Turning the ordinary into the extraordinary
Philip Young urges us to reject our self-centred way of living and allow Jesus to transform our lives.
God wants to take your ordinary life and turn it into something extraordinary. Each of us is a unique expression of God’s creation and he wants to weave the story of your life into the story of his unfolding creation.
At this time of the church’s year, Epiphany, many of us remember the story of Jesus turning water into wine. In John’s Gospel it is taken as the first sign of all that Jesus came to do. Christianity is all about transformation. Jesus came to call ordinary people and to help them discover just how amazing they are.
Follow me, Jesus says, I will show you the way to life in all its fullness. The light is brighter than all the darkness and if you follow me you too will become light bearers, bringing good news to human beings who can be fully set free to be sons and daughters of the living God.
First though you need to die to self in order that you might become that new man or new woman. Jesus uses the picture of a grain of wheat falling into the earth and dying as a metaphor for his own death. In order for us to be transformed we too must join Jesus in that process of death and resurrection.
There is no room for the ‘ego’ to be at the centre here. What must die is our old self that puts ourselves at the centre and sees everything from a self-centred point of view.
However, what rises up is a new creation where our ordinary human selves are transformed by our divine selves and we are united with God in all things. My kingdom of the self dies but God’s Kingdom of love is born.
More and more I see life as a love story. This is the Good News that God loves us and wants us to be part of that love story.
God constantly invites us to join in the joyful divine dance. He sends Jesus to call us out of darkness into the light. He invites us to a life transformed. Will you come and join in? The Holy Spirit is here waiting for you to open your heart and your life to the light. All you need to do is to say ‘no’ to the old life and ‘yes’ to God.
Will you follow Jesus in the way of the cross?
Philip is an Anglican, Quaker, and a member of the Third Order of Franciscans, and now lives in Felixstowe. Until July 2014 he was the Diocesan Environmental Officer for the Norwich Diocese. In June 2017 he stood as an Independent Candidate for the General Election in the Suffolk Coastal Constituency. He is now a freelance writer on spiritual and political matters. He is available to run Quiet Days, give talks, presentations or to preach and can be contacted at philipyoung@btinternet.com
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