Several years ago there was a phrase coined, and while jingoistic in its application, the phrase took on a life of its own. And true to our worship of all consumables, it was placed in a wristband, flashed on Tee-shirts, and found its way into our theology..What would Jesus Do? or WWJD? Youth ministers around the country developed little bands and developed an entire ministry grouped around these few words. Everyone was enamored with the novelty of this simple theological question to help us answer the moral and ethical questions of our day.
At the height of this fad a young, dear friend of mine (a youth minister at the time) gave me an old book he had bought at an antique store. The book was titled "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon, originally published in 1896, then copyrighted and republished in 1935. The general question sprinkled all the through the book was..you guessed it, "What would Jesus Do?" So the catch-phrase from the late 1990's was first coined in the late 1890's. The wise man from the old book truly said, "there is nothing new under the sun."
My main complaint about this phenomenon was that the people who employed this simplistic ethical criteria spent little time getting to know the one who fostered it. My tribe has spent far more time parsing and applying the words of the groomsman, rather than the words of the groom.
So my solution to this is to spend some time getting to know what Jesus did. We will follow him through the gospel of Mark, watching his actions, listening to his words, drawing conclusions from the reactions of those around him. We will spend time in the Word and get to know him. Then we can begin the journey of adopting his ways and his words.
My intent is to make this as simple as possible. This process will involve the inner disciplines (study, meditation, prayer, silence, and solitude) I invite you to join me in the journey. By Wednesday of each week I will post where I think the Spirit is leading me, and I welcome comments from you to tell us all where you are being led.
Where will this lead us? I do not know. I am simply strapping on the backpack, lacing up the boots, and hitting the trail.
I invite you to join me.
Don
