Our neighbor recently passed away. It was the first death we’ve experienced of someone we met here in Connecticut. ‘Mr. Larry,’ as our kids called him, will be deeply missed. His memorial celebration reminded us that death never feels right.
We are created to live forever.
When Moses was leading the Israelites through the wilderness, he was given instruction for how the people of God were meant to order their lives. We know it as “the law” but it is often referred to in the Old Testament as “the way.”
God showed his people the way to life.
And, in following the way, life would go well and last long. The people of God would be blessed so that they could share that blessing with the rest of the world.
It doesn’t surprise me [Charlie] that the first followers of Jesus were referred to as “The Way.” Jesus, much like Moses, had revealed new instructions for how to live a full life. He was teaching people to order their lives around the reality of his kingdom.
When people follow the way, things go well and last a long time. There’s eternal quality and eternal quantity to a life ordered around Jesus.
One of the biggest challenges in starting a church is that there is no organizational history. People feel more confident in things that have gone well over a long period of time. A new church has no historical capital.
This challenge is compounded by the fact that many in the western world, New England in particular, are disillusioned with the history of the universal church. New faith communities are dependent on the historical capital of the church at large to form the initial bridges of trust.
When people don’t hold a positive view of the universal church, and when people aren’t sure if they can trust a new faith community, there are layered obstacles to exploring “The Way.”
These are very real challenges. And yet, when someone like Mr.Larry passes away, all of us are reminded of what’s at stake. Larry lived a full and long life. In many ways, he was blessed.
But the fullest blessing comes when the way leads us to our ultimate destination. Following Jesus is a path to Some-Where, to Some-One. Until heaven comes to earth and we see Jesus face-to-face, we continue ordering our lives around his kingdom way.
We are created to live forever. And we hope many more in Fairfield County will receive the invitation to live well and live long according to the way.
