{"id":38101,"date":"2024-09-02T18:04:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-03T01:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=38101"},"modified":"2024-09-02T18:04:53","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T01:04:53","slug":"luminous-living","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/luminous-living\/","title":{"rendered":"Luminous Living"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe very existence of a community living like that – scandalous as it appeared to many- was the sign to the watching world that something radically new had come about, a way of life that was attractive and vibrant even as, in social and political terms, it was costly and dangerous. \u201c [1]<\/span><\/p>\n

Drawing attention to Paul\u2019s words to the Colossians, authors N.T. Wright and Michael F. Bird outline a brief pilgrimage in political theology that brings readers to a place of wondering, how can Christians live in the Lordship of Christ in all aspects of life?\u00a0 In the book <\/span>Jesus and the Powers<\/span><\/i>, the authors note historical happenings that redefined religion through the philosophy of the Enlightenment, noting that worship of the gods in the ancient world was woven into every aspect of ordinary living but in post-enlightenment Western culture, religion was separated from everything. [2]\u00a0 If Christians are to live the embodied upside-down kingdom that Jesus modeled, why is it that followers compartmentalize, living as if Jesus is an add-on to their identity, like a condiment on a sandwich?\u00a0 A little bit of Jesus and a little bit of everything else.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have always been fascinated by the Nordic and Native American cultures portrayed in books and media as spiritually integrated, where the spiritual aspect of their identity seems to be constantly woven into their thoughts and everyday lives.\u00a0 Holding medicine bags for protection against evil spirits, as depicted in Native American traditions, or contemplating the right sacrifice to offer to the gods in Nordic cultures, these actions reflect an awareness of a very real spiritual presence. In the portrayals of these cultures, the characters represent embodied personhood, keeping in mind the presence of the spiritual in their daily lives.\u00a0 What has happened in Western culture that has caused the unraveling of the once-woven worship of God into every aspect of life? \u00a0 Is it possible that we have forsaken a key aspect of our identity as followers of the one True God?<\/span><\/p>\n

Kingdom work takes place through those who reflect God\u2019s image. [3]\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTherefore, as God\u2019s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. <\/span>\u00a0<\/b>Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.\u201d [4]<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What if God\u2019s people, myself, lived as one clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience?\u00a0 What if we lived luminously visible lives that looked odd to the world because we reflected Jesus? I strive to be scandalous in my apprenticeship to Jesus like that, through the power of the Holy Spirit. I praise God that He who began a good work in me will continue to do so until the day we meet face to face.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact is that all Christians, whether as private citizens or as public figures, must be willing to \u2018do God\u2019 in public.\u201d [5]<\/span><\/p>\n

[1] <\/span>N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, <\/span>Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies<\/span><\/i> (Zondervan, 2024), 67.<\/span><\/p>\n

[2] Ibid, 70.<\/span><\/p>\n

[3] Ibid, 84.<\/span><\/p>\n

[4] Colossians 3:12-17, NIV<\/span><\/p>\n

[5] N. T. Wright and Michael F. Bird, <\/span>Jesus and the Powers: Christian Political Witness in an Age of Totalitarian Terror and Dysfunctional Democracies<\/span><\/i> (Zondervan, 2024), 76.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe very existence of a community living like that – scandalous as it appeared to many- was the sign to the watching world that something radically new had come about, a way of life that was attractive and vibrant even as, in social and political terms, it was costly and dangerous. \u201c [1] Drawing attention […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2310],"tags":[2489,3210],"class_list":["post-38101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-dlgp02","tag-wright","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38101"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38102,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38101\/revisions\/38102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}