Ridgell's Originals

I have been thinking about flesh and blood Christianity lately.  One of the problems in early church history came from a group of people teaching that flesh was evil.  They even denied that God's Son came in the flesh.  The apostle John calls such people the anti-Christ.  I do not hear much theology that is anti-flesh and blood.  But I do think in practical terms we sometimes would rather our Christianity be not so real, not so physical.  So I have been thinking about how real, how physical, how flesh and blood our Christianity really is.

Of course it starts with the fact that God sent Jesus in the flesh.  He lived here.  He ate, he slept, he got tired, he enjoyed parties.  He hugged little kids, he touched lepers, he often healed people by touching them.  He cried real tears.  He hung on a real cross with real nails and a spear.  He bled.  He died.  He rose from the dead to live.  And he had the scars to prove it.

God did not send theology to save us.  Or rules.  Or doctrine.  When he wanted to redeem us, he sent his son in the flesh.

Baptism is a physical event. It may be based on love and faith, but it is physical.  Dying with Jesus, being buried with him, being raised to new life, sins forgiven, Holy Spirit received, lives changed.  Those happen in a literal baptism/immersion into water.  It is a real, actual event that can be felt and can be witnessed.

Communion is physical.  Declaring the death of Jesus until he comes, sharing again in his death, uniting around real bread and wine.  Eating and drinking his body and his blood.  Together.  Not in isolation, not just in our minds, but real, physical wine and bread that we actually eat and drink.

Fellowship is physical.  Holy kisses.  Hands of fellowship.  Common meals.  Laying on hands.  You do not do these internally or all by yourself.

Worship is physical.  Bowing, lifting holy hands, reading the Word aloud, Singing together aloud.  Praying aloud.  Passing that bread and wine among us.

So is our service in the world.  Feeding the hungry, healing the sick, doing for others.  Physical needs met with real hands.

Things done from the heart but not just in the heart.  Conscious choices that are acted upon.  Active.

Not passive worship, Not just send a check help,  Not just a mental and emotional acceptance of Jesus.  Not invisible fellowship.

Real.

Being physical.  Living aloud our faith.  Seeing each other and being seen by the world.

It is real.

A real God who sent a real Son into a real world to save real people.

Flesh and blood Christianity.

Don't deny it.