Bring your wallet (not too many things in it) but make sure you have your Lutheran card.
Hi everyone!
I’m very glad to see you today.
So I have a question: when you want to buy something, what do you need? Money. Credit Cards. Apple Pay. Accept answers. Right! And I usually keep many of those things in this: show your wallet. Let’s go through my wallet and see what’s in there.
Go through what’s in your wallet. Show credit cards, health care cards, random cards for ice creams, and your clergy card. Even show cash (if you have any – you millennial you). But then stop when you have your Lutheran card.
Now this card is a very special card. What do you see on it? Go through it. Luther’s face. My name. Luther’s seal. Old Lutheran logo. I got this as a gift for my birthday and I like it because it’s very funny. This card makes me, a literal card carrying Lutheran. If anyone wanted to know what faith I am or what I believe, I can just take out this card and show it to them: I’m a Lutheran. I’m a fan of Jesus. I dig the church. I worship, pray, and hang out with Scripture. And this card says that there is a certain point of view, a certain flavor, a certain perspective of talking about Jesus – this Lutheran thing – that feeds my soul.
But let’s imagine for a moment that I don’t have this card. And you weren’t going through my wallet. And you didn’t know me. You just saw me walking down the street, dressed like I normally am. How could you tell if I was a Christian? Or even a Lutheran? Accept answers. But, in general, you can’t.
How can someone, by just looking at us, learn, hear, and get to know Jesus? They can’t.
People can only hear about God’s love for them if we tell them about it. People can only get to know Jesus if we show them who Jesus is. It’s great to be a Lutheran Christian. It’s awesome to follow Jesus. But if we keep Jesus to ourselves, like if we leave our Lutheran card in our wallet so that no one can see it – then we keep a part of ourselves hidden from the world around us. Jesus doesn’t want us to keep his love hidden. He wants us to show it, to share it, and to live a life where that love compels all of us to just keep talking about Jesus. Because if you or me or your parents or all your friends out here don’t talk about Jesus, who will?
Thank you for being here and I hope you have a blessed week.
Each week, I share a reflection for all children of God. The written manuscript serves as a springboard for what I do. This is from Christ Lutheran Church’s Worship on the 7th Sunday of Easter, 5/13/2018.