X-Ray Glasses

When I was a kid one of the special moments I remember was getting the prize out of the cereal box.  For whatever reason silly cereal companies put the prize under the bag of cereal, and my Mom would make us wait to get through the cereal to enjoy the prize.  But once you ate the last bowl, it was time to enjoy the amazing, life-changing free cereal prize.  Of all the great freebies my favorite one was a special pair of glasses that allowed you to read codes and see pictures on the back of unique cereal boxes that no one else could.  It made you part of a special group of people who could see things that no one else could.

 

Each day most of us wake up and follow a routine.  You shower, eat breakfast, drive the same route to work everyday, you eat lunch at the same time, you run the same errands.  You arrive home and someone asks, how your day was and most of the time your answer is, fine, normal, nothing strange, nothing memorable.  Everyday though we walk right by opportunities for our day to be outstanding, memorable, and even change someone else’s life.  To see this all you need is special God vision glasses.  Each day God fills our days with opportunities; opportunities to comfort people, to show God’s love, to pray, to talk, to be Christ to those around us.

 

At your kid’s soccer game, the woman you always sit next to just separated from her husband but you only find out because you notice the tone in her voice is unusual and her makeup is not quite what it usually is.  You notice the catty cashier at the grocery store is looking for someone to talk with.  They used to be a corporate professional but in the down economy, lost that job, and now struggle to make ends meet as a grocery store clerk.  You could be the bright spot in their otherwise gloomy day.  Your co-worker who seems to be unusually chipper at work is hoping someone would take the time to ask how they really are and to really listen.  He is looking for someone to celebrate with that he and his wife are pregnant with the first child after trying many times.

 

You will not find these God vision glasses at the bottom of a cereal box but Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit provides this for all who believe in Jesus.  We all have the chance to change the world everyday, even on “normal” days.  So I want to close praying the lyrics of Brandon Heath’s song “Give Me Your Eyes,” (you can check out the music video on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY&ob=av3e)

 

Give me your eyes for just one second.  

Give me your eyes so I can see everything that I keep missing.

Give me your love for humanity.

 

God we pray, give us God vision, so that we might see the opportunities that you place before each of us to change the world with the Good News.

 

Pastor Bill

 

Discussion Questions

1. Where do you typically expect God to show up, or to be at work at?
2. How would you react if God showed you an opportunity to change a life today?
3. Before you stop walk away from this, pray for God to open your eyes as you go through your “normal” day that we might be his ambassadors, the salt and light of the world everywhere we go.

For Those

This past week I was thinking about our upcoming Rush of Fools concert and listening to their song, “For Those.” Read the words of the chorus:

Lord we know it’s for those You’ve come
Lord we know it’s for those You’ve given Your Son
Lord we know it’s for those who can’t come on their own
That You’ve come, You have come for those

Hear these words of Jesus from the gospel of Mark, “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Mark 2:17, TNIV When you read this, who is it that Jesus is coming for, who specifically do you see? Jesus came “for those” who are those? If you are like most people you see “those people” as outside the church. You can probably even envision a neighbor or co-worker. Have you ever envisioned that you are the one Jesus came to save? Jesus came to save those who can’t come on their own, those who are sick, and those who are hurting, and that is us. This song, this passage is not just about people who are outside the church, they are about us.

During this season of Lent we are focusing on the life of Christ, and what he did for us. Have we forgotten that Jesus cleanses us from our sins? Jesus washes us clean; Jesus came to heal our brokenness, our addictions, and our struggles. It is because of Jesus’ work on the cross and in his resurrection that we all can stand with hope today; it is because of Jesus that we live life with purpose.

Knowing he did that for us, does it change your day? Does your life look any different since you invited Jesus to be your Lord and Savior? Our pews are filled with countless stories of God’s grace and the work of the Spirit. The work of the Spirit in our lives is real and powerful, if we can slow down enough to listen and look for it. Knowing what God has done for you, that he gave his Son so you might have life and life to the fullest. John 10:10 What will your response be?

This passage and song reminds us that “those” Jesus came for include us, but it also includes a number of people who are not here right now. Jesus came to save a number of people who don’t know the Good News yet. As those who have been told, whose lives have been changed we have a responsibility to share that Good News, to invite others into that full life that Jesus promised to us. Easter is a time of year to extend that invitation, since a number of people who usually don’t regularly attend will go to church Easter. But this does not end with Easter; we as a church have dedicated ourselves to a call to be, “Community Focused, Caring, Growing, and Open to All People.” Jesus’ message needs to touch and drive each part of that vision, and for us to be a church who seeks to continually invite “those” in, who do not know the Good News….yet.

Pastor Bill