I had a
pastor’s meeting at my local mall’s food court several weeks ago. I walked down the row of food establishments
trying to figure out what I was in the mood for, passing a corndog place where
the staff wears colorful uniforms. I was
stopped by a person handing out teriyaki chicken samples. “No, thank you,” I responded as I walked
by. I came near the end to a Chinese
food chain known for quick meals and a panda bear mascot. As I waited my turn I noticed a man to my
right. It was clearly his turn next, but
the Quick Food Panda staff guy skipped the man to my right and asked me what I
wanted to order. I looked over to the
guy at my right and cautiously ordered.
Panda-guy put my food on my plate and asked the guy to my right if he
was finally ready to order. The guy to
my right said, “Hmmm, I think I’d like to try a sample of that one next,” as he
pointed to one of their entrees.
Panda-guy responded, “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. All you’ve wanted to do is try samples. You’re not ordering anything. You got to go.” Awkward.
The guy to my
right missed the point of samples:
Samples aren’t a meal. Samples
are just a taste, inviting you to have more.
I was thinking
about the people at my church this week.
Considering how many come Sunday just for samples. Never enjoying partaking of the fullness of
Christ.
John begins his
Gospel account not in the manger but in Genesis. In describing Jesus, he says: 4 In him was life, and
that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John
1:4-5 (NIV)
John speaks of Jesus as a living Light that darkness
stands no chance against. Darkness is a real problem for those disconnected
from Jesus…
I’ve
been known to get lost in darkness…
I’ve
been known to be afraid in darkness…
I’ve
been known to get hurt in darkness…
So, Christmas is all about the Light Switch turning
on. A Light that triumphs over
darkness. John later wrote: 5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to
you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have
fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live
out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from
all sin. 1 John 1:5-7
(NIV)
My concern is for those who come close enough to the
Light just to get warm. Sitting through a
Sunday service and feeling the warmth of His presence through worship and the
Word. Only to go back out into the
cold. My point, don’t just visit the
Light. Live in the Light. Don’t just sample Jesus. Go all in with Jesus.
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