“Familiarity breeds contempt” says the proverb. Turns out, according to a recent study , that on average, we like other people less the more we know about them. Familiarity really does breed contempt. Sometimes our familiarity with Jesus can make even Him seem less interesting, but in that case the fault is really our own.
Sunday was the installation service for Pastor Mark Radke at the nearby Garfield Park United Church of Christ. Mark is a good friend and partner in ministry in our area of Indianapolis. He was kind enough to ask me to speak for the occasion.
The Demanding Privilege of Making Known the Mystery of the Gospel
Many Christians are making a big mistake. They see Christ as a means to an end when He is actually the be all and end all of their existence. They see faith in Christ as the way to a happy life, the path to earthly success or comfort, or the solution to their present problems. In Paul’s case, the high calling that he received turned out to be a very demanding privilege.
Playing Balderdash with Jesus
Our family likes to play the game Balderdash. The idea is that you are given a word or a movie title or a name and you have to make up a definition for the word, or say what the movie is about, or tell who the person is. The world plays Balderdash with Jesus. People make things up about Him, but these fictional versions of Jesus are unworthy of our worship. If Jesus is really God incarnate, then our failure to acknowledge that might have eternal consequences. Today’s passage intends to clear this up.
Central Reflections 