News of Interest Even to the Stranger

Scripture Verse that Caught My Attention Today: Luke 24:18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”

Observation: this was apparently big news in society and not just among the faithful.

Application: Normally news in society dominates the headlines. There are times when religious news dominates the headlines as well but, if so, it’s usually because of either a scandal within the religious community or something controversial within the religious community. In other words, most religious news that makes its way into the secular media is negative.

I suppose it could be argued that the story of Jesus rising from the dead was controversial as well within the religious community. Hence it was the talk of the town. Believers and non-believers alike had heard the news and each was trying to make sense of it all. Save for Jesus who played dumb for a sentence or two and then went on to help them put it all in perspective before revealing his risen self to them.

These days I doubt that a bunch of Christians announcing that Jesus has risen from the dead would make for a particularly riveting story. Society has heard that pronouncement before. But if a bunch of Christians were able to persistently and convincingly demonstrate their care and concern and even love for the world God loves and the people in it…well, that just might begin to show up in a few headlines in a positive light. In other words, if a church is really making a difference in a community, the whole community (and not just the church’s members) would mourn if it somehow ceased to exist or was on the verge of ceasing to exist. After all, the church was never meant to exist primarily for itself, but rather in faithful worship of our Lord and service to everyone that God loves in Jesus’ name. If churches (regardless of denomination) really did that, there wouldn’t be a stranger in town that didn’t know the things that were taking place in those days.

Prayer: Lord, opportunities are before us. Help us to see them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(readings today included: Exodus 9-11 and Luke 24)