[Vision2020] The Essence of Christianity

[Nicholas Gier]

*Kudos to Pastor Biffle.*

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*What a great message for Thanksgiving.*

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*Desperately counting my blessings in a time of crazy politics and culture.*

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*Nick*

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*Time for Jesus to 'occupy' your life*

*By Robin Biffle | Posted: Friday, November 18, 2011 12:00 am*

*Moscow-Pullman Daily News*

Jesus is an original "occupy " guy, isn't he?

He's part of the movement that thrives when powers and principalities and
people need to hear the prophetic voice of difficult truth. Whatever your
understanding and experience of Jesus, you may recognize him as a human
being who spoke and acted subversively within the brokenness, hypocrisy and
cynicism of the dominant political, religious and social structures.

Many Christians understand that Jesus occupies us to bring us to a "more
excellent way;" Jesus challenges us and then supports us in the call to
live a life of justice, compassion, abundance, forgiveness, reconciliation
and restoration - the marks of God's reign on Earth. Living in God's reign,
living for the common good, invites us to face difficult choices, and to
make a choice that gives life and offers love.

To give us guidance in this "kingdom living," Jesus reminds us of the two
great commandments - love God, love others. Jesus isn't talking, of course,
of the warm, fuzzy, feel-good kind of "love" of pop culture. Jesus wasn't
talking of any feeling at all. Jesus was talking about action, about doing
love. Jesus says, be loyal to God, be loyal to others. What you do to
others, he says, you do to me. Don't love money. Don't love stuff. Get your
priorities straight: "render to Caesar" and "render to God" and don't
mistake the former for the latter. That's occupy movement talk.

What the occupy movement says is consistent with what Jesus says: Look
after the folks who need looking after. Don't hoard. Don't cheat. Don't
steal. Share - especially with those who have less than you have.

When Jesus occupies the temple, overturns the tables and chases the
moneychangers away, what do the on-lookers do? We imagine that some run
away appalled and hurry to tell their friends about the scruffy, dusty
protester who behaved badly. Some wait for things to get back to "normal"
so they can go about their business again. But some open their eyes and
see, open their ears and hear. Some turn and follow, and continue in Jesus'
example of acting up.

Issues raised by the occupy movement are fundamentally religious questions:
Who/what is our god? What is our relationship to/with other people? How do
we care for the least among us? What is our responsibility in the public
square? How do we live lives consonant with love in a world that's
imploding with greed? Who are we called to be in these times? What are we
called to do? We are called to stand up for the things Jesus stood up for,
and overturn the tables that Jesus overturned.

I invite you to let Jesus occupy your life. I invite you to occupy your own
life. Let Jesus challenge you or challenge yourself. Ask yourself the hard
questions: Am I living for the common good, or am I living the convenient
life - the life that is about me, me, me? What is my treasure? Where is my
heart? Whenever you're faced with a choice ask: Which way is life-giving?
Which reflects the priorities of compassion and care for others? Would I do
this to Jesus? Would I want this done to me? Occupy yourself!
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*The Rev. Robin Biffle* is rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Moscow.
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