When I was little, I thought
being a Christian meant going to church with my family. If pressed, I probably
would have added some thoughts about the 10 Commandments and being nice, and I
probably would have mentioned Jesus.  

Then, when I was fifteen, I had my first experience with the
Holy Spirit. I was on a retreat, praying, and I heard God talk to me. That
moment changed my understanding of Christianity. It was more than church and
family. Christianity became about a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a
relationship that meant I could talk to God directly, and that even when I
wasn’t “good” I was loved.

I still think being a Christian involves a personal
relationship with Jesus. And I think participation in a local church is a vital
part of that relationship. But I also think Christianity is much more than church,
family, or a personal relationship with Jesus.

Being a Christian is participating in the kingdom of God.
Jesus came, as God in the flesh, in order to announce a spiritual reality in
which all of us could participate, a spiritual reality that transforms social
structures and overcomes injustice and is based upon love and giving instead of
commerce and productivity. Participation in the kingdom of God isn’t all about
me and my relationship with Jesus, although if I disregard that relationship I
will lose my sense of the kingdom too. Participation is about understanding
myself as God’s beloved–rebellious and yet forgiven, broken and yet in the
process of being healed, and placed in this particular time and place for a
purpose. Participation in the kingdom involves the inward work of prayer and
contemplation and connection with God, but it combines those things with the
outward work of service and justice and care for others.

Church. Family. Talking to Jesus.

Yes. Yes. Yes. And so much more.