Wild Messiah

Ruth Kennedy April 06, 2024 4 4

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Matthew 8: 18-22 (NRSVA)

18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 A scribe then approached and said, ‘Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.’ 20 And Jesus said to him, ‘Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.’ 21 Another of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, first let me go and bury my father.’ 22 But Jesus said to him, ‘Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.’

I couldn’t let a week of Daily Worship go by without something mountain bike related, could I?!

I was recently at the launch night for a film ‘Three Wheel Drive’ by the Adaptive Riders Collective. It’s about bikepacking to a bothy (out in the wilds) by people with disabilities. They took us on a journey working up the courage and plan to cross through deep and bumpy fords and go places their wheelchairs could never go, along with non-disabled riders. Adventuring together into the wilds, all feeling the discomfort, the wonder and excitement.  This small group of people are pushing the boundaries of expectations and dreams for disabled riders. Neil Russell, Director of ARC CIC, is utterly determined to open up the wildness of Scotland for as many fellow adaptive riders as possible without forcing people to do something they really don’t want to. He gets out, goes and shows it can be done. It is very inspiring!

In this passage, we meet a scribe and a follower who weren’t able or ready to step into that new, wild adventure Jesus is in. Perhaps they thought the route would not involve any ford crossings and they just didn’t see how they could make it when they came to one? Perhaps there are others like that now, maybe even us? Thinking that Jesus was a little wild, that the coming Messiah would deliver them from the Roman empire. Not realising the full extent of the Messiah’s rule – one over all, and spiritual realms throughout history, not just a Roman empire!

This gives us the perfect opportunity to reflect on how wild is Jesus to us.

Uncontained or safely in a box that we can handle. How about we push out our comfort-boundaries in our beliefs about Jesus? As we see and believe more of His wildness, we become more like Him. And that is good news for the world.

Why?

Because then we are the ones being like Neil Russell, but about Jesus. Utterly determined to open up the wildness of Jesus for as many fellow people as possible, with grace. We get out, go and show the wildness in our lives, it can be done. That is wild-Jesus-inspirational living!

Prayer:

Father of our Lord Jesus,

Thank you for raising people up throughout history who inspire us in our faith, showing how walking with Jesus can be wild and wonderful.

Thank you for people like the Adaptive Riders Collective who aim to rewild life and adventures for those with disabilities. Bless them and their work and give us opportunities to meet them and work with them.

Jesus, as we think about your wildness, set me free from any thoughts that constrain your wildness in me. Create in me a pure heart, a new heart, a wild heart which might just inspire others to meet you.

Rewild my heart.

Amen.