His Name is Jesus
By Parker T. Williamson, The Layman Online, June 16, 2005
EDINA, Minn. – From beginning to end, whether in music or by the spoken word, the focus of this New Wineskins Consultation at Christ Presbyterian Church is highly personal: His name is Jesus.
In an opening statement to a packed sanctuary, the Rev. David Henderson, the moderator of the New Wineskins Initiative, said, “This consultation is not about wineskins. It is about the wine.”
That declaration drew a spontaneous chorus from Fernando Ortega at the grand piano: “Give me Jesus, Jesus. You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.” Those words rippled across the room, as hundreds of Presbyterians voiced their concurrence.
Later, Ortega led the congregation in singing,
- “How deep the Father’s love for us
- How vast beyond all measure.
- That he should give his only son
- And make a wretch his treasure.”
- I will not boast in anything
- No gifts, no power, no wisdom.
- But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
- His death and resurrection.
The Rev. Dr. Sameh Maurice, pastor of Kasr el Dobara Church in Cairo, Egypt, called on Presbyterians in the United States to “Remember your first love.” That love, he said, is Jesus. Those who love Jesus, he said, will obey Jesus and see Jesus. “If you love somebody, you want to please them. Love equals obedience … and Jesus promises that he and the Father will ‘come to him and make our abode with him.'”
Bringing greetings from his native Argentina, Rev. Marcelo Robles lamented the fact that Presbyterians in the USA inhabit “this valley of dry bones,” but he added, the faithful are “not running away from anything; we are running to Jesus.”
New Wineskins leaders appear to be carefully crafting their words. They acknowledge that different faiths exist within the Presbyterian Church (USA), and that proponents of these faiths often employ identical words for radically different beliefs. Thus, the New Wineskinners differentiate between a mere “christ concept,” a label often applied to ideologies derived from culture, and Jesus of Nazareth, whose life, teachings, atoning death, bodily resurrection and ascension are attested by Scripture. Clearly, the focus of this Edina event is personal. Presbyterians here are falling on their knees (literally) before a flesh and blood reality.
His name is Jesus.