JourneyOnline
So Easter Madness “went off” and it was a wonderful time of discipleship, fellowship, and worship for 180 young people.
I popped in on the Sunday to have a yarn with those who wanted to talk about “the big questions”.
One came to me that I didn’t expect: “Was Jesus ripped?”.
I needed a bit of help. “Ripped”?
“Yeah, you know, did Jesus have a great body; ripping muscles in all the right places; he was a carpenter, after all.”
Well, that was something I hadn’t thought about. I said I suspected so, that maybe the fishermen in the troupe of Jesus were more so given the work they did.
Then it gets you thinking: Jesus was ripped, arguably in other places of being human that are more important than physically. He was ripped in heart, mind, and soul.
He had clarity of insight, into the heart of people; into what was happening socially, religiously, and politically; he kept to the way of the cross when there were many temptations away from that. He faithfully proclaimed the kingdom of God.
What does it mean for us to be get ripped in heart, mind and soul? What are the exercises? Who helps us?
Well, these days, we go to a gym to get “ripped” physically. But is church where we go to get ripped in heart, mind and soul?
Could we envisage the home fellowship group, the gathering around Word and Sacrament, the quiet time, the ministry we do as gym-times for being ripped in heart, mind and soul?
So who’s our personal trainer? Would that be our minister? Our Elder? Should we re-envisage our minister or elder not as a pastoral carer, but as our personal trainer for being ripped “heart, mind, and soul”?
Just musing …
