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Who is Jesus? |
             
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Dear Friend: Perhaps you have come to this page for one of two reasons: First: Second: Among the most powerful themes of Jesus' mission was inclusion, hospitality, God's embrace of welcome for all people. Therefore we feel called to be a faith community which is inclusive. (NOCC members come from many different church backgrounds and several from no formal church background). We welcome a diversity of views about Jesus. We do not insist on theological conformity (we welcome "liberals" and "conservatives"...we can learn from one another) but urge upon each member an effortful and committed personal relationship with Christ, and faithful participation in the ministry we share in Christ's name. Of this we are certain, that Christ is the center of our congregational life (John 15: 1-5) that Christ is God's "Word" of salvation for the world, and that in Christ is "life for all" (John 1). Finally, a word about the Bible. We recognize the Scripture as written
by people who were powerfully inspired. In our reading and in our
listening to the words of Scripture, we are likewise encountered, inspired, and
formed by the same Spirit which was at work in the writers themselves. Hence,
the Bible is a dynamic and living entity, a "place" where God seeks to
"connect" with us and where we go to "connect" with God.
The Bible reveals light and truth and Good News to us every time we contemplate
its contents and prayerfully interpret its message for our lives. Yes, we
believe in prayerful interpretation. We would not call ourselves Biblical
Literalists. See the page of this website labeled "This Month's Bible
Readings."
The following introduction to Jesus is brief but, we hope, serves as an encouragement to you. We want to support in any way we can your effort to learn more about Jesus. Feel free to contact us or visit. Jesus lived in the early years of the first century, growing up in the occupied nation of Israel in the eastern reaches of one of the most powerful empires the world had known up to that time....Rome. By the time of his early thirties, he was engaged in a mission of proclaiming the primacy of God's Kingdom.....a Kingdom of forgiveness, non violence, and justice. He made a special point of associating with those who were considered the undesirables of his day: prostitutes, the sick, tax collectors, people labeled by the culture as "sinners." He declared God's solidarity with the poor, with outcasts, and he was bitingly critical of the arrogantly powerful and the self righteous. His primary mode of teaching, the parable, and many remarkable accounts of his power to heal, brought to him a large following. In those days, to talk about a Kingdom in Israel, especially a kingdom OTHER than the kingdom of the Roman Emperor, was politically dangerous. Jesus was perceived to be a political rebel and a threat to civil stability by the Roman officials in Jerusalem. Therefore, he was executed as a criminal: crucified on a cross. His public ministry lasted somewhere between one and three years. The first four books of the New Testament (the Gospels) are our primary source of information about Jesus. These books bear witness to the faith of the first generation of people who came to be called followers of the "Way" and who later came to be known as Christians. Their faith, and the faith of today's Christians, was grounded in the experience of Christ's resurrection (his living presence among them) and of Christ's gift to them of the Holy Spirit. They came to believe that Jesus was God's self - revelation, and that in Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, God was acting indeed to bring about a new order of love and justice in the world. They came to see themselves as heralds of, and participants in, this new order. This remains the passionate vision of the Christian Community today in every place, including NOCC. We believe, as they did, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. What does that mean? It means that, "He is the image of the invisible God..." that in Jesus, "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1: 15, 19). This is a holy Mystery that we embrace by faith. In Jesus, we see, with the eyes of faith, most clearly and profoundly who God is, the nature of God's love for us (nothing, not even rejection and crucifixion can cause God to stop loving us), and the nature of God's intention for us...the abundant life (to live and love freely, fearlessly, and selflessly....as Jesus lived and loved!). Risking oversimplification, the Christian spiritual life (life in Christ) is an ever-deepening experience of discovering and re-discovering the goodness and giftedness which are ours as God's children. God's love for us is so profound, it liberates us from our self-centered attitudes and behavior (sin) and toward the values Jesus taught.....love, tolerance, generosity. The most beautiful expression of these values appears in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapters 5 thru 7....the "Sermon on the Mount." The most beautiful expression of Jesus' teaching about God's unconditional love for us all is found in the parables of Luke 15. The most famous of these is the parable of the lost son. There is so much more to tell! So much more for us all to learn! "No one who drinks the water I shall give will ever be thirsty again. The water I shall give will become a spring of water within, welling up for eternal life" (John 4: 14). We would love to welcome you and encourage you in any way! Recommended Reading:
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