Christo-Centric or Christo-Present?

I think there is a danger of Jesus becoming the given of the Christian experience.

 We are all here in church, so it would seem that we have all assented to the fact that Jesus is the center of all of what we do. However, without the continued connection to the person of Jesus, not just the idea of Jesus, all of this is for naught.

Perhaps it is not enough for Jesus to be at the center of what we do. Perhaps the idea of a Christo-Centric community is the wrong model to use. I suggest that we use new language. I suggest that rather than having a Christo-Centric idea of community and church that we have a Christo-Present understanding of the our lives as Christian.

What is the difference? Let's use a couple of different metaphors. The first being a football huddle. In a huddle all the players are looking in to the quarterback to give them instructions. At the end of the huddle they "break" and go to do their respective jobs. The anchoring point is the knowledge that they have of what they were told. While not a bad way to live, I think there is another metaphor that speaks to Christo-Presence in a bit more powerful way. I like the metaphor of the mist in the forest. To have a Christo-Present community is to live in the midst (or mist, if you will) of the presence of Christ that permeates everything. We see the world thru the mist (Presence) of Christ. All of our relationships, our purposes, and our decisions are affected by this presence. All of our efforts are subject to the worldview that Christ gives us as we look through and into His presence to one another, the world around us, and to the Kingdom of God.

Therefore, the anchoring point, as it were, is really the filter through which we see everything, feel everything, evaluate everything, and love everyone. It is is not a fixed point on the horizon, either looking forward or looking back. Rather, it is the relative truth through which we experience Christ in all things.  This should color our experience of faith as well. Because from now on, all is measured by the Crucified Christ. Jurgen Moltmann says: "And for me that meant, whatever can stand before the face of the crucified Christ is true Christian theology" (The Crucified God). Our knowing, then, is held up to light of the Cross and Jesus upon it.

There is always a fear of letting go of what we know, and I am not suggesting that. I am simply suggesting that what we know be subordinated to the Crucified Christ and his presence in our lives. Too often, we know the right things and it has little impact upon us. The only thing that is transformational is a knowledge of Christ, not a knowledge about Christ. I can tell you of the "mist", but if you cannot see it, the world still looks the same for you.

Post-critical thought would say that we have to submit before we understand the truth of something. And perhaps it is on to something. Is our knowledge of Christ subject to Christ? Or is Christ subject to our knowledge of Him? Perhaps that is just playing with words. But I think there is something true that needs to be explored.

Do we know Christ or of Him? Are we transformed by our submission to him in our lives? Do we interpret all we see, feel, read, and experience through the "Mist" of Christ that is present in our lives?


Just my .02.

By the way; I'm listening to the new tracks from the upcoming Chris Picco ep. A re-imagining of some of your favorite hymns. This is coming out on August 15, 2009. We will be having a concert to launch, as a vespers service at LLUC. You can catch it on LLUC's website, on LLBN, or DVD about a month later. Be checking www.reliverecords.org for more information.

Comments

[James Moon]

Tim great stuff. I appreciate the mist metaphor and hope to be wet with the presence of Christ. Thanks for your thoughts.

Blessings,
Jim Moon

[Timothy Gillespie]

Thanks Jim. How are things?