Isn't it good to be a Christian?

I read something recently where the comment was made how good it was to be a Christian and not be like those poor Mormon young men who have to spend time knocking on doors or the Jehovah Witness familles who have to do the same. Isn’t it good to be just plain old Christians who don’t have to do anything?

You know we can just be ‘good’ people like Jesus told us to be. The thing is Jesus tended to get a bit carried away with that being good stuff. He expected us to do good to those who hurt us. Interesting thought but much easier to get even don’t you think?

What else did Jesus tell us to do? Well, he mentioned loving those who hate us! Put that one aside; it’s way too radical. He said if someone wanted our coat to give them our overcoat as well. He did tell a young fellow to give all he had to the poor and then follow him; but of course that was specifically for that very selfish young bloke not us. He had some interesting advice about throwing a party, suggesting that we should not invite our friends but invite all of the local losers to a free hand out!?

He was a strange guy this Jesus. No wonder so many who carry the name Christian don’t spend too much time checking out what he had to say. Heavens it might change our lives!

What about the thing called the Great Commission, now better known as the Great Omission? You know it’s that bit in Matthew 28 where Jesus says ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’ This is the best known version but of course it gets a mention with slight variations in Mark, Luke, John and the Book of Acts as well, so maybe it is fairly important.

A favourite story for me is that of the woman at the well in John 4:1-42. This lady has come to the well to draw water where she meets up with Jesus. A most significant verse for me follows the interaction with Jesus where we read; ‘Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city’. She returned to the place she had come from minus the reason for her going there in the first place!?

The woman had gone for water that wouldn’t last and came away with eternal refreshment. She discovered that her own need for her natural thirst to be quenched suddenly was not all that important for she had come to experience the quenching of a much deeper encounter with the person of Jesus ..

she met him at the well.
She put down her water jar, and she went out to tell the Good News. She brought people to the well .. and so to Jesus. She became a bucket .. a means of bringing others to the living water. (source unknown)

So many seem to see the Christian faith as a commodity that we might think about filling up on occasionally when we have time to fit it into our schedule. We bring our bucket expecting that it be filled. The breakthrough is when we become the bucket.

Last Sunday morning I borrowed a deeply theological lesson from that noted scholar Pinocchio. We reflected on his song ‘There are no strings on me’. Whether or not the above reflection on the lady at the well touches our heart and spirit probably depends on who is pulling our strings.

Cheers - John