by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Nothing But Jesus

I have a quirky imagination. That creative spirit runs wild at the Paint Mines in Calhan, Colorado. I have named this formation the Headless Camel.

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ…”
Ephesians 4:15 English Standard Version

The church looks sad when we cut off the head. Jesus Christ is the head of the church. Through Jesus is life, life now in messy, sin-filled world, and life forever in his presence. The church loses its life when we cut off the head.

How does the church cut off its head?

The church cuts off the head when me make the Ten Commandments more important than Jesus. The purpose of God’s law is to show us just how desperately we need Jesus to give us life and to sustain that life.

The church cuts off the head when we make social issues more important than Jesus. The church cares about social issues because of Jesus. Because he cared for the poor, the lame, the outcast, we care for others, but these issues cannot replace him because he is the life that flows through our veins.

I want you to look at this picture and imagine a head that is so large that it is out of proportion to the camel’s body. Paul encourages us to grow up into Jesus. He is larger than the body itself. Paul calls us to grow in intimacy with Jesus, to know the power of his forgiveness and the hope of the resurrection.

What does it look like to grow up into Jesus? It looks like people who dedicate themselves to prayer. It looks like people who dedicate themselves to wrestling with God’s word to us (the Bible), a word that from beginning to end points to Jesus. It looks like a community that speaks the truth in love with each other and with the world.

The word “Christian” suggests that we are mini-Christs. To grow into Jesus means that we are becoming more like him every day. And if we grow into Jesus, the world will see him in us.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church Colorado Springs, Colorado