I have a few scars on my body, one on my chin from a childhood accident that required a few stitches, on the back of my head a scar from a car accident that also required a few much later in my life. One toe has a scar I attribute to a crab bucket kicked over in a boat by my big but bare feet. Not really sure if that is where the scar came from but it makes for a good story. Various scars from mishandling of knives and tools, and there are the trips and falls, both from my younger playground days, and a few I have documented since starting this blog. All evidence of life events, some minor, some bigger.
Every so often I get distracted in my own thoughts at Church, sometimes I am not a good listener. Not something I would brag about but it is a fact I confess to. As the pastor talked this morning he continued to rudely interrupt my train of thoughts. He spoke of living a life of grace so effectively that his comments intertwined with my thoughts the end result is a collection of ideas that are not entirely my own. Our thoughts very similar, yet we started with a different scripture.
While waiting for the service to start I exercised a common practice of mine, finding something to read while I set in my church pew. In our case nice padded chairs. Sometimes that’s the bulletin, sometimes it’s a monthly Christian newspaper, others times I thumb through a hymnal. This morning I flipped through my bible, not in the same manner I have in years passed as my current bible is electronic and provided to me on my tablet. Yes, some Sunday’s I have peeked at Facebook, answered email, while pretending to be a penitent parishioner. Today I was actually reading scripture and before the pastor said a word I read these words we attribute to Paul from the book of Galatians.
“From now on, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.” (Galatians 6:17 NIV)
Paul says in another book that he was whipped five times, three times he was beaten with rods, he was stoned once. He survived a shipwreck and spent time in the ocean. He had a few scars. Many of which were given to him because of his faith. I live in a country and a time in which I will not be physically harmed for my faith. I do not posses a single scar on my body that is the result of my faith, unless you count the mistaken belief I cold fly when I jump off the roof of the house with my cousins. I can look at the scar below the first knuckle on my left index finger and remember many home projects that included a bloody puncture wound, but there are no nail prints given to me by a Roman soldier. Absent physical scars what evidence is there of Christ in my life?
Christ loved his enemies, showed compassion to the poor, offered understanding to the sinner, was silent when falsely accused, was patient with those who just didn’t get it, and chose for his closest companions those that the religious would have cast aside. Christ treated others, as Pastor Larry described it best, with “grace”.
I set there in my comfortable chair which was fast becoming uncomfortable and ask myself “do I bear the marks of Jesus?” Any?
David
