Watch Yourself

Luke 14:1, 7-14

One of the things we talk about a lot with our youth in church is how people will watch you closer when you "proclaim" yourself a Christian. People have this specific idea about what they think a Christian is supposed to look like and how they're supposed to act. For these people anyone who says they are a follower of Christ is supposed to become a mirror image of what their idea of a Christian is supposed to be. The problem becomes, then, that their ideas about what a Christian is supposed to look like varies widely.

As a Christian our words, actions, and decisions come under deep scrutiny. I remember a conversation with one of the science teachers in our school. He asked me what I thought about some Christian's claims that the earth was made in six days. I simply smiled widely and said, "Do you know what I say to people who ask me why dinosaurs aren't mentioned in the bible? I say that dinosaurs weren't yet discovered when the bible was written."

He looked puzzled at my answer so I further explained that when the creation story he mentioned was written the people's science was very limited. As a result the story we see in the first creation story presented in the bible is both a retelling of the best science they have as well as an explanation which reinforces the different festivals and holidays those people celebrate.

This science teacher then told me how much more confused he had just become. "What did I mean by 'that particular' creation story?" "You said first creation story, are there more? "How does the creation story remind the people about different festivals and holidays?"

We had a very interesting conversation about culture in the the 6th century BCE and how I view science as God's revelation to  us. We talked about the compatibility of science and religion for just over an hour, and we were still in Genesis 1. At the end of our conversation he said, "You don't know how refreshing it is to have this conversation with a Christian like you."

People base their Christian beliefs based on what they see, hear, and witness. If all they know is what they see in the news or on TV and if all they hear is what's on the radio their ideas about what a Christian is might be skewed towards the conservative extreme side of our religion. That's not who Christ is.

Christ is the one who takes the seat of the less important at a banquet. Christ is the one who would invite the poor, crippled, lame, and blind to the banquet. Christ is the one who would sit with someone who is prepared for a fight and share in the peace that comes with understanding.

Be the Christ people don't expect. Be the Christ of compassion. Be the Christ of understanding. Be the Christ of acceptance. Be the Christ of conversation. Be the Christ of love.