The Called

5-4-2021

 

            A couple of thoughts tease my mind as I sit to write.  It’s “Star Wars” day.    How did a fun, fresh science fiction movie become the mythic, entertainment behemoth that it is?  Fans exchange knowing winks as they proudly say, “May the 4^th be with you!”  They delight in the ignorance of the uninitiated who don’t understand “the force.” 

            This is all fantasy, but like a lot of fictional world, Star Wars holds a firm grip on the hearts of many in the world.  What do witnesses sharing testimony about Jesus have to say to the voters, lawyers, dishwashers, bus-riders, builders, writers, wannabe-writers, gamers, and influencers inhabiting the Star Wars universe?

            The other musing poking around my brain is the movement related to COVID-19: vaccines are up; infection rates are down; restrictions are being lifted.  In the U.S., we are inching toward the end of the pandemic.  Of course, just as some at the beach go charging into the surf, and others gradually dip their toes and venture no farther than ankle deep, and others stay completely dry settling for sand and sun, we will see varying levels of social engagement that mark the end of the COVID-19 ordeal.  

Some will continue to isolate.  Some will come out but stay protected by masks and will find themselves wary about handshaking.  Some will bound out into the world and act gregarious, ignoring the personal space of others, and acting as if COVID-19 never happened. What word do Christ-followers have to share in this disordered, unbalanced time?  And how do we share it?

Sorry, I don’t have answers, per se.  When COVID-19 is completely in the rearview mirror, there will be other crises ignored by some and completely feared by others.  There will be numerous fantasy worlds that give people joy and even meaning.  We who follow Jesus are called to show the world who He is and why He matters, and we’re called to do that no matter how things are in the world. 

Ephesians 1:18 says one of the goals of this letter is that the reader will receive the Spirit and know the hope to which Christians are called.  Believers often talk about, write about, and debate about “the elect.”  Who’s included in “the elect?”  Who’s excluded?  Am I among “the elect?”  What if, instead of these conversations about something utterly out of our control, we see ourselves as the called.

We are called to hope.  We are called to follow Jesus, love others, and share hope!  We are called to be witnesses in a Star Wars world, in a COVID-19 world, in a post-COVID world, and in the midst of whatever comes next.  As you bask in the fresh, new beauty of Springtime, consider seeing yourself with new eyes.  If you have given your heart to Christ and dedicated yourself to following Jesus, then you are among the called.  How will you respond to God’s call?