01-27-26

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 27, 2026
My good friend and colleague in ministry, Rev. Michael Junkroski, wrote the following (I am including only a portion, though you’ll find the link to the full article below)…

I like Jesus. I might even go so far as to say I “love” Jesus, but I’m cautious in an era where loving Jesus seems to mean embracing authoritarianism — a development over which Jesus would most definitely weep, since it was an authoritarian government that killed him.

When Jesus’ execution failed to end his revolutionary movement, the empire first tried to eliminate it with terrorizing pogroms, and then they usurped it, perverting Jesus’ ministry of inclusive love and forgiveness into the unofficial state religion of the Pax Romana, peace through violence.

The Jesus of empire, now as then, has nothing to do with Jesus.
https://medium.com/pastor-michaels-intersect/jesus-was-not-a-christian-8691db1c6806

Is Christianity, the church, and following Jesus the same thing? Yes and no… Some would say that is not an answer, and that’s probably true. However, there have been moments when the church or some expression of Christianity has been a breathtaking and sacred example of what it means to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. And sadly, there have been way too many times when there were absolutely no similarities, except for the use of Jesus’ name.  People shouldn’t need to say, “I’m a Christian” or “I go to church.” The hope is that one’s life says it all. It might be a silly example, but we’ve all seen the business or company truck with some Jesus tagline or bumpersticker. If you feel as if you must put it on your business card, then it’s possible that you may need to revisit your values and daily choices. Jesus doesn’t care what window cling you put in your back window, but he was pretty specific on how we treat the most vulnerable, those who are frightened or grieving, and what it means to put love first. 

Continue to make my life the best expression of Jesus it can be. Your help and the encouragement of your Spirit are most definitely needed, O Merciful God. I trust that with each faithful attempt at serving my neighbor with grace and kindness, you will be there. And maybe, just maybe, someone will meet Jesus, the revolutionary teacher of love, through me. Amen.