To speak about Jesus today can feel uncomfortable—even humiliating. In our world, his name has been tied to so much hatred and abuse of power that many prefer not to mention it at all. In public spaces, even hearing his name can make us cringe. Perhaps you have your own reasons, too.
But is it really Jesus we are offended by? Or is it the distorted version of Jesus others have defined for us? Too often, we reject not the Jesus of the Gospels but the caricature handed to us by institutions, extremists, or culture.
The real Jesus is the one revealed in Scripture—the one who embraced humanity in all its weakness and beauty. He is the Jesus who comforts a grieving mother, who feeds the hungry crowd, who defends a shamed woman about to be stoned. He is the Jesus who never dismissed sinners but sat at their tables, listened to their pain, and restored their dignity. This Jesus still walks with us today—meeting us where we are, forgiving us, lifting us up, and giving us courage to begin again.
Yet somewhere along the way, I believe, many of us have lost sight of this Jesus. We’ve tended to confuse Christianity with Jesus. To be clear, Christianity is a religion, but Jesus is a person. Too often, religion has been practiced without the living presence of the One it was meant to follow. The Jesus of the Gospels is not the ruler with a sword but the servant who kneels to wash sinners’ feet. He is the poor man who walked dusty streets, loved without condition, and offered grace to all.
It is possible to call oneself a Christian and miss Jesus entirely—to subscribe to dogma and traditions while never encountering the living Savior. But Jesus is real, and he deserves fresh encounters in our lives today. He is near, longing to transform us into vessels of God’s love. He knows our fears and failures—and he also understands our hopes.
When we truly meet this Jesus—the friend, the servant, the Savior—we cannot remain the same. He opens our eyes to see the overlooked, the forsaken, the lost. He upholds us in our darkest nights and gives us strength to believe that God is always with us. He walks with us as we walk, never leaving our side.
I believe we need this Jesus in Waltham today. We need him in America, and we need him in the whole world. Yes—Jesus matters today just as he did more than 2,000 years ago.
Come and encounter Jesus for yourself this Sunday by joining us for worship at 8:30 a.m. or 10:00 a.m.
Sunday
From the E-Crier of October 2, 2025. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter.