Category Archives: Life of Jesus

Touching Jesus

Posted on by

Last Sunday while still in Colorado, our group of ladies wanted to attend church together, so 3 cars headed for downtown Colorado Springs and the Presbyterian church of our hostess. Since she had a part in the service, she and her husband left early, and I went with them, hoping for a quiet prayer time on a lovely morning.

Pike's PeakI found a bench not far from the church’s main entrance, appreciating a view of the distant Rocky Mountains and a snow-capped Pike’s Peak. It wasn’t long before families began arriving for the service, walking in groups from nearby city parking. As they came close, I marveled over the enthusiasm of youngsters racing ahead of their parents. “We want to see Jesus!” they said, breaking into a run. Others shouted, “We’re going to Jesus!” or “We’ll meet you by Jesus!” All I could think was that this church must have had a cracker-jack Sunday school program.

Jesus loves me. Once inside, I saw what they’d been talking about, a  full-sized bronze Jesus holding a young child. Although his arm was wrapped around the toddler sitting on his knee (with the toddler’s arm wrapped around him), his other arm was up and open, welcoming anyone who might want to climb on the other side of his lap.

Feeling good

 

Children were crawling all over Jesus, some sitting on his knee, others clinging to his back, one up on his shoulders. He was “polished” with the evidence of many embraces, and comparing that scene to Scripture’s picture of Jesus relating to children, these kids had the right idea.

In Luke 18 Jesus rearranged his disciples’ priorities, telling them they had it all wrong by trying to keep kids away from him. “Don’t stop them!” he said. (v. 16) “My kingdom belongs to those who believe in Me with exactly this kind of open-mindedness and acceptance.”

But the disciples had a different agenda, thinking his preaching mattered more. What they didn’t realize was that he was preaching: to them. “You see these little ones? Watch how I’m delighting in their presence, loving them, blessing them. And take a lesson. You’re no more important than they are. As a matter of fact, why don’t you model yourselves after the eagerness and confidence they have in me. Then you’ll be on track for my kingdom.”

The statue of Jesus I saw last Sunday was originally commissioned as the centerpiece of a playground, the artist intending that children climb all over him. She named her work “The Embrace of Jesus,” hoping little ones would feel Christ’s embrace and then respond to his love.

Come unto Me.Since the adults in this church loved the sculpture as much as the kids did, eventually it was moved inside. And as I stood next to this life-sized Jesus, it was satisfying to realize that his empty knee and outstretched arm were big enough even for me.

Room for all“Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Luke 18:17)

Travel Perks

Posted on by

Last weekend my trip out west included 3 airports: Chicago, Albuquerque, and Denver. Many months previously, I’d bought 3 one way tickets online, the best way to form my travel-triangle. It was a laborious task but concluded well, except for one thing.

As I was studying computer pages that night long ago, my frequent flyer miles popped up in a side column: “Would you like to use miles to purchase this ticket?” I’d never done that and wasn’t sure, but it sounded pretty good. So I “spent” 25,000 miles and “bought” the Denver-Chicago leg for free.

Priority luggageSomething funny happened after that, though. When I clicked “yes” on choosing a seat, the computer pictured only the front section of the plane. Apparently I’d “bought” a priority ticket. When the next screen prompted me to select from a dinner menu, I knew I had. A flight less than 2 hours doesn’t usually include dinner with its mini-pretzels.

During my 5 days out west, I was surprised at how often I thought of that priority seat waiting for me: 3A, front row. Though I didn’t tell my girlfriends about my mistake, I got gladder and gladder, thinking of all those first class travel perks.

Many of us move through life in economy mode, sometimes wondering what it’s like in either direction (up or down). But God gives and also takes away as he considers what’s best for each of us, so that wherever we “land”, we’ll be where we should be. This reasoning presents problems, however, especially when we think of suffering children or deprived older adults. The world is full of painful shortages, and it’s difficult to come to terms with why God allows them.

As always, our example should be Jesus, a royal king who forfeited his wealth and power to become poor in all categories. He did it willingly, eagerly, although not as an experiment or a contest. He did it out of love so that the rest of us could one day become rich beyond measure, actually sharing his unlimited inheritance. From what I read in Scripture, our future lives will be worth all the shortages we experience in our present lives. The words “priority” or “first class” won’t be good enough.

First classAs for my plane ride? Shortly after take-off, a flight attendant offered heated, moist hand towels to freshen up before dinner, followed by a small china cup of warmed cashews/almonds/pecans. A gourmet dinner tray held more than I could eat, and I appreciated the linen napkin with embroidered buttonhole to attach like a classy bib. If I’d asked for a box of Godivas, they probably would have produced it.

Airline pretzelsThe bottom line, though, was that if I’d been sitting in the cramped back row with a tiny pretzel bag, I’d have made it to Chicago just fine.

 

“You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Genuine or Counterfeit?

Posted on by

New $100 billToday is a special day for anyone who deals in Benjamins: hundred dollar bills, that is. A newly designed model was put into circulation today, since too many counterfeiters have figured out how to make the old ones.

The Feds are bragging that this bill with a blue, 3-D security ribbon will “make it easier for the public to authenticate, but more difficult for counterfeiters to replicate.” Apparently the blue ribbon is made of thousands of tiny lenses magnifying objects beneath them, causing an illusion of movement. Sounds complicated. And foolproof.

This is the place.They were so foolproof, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing had trouble making them at first. The Benjamins have other new security features, too, and surely Ben Franklin would be proud. Nevertheless, counterfeiters have probably already begun trying to duplicate the new bills.

Counterfeiting was a problem 2000 years ago, too, not with bogus money but with something far more important: counterfeit religious faith. Scripture warns us to be on the lookout for fakes:“There were false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them.” (2 Peter 2:1)

Just like today’s counterfeit money-makers, false teachers will do their sinister work in secret, substituting “destructive heresies” for God’s truth. Although getting tricked into accepting counterfeit Benjamins causes financial loss, believing false heresy does something far worse, leading us to base our lives on lies.

None of us want to put our trust in an untrustworthy religion or, worse yet, an untrustworthy god. The trouble is, counterfeits always look pretty good on first inspection.

Lots of new BenjaminsOur family visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington DC a few years ago. We watched money being created on an automated assembly line from behind a glass partition much like watching a car move through a car wash. What appeared to be white paper “pages” about a yard square were stamped with the familiar green ink, transforming them into dollar bills. Afterwards they were flipped, printed in black on the reverse side, and cut into bills. It looked like anyone could do it.

 

Checking the billsBut at the end of the line, the bills were authenticated, inspected to be sure the engraving was legitimate and the printing was done on the correct linen/cotton paper. But who inspects our religion? How do we know we’re not being duped?

The Bible tells us how.

We’re to believe only in a Gospel that puts forth the name of Jesus Christ as the God who came to earth in man-flesh and sacrificed his life for ours. When we hear that, we know we’ve found the real deal.

And Jesus Christ will never need a 3-D security ribbon to authenticate him.

“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” (1 John 4:1-3)