Passed

Luke 6:46-47 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it.

I lifted the time-worn angel from the large storage box. Her skirt of lace and linen a mass of aged yellow wrinkles. Cupped within each of her hands is a tiny bulb that serves as the tip of a candle. Her painted on face resembles the curious grin of the famous Mona Lisa. I hold her carefully in one hand as I carefully smooth out the folds of her tangled gown.

This angel is as old as I am, and she has graced the top of many Christmas trees of my past. As I attempted to position her ring of warm light over the top of the tree’s highest peak, I felt the sting and subsequent slice of my tender fleshed finger. I pulled the angel down and inspected her underside to locate the problem.

Alas, time was not on her side through the years. The cone of plastic the nestled her underside had begun to crumble and crack. All of the pieces were barely holding together quite truthfully. It was irony that struck me- a tidbit of curiosity that bit my soul- as my eyes roamed the crumbling mess to assess if the damage was repairable. Stuck to the cracked piece of plastic that cut me was a faded yellow inspection sticker that read ‘passed’.

Oh Lord, how many exist in their every day life just clinging on to the thought that one day, when their day comes, there will be an angel standing at the pearly gates who will look them over just to slap a ‘passed’ sticker upon their backs so they may walk into the glory of heaven?

Too many Beloved.

I can still smell the smoke from that burning bush. I remember when I first encountered Jesus- really encountered Jesus. Oh, I have known Jesus all my life being born in a pew and all, but I never really knew Him until in my own brokenness I surrendered all… and there He was.

When you encounter Jesus, no one can ever take that from you. No one- no person, no spirit, no evil thing can take from you the power of the moment you surrender to your Creator, the One who calls you Beloved. Sure, others may mock or believe your faith to be zealous or strange, but no one has the power to take from you the freedom He freely gives.

No one can take it from you, but you sure can give it away.

And slowly, over time, when neglected and overlooked, that strong and powerful faith we encounter will begin to deteriorate. It will crack, and if ignored and untreated, it will possess the ability to cause damage and cut the most tender of spiritual flesh. Most often our own tender spiritual flesh. And then the day will come when our time will pass and we’re standing before the gates of heaven. Yes, our time will pass… but will we? I don’t know about you, but I am hoping for more than a faded ‘passed’ sticker.

What are you hoping for? We are hope-chasers after all…

Father, may you infill us with your Holy Spirit and breathe life into these dry bones. May we once again walk this walk with a desire for your power to touch us, may we seek to encounter you every moment we have breath. Amen.

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