Dancing into the Kingdom (Jessup style)

Sometimes, I don’t believe in Jesus.

In the Sermon on the Mount, or what Brian McLaren calls his ‘Kingdom Manifesto’, Jesus lays out a pretty detailed example of what it looks like to follow him and to live in his Kingdom.  And I don’t live like that.

Every day I make decisions.  I choose what clothes I’m going to wear, what I’m going to eat, and how I’m going to treat people.  I choose to spend my time and energy on things that matter like relationships, learning, and God, or on things that don’t matter like video games, clothes, or money.  With every choice I make, I’m making a statement of belief.  I’m either choosing to believe in Jesus, his Kingdom, his values, and his life, or in the world, its values and toys and empires.

More often than not, I choose the world.

I have no faith, and no need of faith–I have my bank accounts and money for that.  I don’t love my enemies…sometimes I don’t even love my friends.  I often judge others by far steeper standards than I judge myself.  I don’t give my clothes away to the ones who need them very often, and I seldom go above and beyond any requests made of me unless somebody else is watching.  Too quickly do I look for excuses to continue my life as is, unaltered, comfortable and consistent…and too quickly do those excuses present themselves.  I’m usually more concerned about my life and my things than I am about anything or anyone else, and I tend to pass every choice I make through that filter.  And something tells me that you’re not any different.

But that doesn’t really matter, because I am not defined by any of those things.  They have all lost their power.  You see, I am salt.  I have inside of me a light that cannot be hidden, no matter how hard I try to snuff it out.  After he shows us what his Kingdom looks like and who will be there, Jesus tells all of the people listening that they are the ‘salt of the earth’ and the ‘light of the world’.  He doesn’t say “if you follow my teachings you are the salt of the earth”; he says simply, “you are the salt of the Earth”.  He doesn’t tell us that we’re only the light of the world if we believe in him or do loving things.  He says “you are the light of the world”.  Jesus was stating fact.  That is who we are.  As human beings, we bear the image of God.  We are beautiful.  We are loved creations who can reveal the “God-flavors” of the earth we’re living on.  And that doesn’t change, whether I believe it or not.

From here, Jesus gives us a warning.  He tells us that salt that isn’t salty is useless, and that light that doesn’t illuminate dark places doesn’t do much good.  And that’s where belief comes in.  Do I believe that Jesus and his Kingdom are the source of real life, and life to the full?  Do I believe that Love is the answer to all of the problems I face, even when everything I know is saying something different?  In my head, I certainly do.  In my heart and through my actions, I don’t as often as I should or could or want to.  But that doesn’t change who I am and what I was created for.  And that doesn’t change the fact that Love is the answer to everything.  And there is nothing I can do about that, save come along for the ride…which is pretty liberating (not to mention, fun).

I’m a pretty awkward person, and a terrible dancer.  Last night we had our ‘Spring Formal’, and this event managed to bring out both of those qualities.  The food was great, the music was wonderful, and for the first half hour or 45 minutes nobody danced.  We all sort of just stood around, making small talk and felling awkward.  And then we had a lesson in swing dancing from some awesome instructors.   Just like that, the ice was broken, the shoes came off, and raucous revelry became the name of the game.  As soon as I learned how to do a couple swing moves and move my feet to the rhythm (or somewhat close to the rhythm) of the songs, I cut loose with no hesitation whatsoever.  And the rest of the night was a super fun…for me at least.  After we broke through the beginning awkwardness and confusion and discovered what we were really there for, nothing could dampen our spirits or get in the way of us having a good time.  The music didn’t change, I didn’t become a better dancer or less socially awkward, and my partner was the same.  But I understood that I was there to have fun.  To dance.  I woke up to the reality of where I was, and once that happened many toes were broken, I made a fool of myself, and I had a stinking blast in the process.

What if God’s Kingdom is the same way?  We’re here, living.  We are image-bearers of God, with unlimited potential.  We are salt of the earth, light of the world.  We simply have to break through the awkwardness and confusion, and stumble our way through the first couple steps, and then dance like there’s no tomorrow.  The best part is that God’s our partner, whether we like it or not.

Jesus, teach me how to dance…and stumble along with me while I’m learning.  Thank you for loving me and believing in me, whether I return the favor or not.  Help me do the former more often than the latter, for the sake of everyone.

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