Significant This Week: Thoughts to Think On
GONNA GET TO SEE THEM
This past week a number of my friends gushed excitedly about family members who, because of the rising numbers of vaccinations, they were finally going to be able to see.
“We haven’t seen so and so for 12 months!”
Here’s the interesting part. They were finally “going to see” family members they had regularly seen through Facetime visits and Zoom meetings throughout the last 12 months.
Their words said more than they thought. Somehow seeing people virtually is not the same as seeing people in person, in fact it counts as not seeing them.
We should keep that in mind. For all the pluses of virtual reality, it is virtually real, which is to say it is not real.
And we should probably keep that truth in mind not only with family and friends but also with congregational life. After all God didn’t send a virtual Savior, he sent one in the flesh, in person.
Something to ponder.
MARKED MEN
As I looked out at the congregation during our Ash Wednesday service, the phrase “marked men” went through my mind. We were all marked with a dirty, sooty smudge… in the shape of a cross.
Death has marked us all. We are dust, and to dust we shall return. Thanks to our sinfulness death takes a bead on our life. And that includes the Second Death.
But life has marked us, too. The Ash Wednesday smudge was in the sign of the cross! In the cross of Christ, in his death, we find life, Real Life. Through Christ’s cross on your forehead and on your heart you are marked for his Kingdom of Glory.
I wonder if life would be different if daily we walked around with that dirty, sooty smudge… in the shape of the cross.
NO RESPECTER OF FACES
When the Bible talks about not showing partiality, the word that is used means literally, “With no respect to the face.” Too often we do judge people by their appearance: their face, clothes and other externals. We generally conclude that those who “look poor” are indeed so and that those who “look rich” have it made.
As followers of Jesus we should look on others and see only one thing: a person for whom Christ has died.
And so with the poor, we should not think less of them because of their economic situation. We should not think that their opinion matters less just because there is not more in their bank account.
By the same token, we should remember that rich people are people, too! We should be neither over awed by nor envious of someone who seems to be wealthy. Rather we should treat that person as we would anyone else: with Christian love.
Remember, in spite of what needs a person appears to have or not have, we all have the same need: Jesus. Let’s make sure that we are eager to share our faith with all people regardless of economic or social status.
ON THE TRUTH
We have another major league politician in the news making professions about what he did or did not do. Certainly, we should hope he is telling the truth. Unfortunately, it is hard to tell.
Don’t let it be with you. Of all the things you win a reputation for, make sure that one of them is that you are a truth teller!
The heart of the Christian faith is truth, Truth. If Christianity is not true, it is nothing. Time and time again, Jesus said, “Truly, truly I say to you…”
So with us. It is vital as children of God for us to be truthful, truth tellers, trustworthy. At work, at school, in the home, on the sports team, win a reputation for the truth.