As members of the Episcopal Church, we claim to follow Jesus of Nazareth and claim his as the Christ, the annointed of God. We celebrate his divinity and acknowledge him as the Son of God, one of the three persons of the Triune God.

That is a lot to say in a short number of words. The pamphlet Who Is Jesus? from Forward Movement Publications has this to say about Jesus:

Who is Jesus? Not who was Jesus, but who is Jesus?

He was born a Jew, in Bethlehem, not far from Jerusalem, in what is now Israel, about two thousand years ago. He grew up in the town of Nazareth. He lived on earth about thirty-three years.

There's nothing unusual about those facts. But Jesus is not an ordinary person. To begin to understand who he is, you need to know three things:

1. In the person of Jesus, God, who created everything that exists, became a human being.
   
2. Jesus taught about, and showed in his own life, the qualities of the "kingdom of God," a way of living that is very different from the way people usually live. The only law of God's kingdom is the law of unconditional love. That means God loves us no matter what, and we are to love each other in the same way.
   
   Paul, an early follower of Jesus, wrote about unconditional love: "Love is patient; love is kind and envies no one. Love is never boastful, nor conceited, nor rude: never selfish, not quick to take offense. Love keeps no score of wrongs; does not gloat over the sins of others, but delights in the truth. There is nothing love cannot face; there is no limit to its faith, its hope, and its endurance. Love will never come to an end." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
   
3. Jesus was arrested and put to death by powerful people because his teachings were a threat to them. And now the most important thing you need to know: In three days Jesus was alive again, and Joined his followers, and he lives still.

There has never been anyone else like Jesus. lie is truly God and truly human. He came into the world because there is a gap between God and even the best people. The kindest, most loving of us fails to live as we are intended to live-in love and harmony with God and God's creation. This failure is called sin. The Good News is that in Jesus God closed the gap. Since we could not reach God, God reached us.

Those who put their faith in Jesus-that is, trust their lives to him, and follow him as closely as they can-begin to live a new kind of life. It is life governed by the law of the kingdom of God, the law of unconditional love. It is life in which one continues to grow into the person God intends him. or her to be. It is life that continues beyond death. It is eternal life (life that does not end) and it begins now.

Jesus' followers are members of the Christian Church. They go by many different names-Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, Roman Catholics, Orthodox-and they worship in many different ways. But they share their faith in Jesus and they have sealed their faith in baptism.

Baptism is an ancient practice. Those who promise to follow Jesus have water poured over them as a sign that in a wonderful way-a holy mystery that can't be said in wordstheir lives have beenjoined with the life of Jesus, and their eternal life has begun.

Who is Jesus? John, one of the men who was with him during his years on earth, wrote that if all Jesus did in those few years was recorded in detail,"I suppose the whole world could not hold the books that would be written." And indeed, in the two thousand years since his birth it seems a whole world of books has been written about Jesus. You don't have to read everything, but you can learn the basics by reading what Luke, another follower, wrote. It's in any Bible.

So, to begin to know who Jesus is-and to begin to know Jesus, read Luke, but more important, talk to a Christian, and visit a church.

Questions to think about:

1. What does "unconditional love" mean?

2. What could being loved like that mean to you?

And right now, if you have questions, write to us at Christ Church Durham Parish, or to Forward Movement Publications.

Who Is Jesus? is available from Forward Movement Publications

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