Gordon Cosby is pastor emeritus of The Church of the Savior in Washington, D.C., where he served for sixty years. The Church of the Savior birthed nine other churches and innumerable mission outreaches over the years of Cosby’s ministry. Below is a sample of Gordon Cosby’s writings. Read and enjoy…
The Heart of Christianity
Gordon Cosby
The heart of the Christian message is so very simple. Perhaps that’s one of our problems. We expect it to be difficult. We think if something is too simple, it won’t work – we’ll not be challenged. Surely, we reason, the mind that thought up and implemented the mystery and complexities of the universe must want us to struggle, and struggle deeply, if we ever hope to grow into that likeness.
For many of us, just surviving our days is exceedingly demanding. To find time to work out what God has in mind is more than we can take on right now. We’re just trying to stay alive and make it on our own and not be too much of a burden on our loved ones. Figuring out what God is ultimately all about feels stressful.
But God isn’t about additional stress. No, God is about the elimination of fear, replacing our fear with a sense of safety, a sense that all is well – that, as Julian of Norwich said, “All manner of things shall be well.” Nothing can happen that can take my life off course. Change will happen, but in all the changes that come to me, I AM SAFE and always will be.
A baby born into a loving home feels safe. All is well. A baby can’t imagine the changes that inevitably will come, and unless there is sickness or disorder, the baby is just there enjoying it all, being irresistible in a baby’s natural adorable ways. It’s just that simple.
We were sent to begin our sojourn as adorable babies, resting in a place of safety and love. Things went awry, and our experience of that original intent was distorted. Our way of doing life became more stressful and less enjoyable and safe.
So Jesus wanted to let us know, there’s a way out that is unbelievably simple. All you have to do – are you listening? you won’t believe how simple this is – all you have to do is: be born again. Start over from the beginning. Leave the realm that isn’t working for you and begin again, safe and at ease, in a realm that is real and functions in a way utterly different from the way you’ve come to think is normal. This new reality is so simple it will feel disconcerting because you’ve become so accustomed to stress and difficulty. It also is so profound and complex that it will take a lifetime to grasp.
Hardly any other statement of Jesus has been more misunderstood than, “You are to be born again.” Many claim to understand this command of Jesus. They claim to have “got it right” and are therefore superior to those who haven’t. Being a “born again Christian” has become a claim of rightness, of being an insider. “I’ve got it. Wish you could get it. If enough of us could get it as I’ve got it, the world would be saved. Your lack of understanding is what is blocking the world’s progress.”
Could this possibly have been what Jesus was intending?
Rather than showing us how to be right, it seems to me Jesus was saying, “There’s another world than the one you can see. Your way of seeing is darkness. My way is light. If you want to see my world, you’ll need to start over with new eyes. I’ll show you how to open your eyes to another culture where God lives.”
Just as an alcoholic “hits bottom” and by the grace of God sees the world in a new way, we “cultural addicts” can wake up and be healed of our blindness that has created a distorted perspective. A practical way of working with this is to look at some issues the way the culture sees and the way Jesus sees. For example:
The culture says if a person steps out of line, imprison him. Maybe even kill him. But Jesus says, forgive him. Find ways to reconcile him with his victims. Love him more deeply.
The culture says if your enemies do you wrong, even the score. Round them up and get revenge. But Jesus says, consider your own culpability. Look inwardly before acting outwardly. Find creative ways to “turn the other cheek.” Never return evil for evil.
The culture says separate yourself from anyone who’s different. Belong to groups that look like you, think like you and affirm your rightness. But Jesus says, broaden the field you live in. Get to know my whole family. Be stretched by those who disagree with you. You are one.
The false understandings of the culture we were born into become so deeply ingrained in us that we begin to think they’re true. When we are “born anew” we’ll start to see God’s way. The more I experience Jesus, the more I see a realm of Cosmic Love that offers rest and welcome to all who desire it. Our primary work is simply to merge with this cosmic ocean of love, to be filled with more of Jesus’ Being, to revel at new depths in this eternal compassion.
As we open ourselves to this realm, we merge more deeply with the totality of the human family. To be born again means to drop all barriers to being known and to let this Love flow in. Not love as an energy or a principle, but the very Being of the Holy One merging with my being and touching the world in practical and unbounded ways.
Thanks so much for doing this blog. Gordon Cosby, what a witness.
I would like to visit the Savior church in Washington, but could not find homepage which would give me useful information. Now I am in Korea, and would like to know the homepage adress of the savior church. If you know that, could you please let me know the adress of the web site of the church? Thank you very much for updating this valuable article and yor comments.
Rebecca, thanks for your kind words. The webpage associated with Church of the Savior is http://www.inwardoutward.org.