Our church is working through a series on Luke. Today the sermon centered on Luke 22 – the Last Supper. Not having grown up “churched” like most of my friends, this sacrament is one that I never grow tired of learning about. The reverant remembrance of Christ’s work on the cross never fails to stir up something in me and today was no different.
But today, as Rob taught, he brought up the fact that the disciples heard Jesus claim that the one who would betray him was sitting right there with them and each of them began to wonder if they were the one. I found myself reflecting on this last week. Then I heard Rob teach about the personal introspection that should be a part of our communion experience.
So I went there. I pulled up the “tapes” from this last week for an inside out inventory of my behavior. Monday – okay. Tuesday – okay. Wednesday – oh yeah… a few emergencies at the office to respond to… how’d I do? If I was grading myself, maybe a C+, possibly a B. Thursday – blizzard – yep, things started heading south. I remember having to find a quiet spot for repentance. Friday? Seems that attitude of repentance didn’t really help much, by mid-afternoon I was back sliding again.
All that to say, I am SO thankful for God’s grace and mercy! I know these inside out moments are necessary for my relationship to grow in Him, but if it wasn’t for the hope I have in Christ they sure would be depressing!
Let it be known that I am an avid people watcher! But not the typical people watcher, mind you, I have a twist. My most favorite thing to do (especially at airports, the zoo, or the park) is to zoom in on parents and their children. No, I am not a parental critic. Most often it doesn’t really matter to me how parent’s decide to raise their kids. I spend my time trying to figure out who the kid looks like! I find it fascinating! Mom’s eyes? Dad’s nose? Hmmm…
I can spend hours doing this and for some crazy reason I just think it’s a blast! I wonder if it’s because deep down inside I am absolutely amazed with the entire creation process? Have you ever thought about it?
Here’s another twist… Have you ever wondered who you look like? Have you ever wondered how much you “look like” Jesus? I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and it’s been an interesting introspection. When I recount my day and put it through the test, I see many, many moments where I didn’t “look like” my Savior at all.
I am reading a great book called, UnChristian, by David Kinnaman. The entire book is based on research about how young “outsiders” (those who do not know Christ) perceive Christians. As a believer it has helped me understand a few things. At the end of each chapter the author has given pages to a few contributors for insight. Yesterday I found this great quote from Sarah Raymond Cunningham:
I am not asked to impersonate the Holy Spirit but to live a life that gives off God’s fluorescence. And I resolve to remember that God often allows us to learn just as much as we travel our chosen paths as we would have if we had walked only his lighted portions.
I love what she is saying here about learning from our bad days as well as our good days. Yes, no matter what, my desire is that I learn what He would have me learn.
God’s fluorescence… I love that!
Leading & Learning 