This past Sunday my friend Kerry Jackson helped illustrate this idea of distorted meanings. Kerry uses his talents to create art that can speak in ways that words would never work. Kerry began by painting a picture of Jesus … that’s what we told everyone …
If you can’t see Jesus in the picture …
it’s okay … nobody else did either.
How many times have you simply wished that Jesus would be visible in the world?
And as Ambassadors of Jesus we go out into the world and present a picture of Jesus that too often looks just like this – distorted and unrecognizable.
Juxtapose this image against the pictures of our lives perfectly displayed in the images that we splash across Social Media. No wonder the world is confused … and still wondering where Jesus is?
On the evening of that first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were then glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As My Father has sent Me, even so I send you.”
John 20:19-21 MEV (Modern English Version)
That phrase: “Jesus in their midst” is the essence of our Christian faith
And yet … that is not where we seem to be … Truth is we struggle to find Jesus in the world … in the church … in our communities.
We struggle to find Jesus on the edges and in the Middle.
We struggle because Jesus is distorted … Hidden … and all too often the Jesus that is offered to the world is a forgery.
We struggle to find Jesus in our world because Jesus has been made into someone else’s image to make their point … to move forward their agendas.
The world desperately needs to find Jesus in the middle … to find Jesus in the midst of life … And the world will when we listen to what Jesus said … did you miss it?
“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
People – we are the middle … we are to be Jesus in the midst …
You want to find Jesus in the midst of life … look around …
where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
We are to be:
a mouth to speak for Jesus [in this world]
the Feet to run errands for Jesus
the Hands to do the work of Jesus
the heart that loves like Jesus
You and me … together … we are Jesus in the midst
No wonder the world is looking for Jesus …
We have made Jesus so hard to find …
We have made Jesus in the midst … someone else’s job
We have failed to give the world … Jesus in the midst …
If together we would allow Jesus in the midst – the middle – of our lives … The world won’t wonder where Jesus is?
They will discover the same thing the first disciples discovered …
Jesus in the midst of life …
Jesus … in the midst of our work, our hobbies, our family, our ministry …
Look at that picture … do you get it?
People if we can figure this in the midst thing out ….
There’s no limit to what God can do in this church – our lives – our community …
if Jesus is in the midst.
When Jesus becomes the center of our lives … in all the places we go … all the things we do … the world will begin to see Jesus …
IF …
If we will let Jesus be the center of our lives …
The choice is yours …
You can see more pictures and listen to the whole story by visiting our church Facebook page and following the links provided there.
