Christians as learners, as doers, and as a Way to Be

crucifix expressed in East Asia facial features

Last night a visiting minister and his wife spoke to a group of 15 or 20 people who came to the church building after supper to learn of missionary milestones the past 2 millennia among, with, and for speakers of Chinese,   particularly in Hong Kong, Macau, and the continent. In the brief space of 45 minutes and in the series of questions and answers that followed much new ground was covered, some of which reflected back on the group of mostly 40 - 65 year olds in the room. The   social and historical (and cultural, linguistic) conditions there and in Michigan are so very different and indeed the contrasts between well produced climate controlled, electronically-lit worship space here and the restricted options for gathering where   rental or building space is very limited is one contrast. The central government's sanctioning of a Catholic church & a non-denominational all-Protestant church on the one hand, and the counterparts that meet unofficially ('underground') is another difference   to expectations among seekers in USA. Another eye-opener, understandable and sensible but also unexpected and unfamiliar, is the image of the crucified Christ in the photo, with mother and father on either side and perhaps an angel overhead.

At the conclusion of the evening program and the several questions, closing with a prayer (in Chinese, by request), an overall wider sense of the world's Christian followers emerged. But also there was a hint of confusion   or Too Much Information. That is to say, is the way taught by Jesus so very esoteric and hard to grasp? Or is there just too much detail and interpretation for the average person to steer their own path each day and across their entire life course? When it   comes to keeping one's focus on the teachings, is there much difference between confusion among new Christians (1st generation) and for the people in societies long engaged in the words and relationships modeled by Christ? Is knowing too much (information)   an impediment to knowing Jesus in a relational, personal way? Hearing the others discuss various topics, comparisons, and clarifications with the visiting minister it seemed that each week's sermon, the rotating cycle of lectionary readings, and the titles   of ever more Christian-genre literature can easily overwhelm a person in search of God's face and Jesus' comforting presence.

This picture from the Table of Contents of a visual telling of major events in Gospel writings gives one inventory of the essence of the life told there. For people who are weak readers due to age, education, or other   impediment, this visual telling is helpful. But maybe its sparse telling also streamlines the excess of details that many people will struggle with.

click image for full-size file display: Gospel told in pictures