Wednesday, April 22, 2009

While I Wasn't Paying Attention in Church


While I would like to pretend that I am the ideal parishioner, I confess that often I am not. This past Sunday while the preacher was speaking on the topic of.... well I forgot that too, I was thinking of something else. Although this time I can say it was Jesus who was occupying my thoughts.


If Jesus were to arrive today in the United States, not to take us to heaven, but if His first coming were to be today, I would love to just sit and pick His brain. I found myself wanting to ask about what we as a nation should do regarding the "War on Terror". What we as a nation should do about our economy, or poverty or gun laws. If He came today, I would ask Him and surely he would tell me, and probably agree with what I believed all along.


It was then that it hit me. Those are exactly the thoughts the pharisees were having. They thought Jesus would come as a reigning king. He would ride in, destroy the roman oppressors and lead Israel back to her promised glory. Instead He came and spoke to individuals.


If Jesus were to have come for the first time, and I saw Him, maybe I would have asked those questions. If I had, I believe Jesus would have answered cryptically because I would have been asking the wrong questions.


The right questions are. What should I do about the killing in my town? What should I do about my neighbor who needs help? What should I do about the poverty around me? What should I do? That is the question.


Thankfully I don't have to wonder. He already told me.

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