Language. It’s the primary way by which reality is expressed. And by language, I (Scott) mean something that transcends a system of vocabulary, phrases, sentences, and grammar. Language communicates our experience, our faith, our understanding of the world. While language can be systematized, I don’t believe that it is confined to that system. For millennia, language has been expressed through a variety of mediums. Everything from art, music, architecture and of course books, has been used to convey a message.
OVERWHELMED
If you are anything like me, you may feel overwhelmed with what at times seems to be an ocean of competing languages and messages. While there is nothing new under the sun, the advent of social media has intensified this feeling. Our intake of language can often make us feel like we have been gorging ourselves at an all-you-can-eat-buffet. I for one, often wish I could close my eyes and ears to the onslaught of messages that I encounter each day. So then, how do we navigate this? How do we find our way forward in a world in which we are bombarded with languages, words, messages, that all competitively claim that they are the truth?
In recent months, I have been contemplating and discussing with others about a multitude of “Christianities,” which are often defined over against others by the language that is employed to communicate who God is and how he is at work in the world, who humanity is, and who the church is and what the church is called to do. We often identify ourselves by which camp we belong to: Charismatic or Reformed, Evangelical or Exvangelical, Conservative or Progressive. I often think of the closing of the Gospel of John which says “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written (John 21:25).” It almost feels that the world has been filled 100 times over with books on the right way to read and interpret Scripture (just google at how many commentary series there are), books on theology and Christianity, not to mention the multitudes of podcasts and social media accounts. Now, I am not being dismissive of various viewpoints or interpretations. Even though I have my own leanings, I want to hear the perspective and story of others and believe there is great value in doing so. In fact, I have a large library and am regularly reading these books and enjoy doing so. I think that one of the aspects of this discussion that is often neglected is that we are fallible creatures that have a propensity to get things wrong, even when we think that we are right. I’m not meaning to sound overly critical or skeptical, but at times, with all the competing languages, one wants to throw their hands up in the air and scream at the heavens, “whose words are true?”
“Whose Words are True”
For me, I always come back to the same person, and that is the person of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, the perfect carpenter, the consummate cosmic gardener, Son of God, Son of man. I love the passage in John where Jesus says some things that were hard to understand and the following exchange takes place, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn 6:66–69). Then a couple of chapters later, Jesus identifies himself as the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep and they know him and hear and follow his voice alone.
Friend, in all that I am processing through and sharing in this post, I want to be clear. I am not advocating the start of a new church or denomination or another Christianity. I simply want to hear the words of Jesus. I want to hear and follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. I want to be shaped by his language, his way. I want the language of my faith to reflect the greater story of the God who seeks and saves the lost.
Father, help us hear the voice of your Son whom you sent and have spoken through to show us the way of life. Would you graciously guide us by your Spirit as we follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. Would you sustain us and give us eyes to see and ears to hear the way which you have revealed to us in Christ. Amen.