John 6:25-29

The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent." - John 6:29 As I write this, I am listening to the song "Expectations" by Caedmon's Call. It describes someone going to a church worship gathering for the first time, expecting to find Jesus and to be made whole. What they find, according to the song, is "An expensive ad for something cheap." Jesus isn't cheap. Grace isn't cheap. The Kingdom isn't cheap. The Kingdom of God is abundant and whole, filling and challenging, a hospital for the sick and sacred. So why would someone walk away with the idea that a church is an expensive ad for something cheap? Here's a couple theories. And they come from believing in the One God sent. 1) Human beings have a struggle trusting in God, believing in the words of Jesus. While we want to believe that the Kingdom God's salvation effort received by faith, we kinda want a backup plan. We want signs, just like the people in John 6 wanted more bread- you know, just to make sure Jesus wasn't using smoke and mirrors the first time. We also have a backup plan of works. There is a line in "Expectations" that talks about a man dressing up on Sunday to blend in so that he won't be "found out." Do we trust that God will accept us as we are? And if we do truly trust in that, what is the fear in vulnerability? Trust is a difficult thing. 2) We equate belief with our brains, when belief in Jesus exercises itself in obedience. In the Kingdom (ushered in by Jesus), we see a new way of living. Jesus commands us to live that way, not to gain access to the Kingdom, but as a result of drawing near to the Kingdom. The problem is, living a Jesus way of life doesn't make sense. Loving your enemies and praying for the people who persecute you is not logical. Another song just came onto my iPod- "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The chorus asks "Does that make me crazy?" Loving your enemies makes you crazy. There's the trust. Do you trust that this alternate way of living might actually be a better way of living? Tough questions, I know. But here's the good news- you don't need to worry about being obedient yesterday, or tomorrow, only today.