The eCrozier

“All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

There’s an important documentary in theatres right now called “Waiting for Superman.” It’s about how public education in many of our cities isn’t serving our children well. The title comes from a phrase coined by Geoffrey Canada the innovative leader of the Harlem Children’s Zone in NYC. Canada said as he was growing up in extreme poverty in the South Bronx his situation seemed so hopeless only Superman could save him. So, he spent his childhood waiting for Superman. Of course, Canada realized as an adult Superman was not coming and that he and others had to act if the next generation of children were to climb out of poverty.

I think we in our own way spend time waiting for Superman, especially in our faith. Jesus is the Superman that saves us from sin and death and brings us safely to heaven. And, of course, that is true. Jesus saves us from sin and death. But that is only half of the Gospel and it can lead us to a deadly passivity where we piously sit on our hands and wait for Superman Jesus to fix everything. We are not just saved from sin and death, we are saved for the ministry of reconciliation. We are saved so we can be the Body of Christ for a broken world. We are saved so we can be the hands and feet and eyes of Jesus in this world.

St Teresa of Avila said it best in her poem: Christ Has No Body

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,?

We’re full Gospel Christians called to witness to the reconciling love of Jesus with every fiber of our being. The world has for too long endured the words of half Gospel Christians who sit on their pious perches asking others if they’ve been saved. Such Christians are sung about in a wonderful old Johnny Cash song called: You’re so heavenly minded you’re no earthly good. It goes like this:

If you’re holdin’ heaven then spread it around
There are hungry hands reaching up here from the ground
Move over and share the high ground where you stood
You’re so heavenly minded and you’re no earthly good
No earthly good you are no earthly good

You and I are not called to “hold heaven.” We’re called to spread it around each day. We’re called to take heaven to the lonely, lost and left out. We are saved for great things.

+Scott