It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.
Isaiah 49:6
Some years ago, my father had become the new pastor of First Baptist Church of Jefferson City, Tennessee. The church was in the process of building a new sanctuary to replace the previous one destroyed in a fire. In the process of construction and as the building was nearing completion, a church member came to my father’s study very concerned that a strange-looking man with long hair and a beard was wandering around among the workers, tools, and materials in the sanctuary work area.
My father dutifully headed down to the construction area. Sure enough, there he was, a strong-looking man in very casual clothes—jeans and a loose fitting flannel shirt, long hair and beard. He was not one of the workers, and though my father was still new to the church, this man didn’t seem to fit the stereotypical churchgoer at First Baptist.
“Excuse me,” my father said. “May I help you?”
“No, that’s okay,” this guy replied. “I just wanted to see how your stained-glass window up there turned out.”
He pointed up to the large, beautiful window just recently placed into the wall behind the baptistery. It was a picture of Jesus smiling, welcoming and arms open wide. Dad looked up at the window. And there he saw a familiar face.
“See,” the man continued, “I was the model for Jesus, and I was curious how it turned out.”
When telling us that story, my father said: “And to think, I almost threw Jesus out of the church!”
Sadly, it wouldn’t have been the first time, nor will it likely be the last. Therefore, let us do our best to be more discerning, more understanding, and more committed to hearing God’s call in our lives to see beyond our circumstances, culture, and current perspective. There is more going on in God’s world and with God’s hope and dreams than we can imagine.
