Messengers by Cherie Dack |
| Posted by Mark (mark) on Mar 31 2008 at 8:41 PM |
Perhaps part of the reason that God became a man was because he was fed up with people falling in love with his messengers. Again and again, God entrusted his most vulnerable feelings to Joe Spokesman who carried the message to God’s chosen beloved only to have her start a Joe Spokesman fan club. Crushed and helpless, God watched his messenger become just another rival. No wonder Jesus was so hurt and angered by the Pharisees. There he stood in living color - oh the excitement of finally being his own messenger! - and they were so obsessed with Moses, they didn’t recognize the one who had been wooing them all along. (John 5:39-40, 9:28-29) There’s a flip side, of course. Fan clubs easily turn into critic clubs. This is what I call the “moon worship” phenomena. As long as you are standing far enough away, the moon is a lovely thing. It moves you. It inspires you. It fires your imagination. But get close enough, and all the magic is gone. After seeing the surface for themselves, disillusioned moon worshipers will be the first to tell you, the moon is nothing but a dusty rock. Its loveliness is merely reflection. Our lives are filled with messengers, people who inspire us and fire our imaginations, but they are attractive only because of the one who sent them. We are being wooed - deliberately, relentlessly - but not by the messengers themselves. They are, we soon discover, dust. Their loveliness is merely reflection. So who is it that we’re seeing when we’re captured by beauty, moved by truth, inspired by revelation? Who is it that we really want? Any messenger worth his salt knows the answer and will shout it from the rooftops. “The bride belongs to the bridegroom!” (John 3:29) Now, if only the bride could figure that out.
by Cherie Dack
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