WHAT DO YOU SEE FROM THE PULPIT?

My mind this morning is drawn to one of the most poignant pictures painted in the Bible about Jesus and His disciples. Over the past three years the disciples have seen Jesus in many ways.

• They've seen him feed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish,
• They’ve witness Him quieting a raging sea with a spoken word,
• They saw Him heal ten lepers,
• Give sight to the blind,
• Teach as one who has authority.
• They've even saw him stand at a dead man's grave and say, “Lazarus! Come out!”…and he did!

They were there just days earlier when people lined the streets, waving palm branches and shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:9)  But now, they've gathered around a table, the last table they would share before the cross. Try to picture this scene. Imagine the smells and aromas of a great meal! Listen to the conversation as these close friends talk amongst themselves about what they think is to come! You can almost feel the excitement of friends enjoying a great celebration!

It is at this very moment that Jesus does the unthinkable. John 13:1 begins the story: “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”  He gets up, takes off his outer garment, pours water into a basin and kneels before one of His disciples. He then takes off the man's sandals, and gently washes his feet. His disciples were no doubt stunned and amazed…likely even a little embarrassed. If they had pins back in those days, you probably could have heard one drop. The King…this blessed One from God…is acting like a servant.

We really don't know which disciple Jesus knelt before first. It could have been Nathaniel, or Thomas, or James,… it really could have been any one of them. However, we do know that when Jesus looked at him, He saw someone for whom He was willing to give everything…even His life. And when the disciple looked down at Jesus, he looked into the face of love.

Here’s what I am thinking….each Sunday, I am blessed by God to stand before my congregation, just as thousands of other pastors, and I look out into a vast array of faces. There are young faces and old faces; there are familiar faces and unknown faces; there are a lot of kind faces mixed in with a few stern faces; there are energetic faces and tired faces. There are faces that radiate joy, and faces that reflect pain. There are even faces that show no emotion at all. But, when we look at them, what is it that we really see? Do we see what separates us, or what unites us? Do we just notice how big or small the crowd, or do we notice individuals to love? And, I suppose more importantly,… have we ever wondered what Jesus sees? The answer to the last question is easy. He sees people He came to serve,… people on whom He has compassion,… people for whom He gave His very life.

This Sunday, I am going to ask God to help me see people in my congregation like He does. There is no one that God doesn't notice. There is not one He doesn't love. There is none He isn't willing to serve. I pray the same be said of me.

Lord, when You walked this earth, You showed people the Father. Help me to do likewise. Give me a love for people that is beyond my own ability. When people see me may they really see You. May they see Your face, a face of love. Amen.