Had a thought hit me this morning: In the New Testament the Church is the Bride of Christ. In American Christianity, the Church is Angelina Jolie--smokin' hot but shallow and flighty. We have gorgeous facades, all the latest in buildings, creature comforts, music (as artificially enhanced as, well, Angelina Jolie). But while she (we're talking about the Church again, now) may look drop-dead gorgeous on the outside, where is the commitment to her Groom? We're so embarrassed by Him that we've tried to pretend we're married to someone else. Our Groom "has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him" (Is. 53:2). So, what do we do? We pull a Brad Pitt mask over Him, to try to cover that unsightly marring; and dress Him in an Armani suit because those blood-stains just won't do in the social circles to which we aspire.
The jesus (little "j") of Joel Osteen, Bobbie Schuller, and Billy Graham (before you get mad, watch this) is a jesus who has been sanitized for worldling consumption. Here's an idea: let's speak of our Groom the way a loving, faithful Bride enraptured by her great Love would, instead of apologizing that He is not socially graceful. Let's present the pierced, bleeding, dying Savior to the world without shame. And while we're at it, we should point out to the scandalized worldling that, "Hey, He was wounded for YOUR transgressions. Those scars are BEAUTIFUL!"
Or, we could just continue our advanced studies in the Gomer School of Marital Fidelity.
No comments:
Post a Comment