Come and See - August 12, 2010

Daily Lectionary For August 12, 2010
Psalm 10
Judges 14:1-19
Acts 6:15-7:16
John 4:27-42

John 4:27-42
Another "Come and see" instance.  The woman at the well is moved by her interaction with Jesus.  She goes to the city and says, "Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!"(v.29)  Authentic interaction with Jesus rarely seems to leave people passive.  They are changed.  And they are compelled to tell someone else.  Jesus insight into her life astonishes the woman in a way that leads her to want to invite others to have the same experience.  I don't think I say "Come and see" enough.  I don't think most folks in communties of faith say "come and see" enough.  I'm not sure if it's complacency or something else, but the biblical witness seems clear - when people encounter Jesus they want someone else to encounter Jesus as well.  Recognizing this shortcoming in myself along with exposure to teacher/leaders like E. Stanley Ott, creator of the Acts 16:5 Intiative (for a thumbnail description of the Acts 16:5 Initiative go to hebronpc.net and click on Acts 16:5 on the side of the page), is what has pushed me to become far more disciplined in daily Scripture reading and in intentionally making time for prayer.  And encouraging folks in our church to be reading the Bible and praying in a regular, discipined manner.  Scripture and prayer are two of our best tools for encountering Christ.  I want to encounter Christ and I want others to encounter Christ, because it's in that encounter that our lives are transformed.  And it's in that transformation that we are moved out of our lethargy and become enthusiastic followers of Christ who can't help but issue the invitation, "Come and see."

Jet Blue Guy
We've had one of those cultural moments in the past couple of days in the person of the Jet Blue flight attendant who had all he could take of rude passengers and finally snapped.  He took to the speaker in the plane to offer some choice words and then grabbed a beer and left via the emergency exit.  It's the most recent example of the "Network" (I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore) moment.  Jet Blue Guy is becoming a folk hero as he's the stand in for everyone who has fantasized about making a slash and burn exit from a job that has driven them to distraction.  And perhaps even beyond that he's representative of a lot of folks today who feel like there are large forces in play that leave the individual barely worthy of notice.  High unemployment rates, mortgage pressures - an economy that may be recovering, but for many in a way that seems more like abstract indicators going up rather than anything measurable about their personal circumstances.  Jet Blue Guy's bravado says that one individual can still, at least for a moment, get the attention of the world and communicate the disssatisfaction that is brewing up in many who have nearly reached the mad as hell and not going to take it any more point.