A Christ-centered Life

What is at the center of your life? By “center” it doesn’t mean you’re always doing it, but what you are aware while you are doing anything. For some people, work is the center. Even when they are on vacation, they are thinking about work. For some people, family is center and they are aware of family joys and sorrows even while working. For others, sports is always on their mind; for others politics; and so on.

God made us so that God would be at our center—“heart, soul, mind, and strength” (Mark 12:30; see Deut 6:5). Jesus died and was raised to restore God to the center of our lives. Everywhere and anything we do, that we are aware of Christ who unites us forever with Christ. At work, at school, at home, at play, we are aware of Christ at the center of everything. That’s the awareness the Holy Spirit is cultivating in us, a process (and struggle?) that continues until we die.

Even congregations struggle to have Christ at the center. St John’s chose a new vision statement in June:

God’s grace guides St John’s to grow

as a Christ-centered, inclusive, and active community.

We chose Christ-centered first because its easy to be concerned about many other things and not aware of Christ. Like at home, congregations can become centered on other things, such as on maintaining a building, paying the bills, social events, or caring for those in need. These aren’t bad or unnecessary activities, but when they are the center, our spiritual life is unconnected to the true source of our life and purpose: Christ. Being Christ-centered about building maintenance means that we always have Christ in view, how the building helps us proclaim Christ, serve Christ, gather Christ’s people. We maintain it in a way that helps people know Christ, in how we treat people who trim grass and bushes, repair gas lines, and clean bathrooms so “they will know we are Christians by our love” (see John 13:35). Both the ”Why” and the “How” of building maintenance comes from Jesus.

Each member needs to be able to explain both the “why” and “how” Christ is at the center of what happens at St. John’s. For example, why do we have a Food Pantry? How do we relate to people who come to the food pantry? You can say, “Christ told us to treat people like we’d treat him. So, we feed the hungry.” And: “We feed hungry people in a way so they know Christ loves them, not in a way that just makes volunteers feel good about themselves.” The more Christ-centered we are as a congregation, the more people can answer these questions with Christ.

Take a moment to think of all your favorite part of St. John’s. Can you explain the “why” and “how” by referring to Christ? Is there something St. John’s does that you can’t explain by pointing to Christ? Then we probably shouldn’t be doing it.

Asking these questions challenges us to grow in becoming Christ-centered as a congregation. We can also grow as Christian individuals by asking the same questions. Why and how do I work as a Christian? Visit with family? Go out with friends? Be a student a school? In everything and everywhere, we are called to make Christ our center because he is our eternal Lord and Savior!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Peter