Props to the New Pope

Posted on March 14, 2013

I’m starting out today’s post by giving props to the newBishop of Rome. When he made his debut “Balcony Moment” appearance yesterday, Pope Francis said the following (translated) words:

“I ask you a favor: Before the bishop blesses the people, I want to ask you to ask the Lord to bless the bishop. Please, pray in silence for me.”

Classy. Very classy. And right on point.

WE ARE ALL ONE BECAUSE OF JESUS: Too much of 21st Century Christianity seems concerned about “what makes me right and you wrong;” (most especially what makes the other person wrong!). But today is a wonderful opportunity to turn our attention, instead, on what makes all of us right. And what makes us right is Jesus; Jesus makes all of us right… with God.

• Protestant or Catholic…
• Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist…
• Complex religious bureaucracies or the extreme opposite…
• Conservative drawing “lines in the sand” or liberals opening the doors of the church so wide they sometimes make themselves uncomfortable….
• High-church eucharist in the mighty basilica or bread and juice around the kitchen table in a farmhouse…
• Elaborate vestments or “Sunday best”…
• Singing the great works of Bach or strumming the latest praise tune…
• Ancient liturgy or a few sentences of gut-level prayer…
• Pope Francis Jorge Mario Bergoglio the Bishop of Rome or simply pastor Rebekah at the Presbyterian Church…
• We are all one because of Jesus.

As I listed those bullet points the following chorus came to mind, it was one of my favorites as a child growing up in England. I think these are the approximate words:

“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face; and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”

“The things of earth” include everything we use to divide ourselves, and that means religious disputes/arguments/pronouncements/judgements designed to turn attention away from Jesus and toward our personal preferences. These things grow dim – or should – in the light of the glory and grace of Jesus.

BROs: That means that the Bishop of Rome and I are brothers in Christ. Both of us look – first – to Jesus, just as Pope Francis did in his beautiful, humble request at the top of this page.

May God bless you, brother Francis, in your ministry. Amen

- DEREK