Have you ever been given a piece of clothing that you just love?
That one thing that you would wear absolutely everywhere and only take it off when your Mum told you to, or when it just got too smelly?
I have. When I was eight I wanted a bomber jacket so badly. I begged and begged until I got one. My Mum gave me it as a gift for doing well in a test. I remember taking it up to my room, putting on my favourite shirt (only shirt) and then I pulled on the jacket. I was such a badass in that jacket. It was so padded out and jet black, I probably looked ridiculous with my tiny eight year old frame; in my head I was Danny from Greece. Zach from Saved By The Bell. Proper cool (Don't judge my childhood heroes) .
I got up the next morning and casually glided down the stairs. Coat on, head shaved and shoulders swinging. 'Josh, take that coat off'. Mum knew what would happen. I would wear it into school, get it dirty and then make her wash it. 'Pleaaaassseee Mum. I will be so careful and I will hang it up on my hanger all day and I won't even wear it at break time. Pleeeaasssseee' Of course my Mum let me. All responsibility for the coat was on my shoulders. Could i handle it? Yes I could. I was the coolest kid in Bangor.
I strutted through those hall ways like I had just got the high score on guitar hero. Puffing my chest out as teachers passed, trying to wink at the girls in my class (Which was actually more like a blink- I was only wee), and assuming that the boys were now scared of me. I got to my class room, ready to make my grand entrance. The trumpets would sound and I would sit on my golden throne. Then it happened. With a heart cutting and stomach turning noise my coat got caught in the hinge of the door and ripped. Right down the sleeve. Bubble burst. This wasn't the end of if either. For some reason the 60 year old class room assistant thought that i needed a substitute for my bomber jacket. She decided that a suitable replacement would be her light red (pink) body warmer. She made me wear this all day, to the amusement of my whole class. I went from hero to zero and all it took was a torn sleeve.
Pretty funny story I think. I look back and laugh at how much i cared about that bomber jacket.
Maybe you understand why I am telling you about the bomber jacket, if you do; great. If not, I will explain.
I believe that as Christians, God has given us an incredible gift and an incredible task. The gift? He has revealed himself somehow through is word, history and in our lives. We have understood that we are forgiven. We have received the gift of grace. The task? Take what you know, what has been revealed and go. Be ambassadors for God. Be part of the incredible history. In Acts 1:8 the disciples were told that they would be 'witnesses' and so are we. To witness for something is to give an account. If you imagine a witness in a court, they stand up and are asked what they know. I think it is the same in our lives, we live life and all the time people should be looking and asking 'what do they know that I don't'. The question is, what are you doing with the gift? Are you wearing it like i wore my bomber jacket? Proud and confident, knowing that you have got the best thing that you could ever imagine. Or are you taking second best? Are you wearing a pink body warmer when you could be wearing the bomber jacket? We see this all the time don't we? Brothers and Sisters just throwing their faith into the cupboard pulling on what they think the world wants of them. Forget what the world wants. God created the world. He started all of this, why wouldn't we surrender to him? This would be like asking me for a singing lesson when somebody like Beyonce was offering to help you out. She knows how to sing, I don't. God knows what is best for us, We don't. Cant you see the massive risk God has taken in trusting such an incredible thing to us. He has done his bit, and will keep doing his bit. We need to do ours too.
Today we see in the press all the time headlines like 'Christianity in decline' or 'Secular Britain'. It doesn't phase me really because i know that there is something prickling in the hearts of many. People are starting to see what this is about and I can feel something building. It will take sacrifice to be part of it. You will have to give up on yourself and what the the world wants of you. You won't be seen as cool, or successful. Mother Teresa said so wisely about her life that 'I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful.' How refreshing. In the worlds eyes you will be wearing the pink body warmer. In God's eyes you will be wearing the big bomber jacket. What matters most?
Bring it!
