Closer to the Center

Pastor / author John Ortberg raises an old question in a new way.  Just what makes us “Jesus / Church” people who we are?  First, he notes that only three times does the word “Christian” appear in the New Testament.  And he notes that Jesus never says what a Christian is, and never tells people how to become a Christian.  Rather, Jesus called people to follow him.  (So we find the word disciple 269 times in the Bible!)

So, how do we define a “disciple,” a follower of Jesus?  Who’s in and who’s not?  One approach is like we can use for sorting objects as either “in” or “out.”  First we can go back to fourth grade math where we learned about “sets.”  One kind is a “bounded set.”  With bounded sets, you determine whether an object is in or out by defining the boundary.  

As you could determine whether something is a triangle by saying that it must meet the minimum requirements of having three distinct sides and three angles.  This is clear.  And unchanging.  A circle will never be a triangle.  It cannot become more triangle-y.  And a triangle cannot become square-ish.  Make the criteria clear, and you know what’s in and what’s not.

Another kind of set is called a “centered set.”  Here, members of the set are defined by their orientation to the center.  Membership in the set is dynamic – it changes.  What matters more is the movement.  Like the set of “bald people.”  A baby may be born bald, but she’s growing hair.  So she’s on her way out of the bald group.  On the other hand, a 20 year-old may have a full head of hair, but it’s beginning to recede.  So he’s on his way in.

If we think of Christianity as a bounded set, we will focus on the boundary.  (And there are plenty of boundaries in the Bible!)  But we would define the necessary conditions for being in.  A precisely stated belief, a particular kind of prayer prayed, a religious membership.  Understandable, as often as the New Testament speaks of belief in Christ as basic.

However, the Gospels and the Letters present a community of disciples that looks more like a centered set.  The center is Jesus.  He offers life in God’s family, centered in faith and love.  In which followers are continually moving in and toward Jesus, moving the way he is leading, and inviting others to move toward him in his fullness of forgiveness and life.  We find our true selves better toward the center than by the boundaries.            (--taken from “Eternity is Now in Session”)     -- Pastor Dick