May 27, 2026

Cullasaja River Cascades — Cullasaja River Gorge, Franklin, North Carolina, Nantahala National Forest

The thing to remember about Jesus is that he didn’t have a way. “Thy will, not mine be done.” Now we all are of the opinion that this was addressed to “God the Father, Almighty,” because we have been told that for absolute ages. I am here to suggest to you that God the Father Almighty is the creation of theology, primarily that of the Church of Rome in the 392 years between Jesu’s crucifixion for turning over the tables of the money changers in the temple and being a threat to the power of Judaism in Jerusalem. He was a revolutionary reformer and he was executed for it. And my contention is that he was addressing his, “Thy will, not mine be done,” to his intrinsic Intuition that was guiding him along his life’s way. And Jesus knew that his will, his wanting what he wanted and not what he needed to want was in his way, and he sacrificed his way and himself for the sake of what the situation called for: His death in the service of his idea of how Judaism ought to be.

Jesus was a revolutionary reformer in the traditions of all of the prophets of lore. And the difference between a reformer and a heretic is exactly what? The Priest and the leaders of the Temple saw Jesus as a heretic and a threat to the religious establishment. Jesus was a reformer and a threat to the religious establishment. And he died, like hundreds of his followers who also were reformers called heretics just like their leader, in the service of their idea of what the religious establishment should be. And neither Jesus nor his follow reformers had a will that got in their way. Their intuition–their heart-felt knowledge of what was called for an needed to be done–led the all along the way.

Our will gets in the way–because we will what we want. Our place is to read the signs of the times and to know what we know and take up the cause of what is called for amid what’s what, what’s happening, what’s called for and what needs to be done about it in each situation as it arises. When we are clear about that and live in the service of what is called for here, now, we are being who Jesus was. We are then Jesus in 2026 CE as he was Jesus in 036 CE. And what we want takes a seat in deference to, and the service of that which is called for and needs to be done in each situation as it arises here, now.

So getting what we want and having our way are not the driving force of our life. Seeing what’s what and knowing what is called for is (to be) the driving force of our life. And that means turning the light around. It also means praying without ceasing, which was Jesus’ call to drop into emptiness, stillness and silence often enough and long enough to know what’s what, what’s happening, and what is called for here, now in every here, now that comes along, which equates nicely to praying without ceasing, no?

Published by jimwdollar

I'm retired, and still finding my way--but now, I don't have to pretend that I know what I'm doing. I retired after 40.5 years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, serving churches in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina. I graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Austin, Texas, and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. My wife, Judy, and I have three daughters, five granddaughters, one great granddaughter, and a great grandson on the way, within about ten minutes from where we live--and are enjoying our retirement as much as we have ever enjoyed anything.

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