Practice Resurrection: A Conversation on Growing Up In Christ – Part 3

In Practice Resurrection, page 56, Eugene Peterson writes, “We have short attention spans.  Having been introduced to God, we soon lose interest and become preoccupied with ourselves…God, of course, is not exactly sent packing or shut in a closet or closed up in a Bible.  But God is consigned to the sidelines, conveniently within calling distance to help out in emergencies and be available for consultation for the times when we have run out of answers. . .
We have work to do, interests to pursue, books to read, letters to write, the telephone to answer, errands to run, children to raise, investments to tend to, the lawn to mow, food to prepare and serve, the garbage to take out.  We don’t need God’s help or counsel in doing any of these things.  God is necessary for the big things, most obviously creation and salvation.  But for the rest we can, for the most part, take care of ourselves.
    That usually adds up to a workable life, at least when accompanied by a decent job and a good digestion…”
    Is there more to being a disciple of Christ?  Peterson says yes and starts his explanation with Ephesians 1:3-14.  These verses contain seven verbs – blessed, chose, destined, bestowed, lavished, made known, and gather up.  God or Jesus is the subject of each of those verbs and we are the object.  We are the ones blessed, chosen, destined, etc.  We have often heard this in church, and we often get it in church -- in the context of our spiritual status – saved – and our eternal destination – heaven.  Yet we struggle with how they have meaning in the rest of our lives, as described above.  How do we get God off the sidelines and into all of our lives?  This is what Peterson means by practicing or living resurrection, and we’ll certainly hear more about it as we go on.  But some good thoughts to consider before moving further are, “Do I really want God off the sidelines in my life?  Do I truly want there to be more to following Christ than what Peterson describes, and am I willing to change to make it happen?”