I once had a parishioner invite me for a walk. She was new the parish and I was eager to get to know her more. As we walked through a nearby park, we talked about her emerging faith and what precipitated her return to church.  She then turned to me with a pensive look.

“Can I ask you a question?” She asked. When I nodded in reply, she continued: “You are really into Jesus, aren’t you?”

The question was humorous in the moment. I chuckled at her phrasing of being “into Jesus” and immediately pondered what part of the previous sermon she may have been commenting on. Part of the humor implicit in this question is the fact that it seems out of place. After all, I am an Anglican priest, and this person attends an Anglican church. Isn’t it safe to assume that Jesus would be a central figure? 

As I have sat with this question over the years, I can’t help but feel that this question speaks to something larger than just the temperament of local clergy. This parishioner wasn’t commenting on the number of times Jesus was name-dropped in sermons. Within the question itself was a voicing of certain expectations of the church. Her experience of the church to that point, in some way, was different than she had expected.  Rightly or wrongly, her expectation upon joining the church once again clearly did not involve joining a Jesus-focused community.

What has happened in the church today, that an Anglican Priest being “into Jesus” was deemed odd and rare?  What might have occurred in someone’s spiritual formation that would cause them to think it strange to hear Jesus mentioned in a church?  Does the fact that someone who was returning to the church felt it important to ask this question hold a prophetic call for the church today?

I’m sure there’s a host of demographical, historical, or theological reasons one could cite to answer this question. I imagine also that people on different sides of church-controversies will have different takes. I’m not necessarily concerned about these things. The point of my refection isn’t hashing out past ecclesiastical decisions to ascertain the precise moment the church stopped being appropriately Jesusy. Rather, the question itself testifies to the need for the church to express the centrality of Jesus more robustly.

In a day and age where the word ‘god’ can hold many different and contradictory connotations, the name of Jesus becomes increasingly important. In fact, this is no different what the disciples faced their ministry. Like us, the world around them was pluralistic and polytheistic. Roman occupancy brought with it a literal Parthenon on gods – and Israelite history was accustomed to every nation have its own deity. It was against this very backdrop that Peter affirms Jesus as the one in whom salvation is found. Peter preaches that “there is no other name under heaven by which we might be saved.” Paul, also, echoes this statement when he tells the Philippian church that everyone will bow before the name of Jesus.

The fact is the church grew precisely because people spoke about Jesus frequently and boldly. They didn’t hide his name or soften his impact. They were upfront about what they believed and who they believed in. And as that community continued to grow and spread, everyone knew that the followers of the way were a people connected to Jesus.

The parishioner’s question opened the door for a wonderful conversation. I answered plainly, speaking about why Jesus was important to my faith, and why all activity in the church pointed to him. She didn’t know what she thought about Jesus at that point; and I didn’t force her. Nor did I condemn or her question or ridicule or her asking. But her question itself also showed an openness to experience something beyond her understanding. And so, she continued in the church and, eventually, came to recognise Jesus in her own life.

How might the church recapture that centrality of Jesus, not as a mere example for our morality, or a mere speaker to our comforting statements, but as a person to whom we bow before. How might we testify to the truth of his love, grace, and forgiveness poured over us at the Cross? In world overrun with a multiplicity of spiritual options, can we point to the one at the center of our faith, speaking boldly about what we have seen and come to know.