“Missing the Messiah” by Katie Wilson
Missing the Messiah
Missing the Messiah in the Midst of Religious Tradition
“Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When Jesus was twelve years old, they attended the festival as usual. After the celebration was over, they started home to Nazareth, but Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents didn’t miss him at first, because they assumed he was among the other travelers. But when he didn’t show up that evening, they started looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.” (Luke 2:41-45 NLT)
“His parents didn’t miss HIM at first.”(Lk.2:43)
If Jesus’ went “missing” with HIS own parents in the midst of all the hubbub of their religious tradition and celebration,
is it possible we might MISS JESUS in the midst of religious tradition too?
With Easter approaching, a celebration like no other, may we take a moment to examine the ways we can MISS JESUS, not as a scolding, but as an awakening
so that we don’t!
Ticked at the table who forgot the deviled eggs for the potluck, we miss the weeping widow alone in the corner.
Too busy judging the hand-raisers and loud music, we miss the altar call calling our names.
Assuming that hymns, pulpits, and organs are out dated and irrelevant, we miss the message of Christ this is readily available when we seek HIM over personal preferences.
Chastising volunteers for chatting too much, we miss the deep conversations meant for us.
Steeples and stained-glass were made to point to glory and tell God’s story but we miss the Gospel message in building campaigns, historic preservation and separating denominations.
Segregated Sundays and stone-throwing at sinful Saturdays, we miss the unity and mercy meant FOR ALL, AT ALL TIMES!
Offended, once again by the church, we miss grace-laced opportunities in these “hospital” communities. (We are all sick and broken and in need of a Healer!)
Love, without truth, we miss the guard rails meant to keep us from driving off the cliff. Click To Tweet
Love, without truth, we miss the guard rails meant to keep us from driving off the cliff.
Truth, without love, we miss mercy and grace in the straight jacket of judgement. Click To Tweet
Truth, without love, we miss mercy and grace in the straight jacket of judgement.
Where there is watered down truth and conditional love, we miss the REAL GOSPEL, having stumbled over or settled for, the “CLOSE” gospel, and we all know-“close only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades!”
Memory verses, church attendance and missions, without the Holy Spirit, we miss divine revelation, personal relationship and the miraculous!
When “the way it’s always been” becomes “the ONLY way it should always be,” we miss the masterful innovation and personally relevant, Immutable Messiah .
When being “right” is the point, we miss pointing others to the righteousness of Christ.
When we skim the Bible, skipping stories we think we know, we miss the golden nuggets that are meant to be mined for a lifetime.
When we choose to view life through the “knothole” of our pain,(a sentence gleaned from “The Shack” that resonated in my bones), we miss the glimpses of glory God wants to give us on a healing journey.
Focused on the earthly life of “ME,” success, comfort and safety, we miss the eternal life of “MEANING,”
significance over success,
compassion over comfort
and
Kingdom risk over safety.
There is nothing wrong with Easter egg hunts and Christmas trees; they are beautiful and fun, but we miss the Messiah when we let these symbols REPLACE the Cross and empty tomb.
The Pharisees watched Jesus so closely, (Luke 6:7 NLT),
looking for Him to break the rules of tradition,
that
they missed the miraculous,
they missed the fulfillment of the prophesies they had spent their whole lives teaching about,
they missed the MESSIAH!
BUT
WE DON’T HAVE TO!
“When you come looking for me, you’ll find me.
“Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree.
Jeremiah 29:13 MSG
About the Author: Katie Wilson
Katie W. was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, where a loving family and the River City watered her roots. Katie is writing, painting, mentoring and speaking as a “hope-offerer”, who prayerfully points to “That Jesus” at all times. Grounded in her faith, Katie seeks to be an active participant in loving the world well. She hopes to be an instrument of light, celebrating diversity but not division and promoting peace, without forfeiting Truth. Katie aims to leave a conspiracy of kindness in her wake, a legacy of love that flavors today and seasons the generations to come.
*Connect with Katie on her blog at Psalm8110.com or katiejwilson.com
One Comment
Excellent view of truth!