Question & Answer

 
Q: By a Reader
 
In Christ or Follow Jesus?  If I am a follower of Jesus, can I be in Christ too?
 
A: By Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D.
 
Dear Reader,

In my next essay I will explore liturgy but let me draw upon a passage from a liturgical text I’ve written for the Season of Creation to provide a context for my response to your question.

“May this promised land, the Earth, teach us to discover that from You all blessings do flow. Your Spirit hovers over the deep giving birth to all – creation is Christ incarnate. Your Spirit unites Mary and Joseph giving birth to the prophet from Nazareth – Jesus grows as Christ. Your Spirit suffuses souls giving birth to searching pilgrims – the unfolding body of Christ. Here, upon this fragile sphere within boundless space, You are inviting all things to realize the Christ they are created to be – becoming new, tasting your glory, knowing wholeness in You.”

In my experience, each of us is the continual weaving into being, moment-to-moment, of Being. We are unique, beautiful, unrepeatable manifestations of Being which is utterly (which is to say, gracefully) effulgent. What this means is that Being is not only humanity’s true nature but the true nature of all that is. Our essence is “to be.”

In my understanding then, “Christ” is the language Christians have for speaking of this universal truth about our true nature. Our spiritual path is to realize our Christic true nature – in other words, to realize for ourselves that we are Being becoming manifest, tangible, creatively expressive as our personal life. To be a follower of the way of Jesus is deeper and more intimate that being “in Christ”; the spiritual path is one of becoming the Christ (or Being) you already are by your very nature.

~Kevin G. Thew Forrester

This Q&A was originally published on Progressing Spirit – As a member of this online community, you’ll receive insightful weekly essays, access to all of the essay archives (including all of Bishop John Shelby Spong), and answers to your questions in our free weekly Q&A. Click here to see free sample essays.

About the Author
Kevin G. Thew Forrester, Ph.D. is an Episcopal priest, a student of the Diamond Approach for over a decade, as well as a certified teacher of the Enneagram in the Narrative Tradition. He is the founder of the Healing Arts Center of St. Paul’s Church in Marquette, Michigan, and the author of five books, including “I Have Called You Friends“, “Holding Beauty in My Soul’s Arms“, and “My Heart is a Raging Volcano of Love for You” and “Beyond my Wants, Beyond my Fears: The Soul’s Journey into the Heartland“.