WATCHWORD:
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” 37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:36-37
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20
Meditation:
Meeting Christ (for the first time)
In a previous Watchword, I wrote about Philip inviting Nathaniel to come and meet Jesus, and the result was that Nathaniel became an apostle. That caused me to consider how do people meet Christ, when their religion or their faith is not even on the other’s to do list. Often the meeting comes because of circumstance or because of an intentional invitation. Sometimes there is a clearly God-guided involvement. Sometimes the introduction is subtle and without words.
Here is an example: Wikipedia tells us about the Inklings – “The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien at the University of Oxford, for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who praised the value of narrative in fiction and encouraged the writing of fantasy. The best-known, apart from Tolkien, were C. S. Lewis, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield.”
The Inklings met informally in a local Oxford tavern where they engaged in conversations about writing and shared one another’s unpublished works. There was never any overt discussion of religion, in any form, yet the impact on C S Lewis, at the time an agnostic, was profound. He would later write about observing the subtle differences between Tolkien, a strong Christian, and other members of the Inklings, little things like the manner in which he related respectfully to others. Over time, he began to realize that what his friend was showing him was a better way to live, through his relation with Christ, and the impact was startling. Lewis began to change, and embraced Christ through the rest of his life, as reflected in his writings.
Did Tolkien lead Lewis to Christ? Without question. There was no proselytizing, there was no evangelizing, there was no overt leading, as such, except for the model of a well-lived Life in Christ, that was there for the world to see, including Lewis.
The point of this meditation, of course, is that we should never underestimate the effect we may have on others, who observe how we live, what we say, how we relate to others. When Christ tells us to “Go, and make disciples”, he did not say go and preach, but he did say “love others as I love you”. I think that is what Lewis saw in Tolkien, so long ago. What do you think?
Bulletin Board:
Time for self-examination? How does our life-style reflect our Christian walk? What do people see in us, our words, our behavior? Can they relate what they see in us, to our relationship with Christ? What do you imagine others saying about you when you are not present?
Closing Prayer:
Help me Heavily Father to fully understand that I don’t live isolated from others, but what other see in me may influence what they believe. When I embraced you, Lord, I gave myself to you. Help to know fully what that means and let me open my eyes and honestly look at my behavior as you see it. What would you have me change and lead me to take the steps I need to take, regardless how difficult they may be. You are my Lord and Savior, help me to live my life so that others seen that in me. Amen
