession we hear the good news: In Jesus Christ our sins are forgiven. But, there's more. More than a life of religiosity. More than a concept of " me and Jesus " that is too often defined for the purpose of avoiding damnation. Especially, when it seems that the majority of Jesus' words were directed toward changing the way we treat each other. Paul's words, too, in the 12th chapter of Romans tell us that there are great duties placed upon the Christian believer. Paul tells us that following Jesus means more than following after a Savior. We must follow after the one who is the way by living the way Jesus has taught. Read the 12th chapter of Romans. Consider whether or not you think, in the context of the war our nation is waging, these words of Paul are important. Or, in the context of the day to day encounters we have with people, they are essential to the proclamation that Jesus has done more than saved us. Jesus has shown us how to live. Before we go shouting in the streets about our religiosity or our favored status or our personal salvation and revelations, maybe we should consider what it means to be a follower. A disciple. A peacemaker. Or, is it too intimate to have as our mentor the one who is our Savior? Grace and peace, Pastor Mark |
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| Last Updated ( Friday, 06 August 2004 ) |