Joshua: A Parable For Today.
Jesus preached a message of freedom, the freedom of God's children. Religious leaders should help people understand life and enjoy being God's children. They must resist the temptation to run a church as a business and lord it over the people. Jesus never intended to start a business, but to lay the foundation for a closely knit family of people caring for one another....In a real community of Christians, the people are the heart of the community. They are allowed to live freely and plan their own lives as Christians, and to build up their own lives as God's people. The pastor is for them a gentle guide, offering advice and counsel and direction when needed. There is a genuine love that inspires a community like this. That is what Jesus intended.
.The story begins with Joshua moving into a small cabin on the edge of town, where the local people are at first mystified and then confused by his presence. A quiet and simple man, Joshua lives his life in perfect harmony with the world, above all the petty concerns that often afflict others. He supports himself solely through his carpentry, and he charges very little for his services- this despite the fact that his wood carvings are exquisite, and word of his artistic genius has quickly spread far and wide. Yet, most important to this man are his individual relationships with everyone in the town- everyone including the Catholic, the Protestant, and his Jewish neighbors. All who come into contact with him cannot help but be transformed by his incredible warmth, and infinite wisdom as to the true teachings of Christ.
.I first read this book years ago shortly after it was published in 1983. I was looking for a good summer read last week, so I picked it up once again and finished it in just a few days. Time and time again, Joshua preaches the notion that church is not a building, but rather a community of believers who live out their lives emulating Christ and his teachings. Has today's society embraced this message? Well, a recent statement in the document called Dominus Iesus was released last week by Pope Benedict contending that "all religions (except Roman Catholic) are either defective or not true churches and Catholicism provides the only true path to salvation."
.Terry Pluto of the Akron Beacon Journal wrote an exceptional Faith column this past weekend where he touched upon this topic in which he writes, among other things... That's why I love faith in action such as food kitchens, helping the handicapped, jail ministry, rest home ministry, etc. There are no great theological debates because the problems in front of the volunteers are so pressing, there isn't time for them. Terry has been an active participant in jail ministry for a number of years.
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Getting back to the book, the one thing that appears to trouble the townspeople most is the fact that Joshua visits- with regularity- just about every church in town; and, after speaking of Christ's love and intended vision of His church, Joshua's hope is for the denominational labels to fade from the buildings, and for the hearts of the people to shine brightly...so seemingly simple, yet so incredibly difficult for us to embrace in today's world.
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