It’s not the politest of acronyms, but it does the job really well: K.I.S. S…Keep it Simple Stupid. Sometimes we have the knack of taking things that were never meant to be complex and failing to keep them that way, which is I guess, a bit foolish.
Take the label “Christian”, originally used in the city of Antioch (modern day Antakya, in Türkiye) to describe the “Little Christs” as the early church took root in that place. We’re not certain whether this was used as a compliment or as an insult, but today the word Christian has, in some contexts, become quite toxic. The media are full of stories about the latest abuse by clergy, the latest high profile Christian leader to be caught out and, in certain places, the alignment of some Christians with right wing, nationalistic politics.
My friends in the Northumbrian Collective have been blogging on the theme, “Are we still ‘Christian’?” in response to some of this. You can read the blogs HERE if you like.
Anyway, as I pondered what it means to be a follower of Jesus (my preferred label) I kept coming back to the thought that I’ve made my relationship with God through Jesus so much more complicated than it needs to be.
I’ve been a follower of Jesus for a long time now…over 60 years…and maintaining this relationship with God doesn’t seem to get any easier. I still struggle to pray and read scripture sometimes, I don’t love God or others as much as I even want to…to put it plainly I still don’t feel I bear much resemblance to the one I claim to follow.
But there’s one other thing I remember, and remembering, I keep a grip on hope: God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning. How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over). He’s all I’ve got left.
Lamentations 3:19-24 MSG
Out of my desire to simplify how I try to grow my relationship with God I dug out my copy of The Message//Remix: Solo. I wanted to get to know Jesus again through the pages of the Gospels, but the words in most versions are so familiar that I find it too easy to skate over what they’re saying. So, I thought the almost raw language of The Message might help, despite it’s frequent words and idioms from a culture not my own (come to think of it, the New Testament was written and selected in cultures not my own too…it’s so hard to keep it simple!).
The Message//Remix: Solo sets out to guide the reader through the practice of Lectio Divina. You READ, THINK, PRAY and LIVE a short bit of the Bible. It’s not a prescriptive way of reading, with copious notes and commentaries. Rather it creates space to hear from the Holy Spirit through the written word in a very personal way…what is this saying to me at this time in my life and relationship with God.
I’ve been surprised and challenged at the things that jump out at me from the text each day…the familiar has become fresh! In future posts I hope to share some of the things I’ve viewed with fresh eyes.
Pilgrim Traveller 