I am tired, but not the kind requiring more sleep. Maybe weary is a better word for this feeling I have had lately. In the not-so-distant past, I have angered and frustrated people close to me, which honestly has taken a lot out of me (and I am truly sorry for the hurt feelings, but equally thankful for the loving common ground we eventually found). Granted, much of it has come via Facebook, stemming from a growing desire that begs me to ask questions...not so much out of doubt or a lack of faith, because I also desperately love the Church...but BECAUSE of my faith. My journey has sent me searching - not so much for concrete answers, but for the opportunity for the right questions.
Today, I feel as though I have more of an idea what faith, love, and hope look like than during any time regularly attending church in the traditional Sunday morning sense. That used to sound horrible to even consider, but as my family has taken a sabbatical from Sunday morning, generations of Puritanical guilt have washed away to show some bedrock beneath. I still love Jesus. I love my family. I am still capable of loving and serving others. I pray. I gather with others and share the love and hospitality that I feel called to.
This morning, whether you are one who considers yourself a follower of Jesus or not, I encourage you to think about who He truly is...and maybe more about who He isn't.
“He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.” (Is. 53:2)
No other place in the Bible gives a glimpse at the physical description of Jesus. Yet just this one passage when held up to the body of work depicting Christ is puzzling to me. Why a beautiful (sometimes frighteningly scary), white, blue-eyed Savior? Is that what we have needed? Isaiah isn't saying he was grotesque, but he was not an attractive man. The closest depiction I could find of a Middle Eastern Jesus was this one:
Olive skin, shaggy beard, brown eyes... if THIS Jesus returns today, would more people be liable to call him in as a terrorist? Why do we easily embrace 'Jim Caviezel Jesus' (from Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ), instead of one who more accurately looked like Osama Bin Laden? I do not need a handsome redeemer. His life, His words, and the Story are enough.
Today, I challenge you to clear your mind of the images that you have of perfect, beautiful Jesus. Resonate on the things He did. The words He said. Reflect on the truth that He preached through word and deed - 'Love your neighbor as yourself'. For some, this will require you to look in the mirror and love yourself first...or perhaps you will need to find yourself by stepping outside your comfort zone and loving others. The challenge for each of us is to love.
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