Sazón>>>
a word in season
Major Juan Mercado
Quarterly Devotional
10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. We have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. 15 John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, “This is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’”
Looking for the Messiah
I have a confession to make. I didn’t realize the time of the year it was, until I visited the store the other day. There I saw all the Easter propaganda then I realize we are about to celebrate Easter. It made me remember a time when I was growning, we only had five channels to watch on TV. This is how we knew Easter was coming, there were all kind of religious movies and programs.
Then I was thinking…SUPPOSE JESUS CAME to your church. I don’t mean symbolically. I mean visibly, physically, actually. Suppose he came to your church. Would you recognize him? It might be difficult, Jesus didn’t wear religious clothes in his day. If he came today to your church, he’d wear regular clothes. Nothing fancy, just a jacket and shoes and a tie. Maybe a tie … maybe not.
He would have a common name “Jesus” was common. I suppose he might go by Joe or Bob or Terry or Elliot. Elliot … I like that, suppose Elliot, the Son of God, came to your church? He wouldn’t be from Nazareth or Israel. He wouldn’t come from Wall Street or Weschester. Maybe from one of the five boroughs, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens or Mht.
Elliot would be a laborer, he was a carpenter in his day. No reason to think he’d change, but let’s say he did. Let’s say that this time around he was a plumber. Elliot, the plumber from Queens.
God, a plumber?
Rumor has it that he was in a baseball game and they ran out of junk food so he took a hot dog and some peanuts that a little kid had and he fed everyone on the stadium (and they even beat Boston!). Others say he healed a blind governor. He even went to Wall Street and met with a top guy on one of those companies with bailout money and after that visit they decided to give that money to the Salvation Army so we can feed the hungry and do the most good.
Some say he is the Son of God. Others say he’s the joke of the year. You don’t know what to think and then, one Sunday, he shows up.
About midway through the service he appears in the back of the auditorium and takes a seat. After a few songs he moves closer to the front. After yet another song he steps up on the platform and announces, “You are singing about me. I am the Son of God”. ”I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”
What would you think? Would you be offended? How irreverent, a guy named Elliot as the Son of God!Would you be interested? Wait a minute, how could he be the Son of God? He never went to seminary, never studied at a college. But there is something about him …Would you believe? I can’t deny it’s crazy. But I can’t deny what he has done. It’s easy to criticize contemporaries of Jesus for not believing in him. But when you realize how he came, you can understand their skepticism.
They didn’t understand that the reason he came was that he care. That he wants to remind everyone that ordinary people can do extraordinary things when we care and when we love. They miss him when stop caring. And some time we miss Him too.
And then I thought, I’ve seen Jesus here at this building. I’ve seen him when Jose has the mail ready and when he goes to my office and check on the copier machine to make sure I will have what it takes to do my job. Or when I go to Central Services and I see Kathy with a big smile and then she gives my wife a bag of that Colombian coffee. Or when Leema calls me and said she has that check ready. Or Morgan when I go for petty cash and he keeps telling me I need to learn how to play cricket.
As Jesus didn’t fit their concept of a Messiah he sometimes doesn’t fit ours. But when we start looking and paying attention to those details and caring about others, then suddenly we too see Him again. When Jesus came he showed us how much he cares by giving His life for us. As the Scripture tell us:
As you can see, some people miss him. And some people still miss him today. But we are and we will be like the ones that found him. Because we care and we will continue to care. Look around you, look around for the Elliot’s, the plumber from Queens.
You might see Jesus through him if you look carefully you won’t miss him, and you will care….
God Bless you all.