Beginning our Journey together

Ash Wednesday, blogger Bishop Bill Hutchinson
Living the Jesus Creed is indeed a challenge. For us to “institutionalize” this teaching of Jesus in the same way Israel institutionalized the Shema will take a big change in our understanding of these two teachings. For Christians, this is at the heart of our faith, but it is not something we have crystalized into a confessional statement that is to accompany us wherever we go. Instead it is a formative teaching that invades our very being until it becomes normative for us to act in the spirit of the teaching without our even being aware we are doing so. In other words, it is a teaching that is meant to form us, but not something that lives outside our spirit that is contained in a creedal statement. It should be creedal only until it becomes ingrained and natural.
Years ago I was part of a prayer discipline called “Ten Brave Christians: The John Wesley Great Experiment”. This was a highly disciplined practice of rising at 5:00 am every morning in order to be in prayer at 5:30. The prayer routine was followed by everyone who had signed up for the “experiment” and all were to be praying at the same time. One of the disciplines in the 30 minute prayer discipline was to name an unexpected good deed you were going to do that day for someone in particular. When the experiment began it was a daily mental task to think of someone who needed something special in their lives and what I could do for them that would be totally unexpected. It was a joyous thing to complete the deed and to experience the surprise and gratitude of the recipient.
As time went on through the month of experiment, I found myself thinking far ahead of what I might do that would be an unexpected good deed for someone in need of affirmation and support. Before long I had a whole list of people in my mind and on my tablet. In fact, I spent my days in full awareness of people’s needs as I had never done before. I had morphed from having to think up a good deed each morning to being so acutely aware of people around me that needed some special act of kindness, that it had become a way of living and not an institutionalized practice.
That, I believe is what Jesus meant for us to do with this powerful combination of a teaching – loving God and loving neighbor. It may be a creed at first, but it becomes a way of living which does not depend upon the recital of the creed as a reminder. Loving God and loving neighbor is not formulaic. These actions are results of a spiritual embedding in your deepest being until you can do no other.
I believe McKnight is right when he speaks of making this practice a part of our spiritual rhythm. It is the ebb and flow of our very being as we are in relationship with the Holy Other.
I look forward to this Lenten journey with each of you. I must admit, I have never blogged before! I’m not sure if there is a right and a wrong way to do this. So, I offer the above thoughts simply as a kick-off to our walking together. And I hope I have done it correctly! As others “weigh in” on your thoughts I hope to get into the rhythm of this new experience for me. Blessings be with you in the 40 Days of Living the Jesus Creed.
Bill Hutchinson