In the classic tale of Snow White, the wicked Queen would consult her magic mirror on the wall to learn the most important question on her heart – who is the fairest, prettiest one of all in her kingdom? The mirror simply told the truth as it was – it was up to the Queen what to do with that truth.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a magic mirror on the wall to answer our questions? We could ask even more important questions than check-out-isle magazines – who’s the sexiest, the cutest, the most plastic, etc. We could ask stuff like, “Why am I here?” Or, “Why are we here?” And certainly, “What can I (and we) do to make the most of our experience while we’re here?”
Good news. There is a mirror. And it tells the truth. The question for you is, how are you going to respond to this truth once you’ve heard it?
The mirror we have is the Word of God. Most people immediately think of the Bible, which is often called by that name. But the Bible is more of a record of accounts of the Word of God, which is an important (even if subtle) distinction because if it becomes the Word, we tend to put it on a pedestal and treat it in ways it wasn’t supposed to be treated. The Word is that which God speaks. It is the power and presence of God. The Word brought about creation. The Word made nations rise and fall. The Word brought redemption to the slaves of Egypt. The Word brought life to dead, dry bones. The Word brought hope in times of calamity, because people knew they could trust the Word – it told the truth. If they aligned themselves with the Word, as painful as that may have been at times, the Word’s truth would shine through.
Of course, the Word is a name for Jesus Christ as well. He was the Word made flesh – God’s gift to humanity. In Jesus Christ, we can see the Word, hear the Word, touch the Word, interact with the Word.
The Word is the mirror. The Word, according to James 1:21, has the power to save your souls. Soul is another word that has been minimized in recent times to simply mean that part of ourselves that lives beyond the grave. The Word defines it differently: your soul is your very life. James is saying that this mirror, this Word, has the power to save your life. This is completely congruent with many other accounts in the Bible where the Word of God told the people that in God life is found. Jesus said that he came to bring the best of life. And he even told us how to get it.
One of the last commands Jesus, the Word, gave to his disciples was to go into all the world and make disciples of Jesus. A disciples is one who learns about and follows in the footsteps of the one they are following. The connection is clear, then: if life is to be had at its best for you, me, and all of humanity, it will come through learning about and following in the footsteps of Jesus. A disciple of Jesus.
This is the goal of life, if the best of life is truly what you desire. This is also the goal of the Church, and is the focus of our attention here at CrossWalk. If we’re not about helping you and others develop in your discipleship, we’re failing.
The Word offers some guidance as to how to pull this off. The good news is, it’s not complicated. But it is countercultural, which means it is, at times, difficult.
If we really want to be the church we’re supposed to be, and if you really want the life you’re supposed to have, and if you really want to see serious improvement in the broken places in our world, there are three basic things that we need to always be about: Walk with God, Walk with Others, and Go Be Jesus.
Walk with God. This is worship. Certainly, personal devotional time and developing an attitude of worship-as-a-lifestyle is to be sought, but I’m talking about corporate worship. This gathering we’re at right now. Something happens here that cannot happen while watching a service on TV or the internet, or in listening to the podcast. The Word is spoken. Not my teaching, but something quite beyond it. Not just songs sung, but something seemingly intangible that can be felt. The Presence of God. The Word alive. Jesus himself said that God’s presence would be more potently present in community than it would be alone. So show up, regularly, for worship, because not doing so keeps you away from the mirror. And when you show up, really show up – come looking for God’s Word, come listening, come seeking, and you will find it.
Walk with Others. We don’t always see ourselves accurately. We need community to help us see what we cannot, to lovingly support us as we hear the Word and try to live it out. We easily forget, like James says, what we’re really capable of according to the mirror, and we will settle for less. Getting together regularly in order to grow together is critical for our life, and yet it is highly undervalued. If the mirror says its true, do you believe it? What will you do about it?
Go Be Jesus. There’s a lot of need, and we can meet it. There are many opportunities to be Jesus right in our own community, just beyond our borders, and on the other side of the planet. We can’t do it all, but we must do our part.
When we do, the Word becomes real in a way that it simply cannot otherwise. That’s why James said that faith without works is dead. Doesn’t exist. Useless. If you haven’t applied all of your knowledge of the Word, its high time you do so.
If we get these things right, and focus our energy around these three simple movements, our lives are going to change. And the lives of others we touch are going to change as well. The mirror says this will bring God great joy, and that blessing will follow.
Good news. There is a mirror. And it tells the truth. The question for you is, how are you going to respond to this truth once you’ve heard it?
Think…
1. If a reliable magic mirror existed, would you use it? What would you use it for?
2. How is the Word like a magic mirror? How can it be used like a mirror?
3. What do you sense the mirror saying to you? What keeps you from doing it?
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