Tom Bandy, writing in the Fellowship of Prayer Lenten series devotional, includes a prayer following his reflection on the story of Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It goes something like this: "Jesus, I've followed you for all the wrong reasons. Thank you for chasing me for all the right reasons."
That prayer sparked a long time of reflection in prayer today. I guess I'd never really given much thought to how self-centered the practice of Christianity has been for most of my life.
Perhaps it is impossible in this life to be one hundred percent about the mission of Christ but surely the percentage can be a lot higher than it is now.
How much of my spiritual discipline is, ultimately, about me - about my comfort levels with God and the human community? How much more different am I in my practices of faith than a benign, neighborly atheist?
Is being Christian like being Roman or Greek or Hebrew or Chinese? Differences galore but one no more human than the next? If being Christian is being about the focus and work of Jesus, then I guess that a lot of my life does not qualify as Christian. Christendom, perhaps, but not really Christian.
Fortunately, that can change. The same one who began this work in me will complete it in his time (or so I seem to recall avery reformed rabbi Paul once write).
What about you? Why do YOU follow Jesus?
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