In Celebration of "The Ordinary"

James 2:1 (New Living Translation)
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers.
James 2
A Warning against Prejudice
1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?

I've been thinking this week about people who have celebrity status and how I'd like to celebrate ordinary people. I think that really, every person is extra-ordinary!

When we made our home in Canada in 1969, one of the things we loved about this country was the lack of class structure. We loved the freedom and acceptance we found here. To those who've never known anything else, that may be taken for granted.

I love the fact that among the twelve men Jesus chose to leave in charge of his ongoing work in this world were several fishermen, a tax collector and a physician. Hardly the cardre of theologians you might expect him to choose, not that there is anything wrong with theologians--that's not the point.

I feel sorry for people who only move in "certain circles," or who want to know who someone is before they decide if they are worth knowing. They are missing the fact that the image of God is in every human being.

In the same way that the wild flowers we pass at the side of the road are as glorious as the rose, for those with eyes to see, people are beautiful--all of them--and infinitely precious.

Matthew 25:37-40 (New International Version)
New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Comments

Dave Hingsburger said…
I've already sent you a note at home but I had to come here and say the same thing. I so get this, Jesus picked real people, not people who lived to pretend. I believe in the extraordinariness of ordinariness.
8:50 AM
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