Would I even like this Jesus?

The following is a conversation that took place in late Febuary between Eric Snyder and I.
I was going to reformat it into story form, but that would take away from the 21st Century essence of the conversation, of which we are all so familiar. A few things were edited for spelling and grammar, but this is essentially exactly what was said.
Eric's words reprinted and edited with permission.

10:26PM
Eric: I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be human.
Well, at least right now i have. And is making the world a better place one of the things we are called to do?
morgan: yes! of course!
Eric: I would say that the world is affected by what we are supposed to do, but not the purpose.
morgan: God would not call us to make the world a worse place
As we often do out of our selfishness and ignorance and greed.
Eric: is that your left-wing hippie side talking?
well, that is true. I know that.
yeah
idk
im an idiot
i love the old testament
in deuteronomy!!! Care for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.
shit, son
wow, ha ha
swearing so soon after quoting the bible isn't a good plan.
morgan: hahah
Well, it depends, I think.
If it makes Jesus real and relatable, maybe it is.
Eric: huh?
swearing?
really?
I would say that swearing doesn't really live up who Jesus is
morgan: yeah
Eric: but it doesn't really lower Him down either. It all depends.
morgan: Lately I have been kind of obsessed with Jesus. And like, wondering what he would do if he was here right now. OK, specifically the idea of how he is real and where he is in the world...
It's hard to explain I guess.
Well, I've known Jesus for a long time, and "seen" him in many ways, but, like, I look around and I see the world and modern life and a big city and a street full cars and of stuff and of lonely, empty people all trying to figure themselves out, and I see music and media and television and advertisements and corporate slogans and all of this crazy stuff everywhere.
And where is God in all of this?
How is He real?
I think that anything that manages to bring Jesus to these big and busy crowded and empty places is a worthy thing.
I have a lot of trouble when I see cheesy people who seemingly live under a rock and have no sense of culture try to preach to people who are absorbed by media and modern culture.
Eric: I have thought about that too.
sad excuse for an evangelical.
morgan: If someone on the street handed me a cheesy-looking little rainbow paper that said "jesus loves you!!!" I don't think I would care except for the fact that I know Jesus already. But like, I think a lot of the things that "the church" does are very unappealing.
Like www.cbn.com for example.
It may claim to represent Christ, but I think it's complete crap.
Maybe their intentions are pure; but me--a young, modern, news-seeking individual--would never get news from that source.
It's just pathetic.
Jesus would watch CNN.
But at the same time He would be Jesus.
Eric: not being of the world is taken out of context?
morgan: What do you mean?
Eric: Well, like weird christians, who justify it by "not being of the world"
in and not of.
morgan: Oh, well, they are forgetting the in part
you have to be in an not of
not out and not of
Because then you might as well live in space and not interact with the world at all if you are going to be like that.
Eric: Yeah, i guess.
I don't know.
I agree, what would Jesus be like?
Would I even like this Jesus?
morgan: hahah
Eric: I'm serious.
morgan: Supposedly you love him.
Eric: I don't think I would.
I barely look at homeless people, and Jesus would be there with them. Talking to them, hanging out with them.
I love Jesus, now that I know who he is. If I didn't know that He was who He said He was then I would think he was crazy.
morgan: Goodness, do you have the song, "When I look at the World" by U2?
That song describes Jesus so perfectly to me.
Eric: listening...

What do you think?

Dear Eric,

Hello.
This is a letter written to you, Eric.
I am writing this to you because lately, you have been a very good friend to me and you have listened to me and you have taken a lot of crap from me.
This could be because you are far away at school and you don't have a lot of other friends there, but either way, I appreciate it.

I want to say that I was right about the hammer.

The kiss was the hammer.
The hammer that drove the nail into the coffin that held my dead friendship.

The friendship that once sailed so beautifully is now dead.
And the coffin is nailed shut.

I will admit that I am a little sad, but no, I am not bitter.
I'm tempted to be hurt and confused and upset, because you and I both know that I didn't want things to happen like this.
In fact, I don't really know what I did to cause this, and perhaps it was not me at all.
But I am not going to be upset or angry. I am just going to accept it.
So please, dear Eric, do not tell me to try to do anything about it or change it, because I can't. And that doesn't really matter anyway, now does it?

I wish I was wrong about the hammer. But I was not.

The only hope I hold is that I know the God whom I love and serve and trust, and am learning to love and trust more and more and more each day, can resurrect the dead.
He has done it before and will do it again. All that he requires of me is for me to trust him and to follow him, which I am learning to do all over again.

Thank you for sharing that passage from Job. It was really beautiful.
Things right now are alight, and they will get much better.

Also, tonight I get to see you sing while wearing a bow-tie! I am excited.

Thank you for reading and understanding.

Your friend truly,

Morgan

P.S. I realize that my hammer metaphor potentially gives a whole new meaning to the quote: "The hammer is my penis." from Dr. Horrible. I find that hilarious.

conversations

"Conversation is more than the sum of the words. It is also a way of signaling the importance of another person by showing your willingness to give that person your rarest resource: time. It is a way of conveying respect. Conversation reminds us that we are part of a greater whole, connected in some way that transcends duty or bloodline or commerce. Conversation can be many things, but it can never be useless."

- Taken from the book God's Debris

Thanks.