I sometimes receive emails from readers who say they love my column so much that they read it in their Bible study groups.
That’s a great compliment, but on the other hand, I work hard to write this column about spirituality in everyday life, not just Sunday School life.
I also want to appeal to people who are not connected to the church. That’s why I encourage editors to include me in the community page and in the life section, and not on the church page.
And please keep my column away from fashion pages. I’ve never been a fashionable guy.
But if I were writing a fashion column, I’d tell you about the time I visited the St. Louis airport last week and saw men of all ages dressed up in, well, whatever. .
I saw a young man whose pants were low enough to qualify him for membership in the plumber’s union. I saw an old man wearing pants that were long enough to be used as a mask. And, of course, there were many middle-aged men wearing sweatpants to accommodate their growing bellies.
Fashion didn’t improve much on the plane, and I was sitting across from a girl whose nails were painted orange traffic cones. She didn’t notice me because it was pre-connected to her phone.
There are so many fashion-conscious children of God that crowds form long lines at airports. Encourage Bible study.
Because the crowd at the airport reminded me of the person Jesus would have encountered when he entered the city to recruit a brotherhood that would change the world.
Like me, he was a people watcher, but he wasn’t as smug as I was. Go figure.
Unlike me, he had a keen eye for the quality of soul rather than the quality of fabric, the cut of a man’s character more than the cut of a shirt.
These are the words Jesus used to quickly single out an eager young recruit named Philip, who followed him without blinking an eye.
Excited to have been chosen, Phil finds his budding Nathanial and begs him to come from Nazareth to meet his teacher.
“Nazareth?” cried Nat, of course. “You must be kidding.”
No, Phil wasn’t kidding.
“Come and see for yourself,” he challenged.
When Jesus met Nathanial, he immediately said to him: There are no false bones in his body. ”
Nat asked, not easily swayed by flattery. You don’t know me, do you? ”
Nat was partially right. Although the two were never formally introduced, Jesus observed several times Nathanaar sitting deep in thought under the fig tree.
It was obvious to Jesus that there was something different about Nat.
What was that?
The best translations of the Bible say that Nat was a man “without malice.” I mean, he didn’t try to hide who he was. He showed no pretense in his choice of clothes, friends, or manners.
“Why not?” you ask.
Well, it wasn’t because he was inherently happy with himself. He knew that he was completely under-accessorized, so he fearlessly decided to take inventory of his soul’s closet.
And I think his awareness that something was truly missing made him a top candidate for a first-round draft pick for his protégé.
At that moment, Nathanial discovered the most profound truth. That means God can choose us from the crowd at any time. But God sees us best when we put aside all the pretensions and religious fads that come with them.
From next week, we will return to the regular daily life corner program.
And just to be clear, if this were a fashion column, I definitely wouldn’t be the author.
Dear Reader: I will be returning to Honduras next month to help establish the Chispa Project’s 86th library. At this time, the library does not have sufficient funds.
Help us reach our goal of opening six new libraries, reaching more than 4,000 students and 200 teachers, and purchasing 9,000 new books this year. Every $100 donation helps four children gain access to the library. Donate online today at chispaproject.org/chaplain or check out “Chispa Project.” Send to 10556 Combie Rd. Suite 6643 Auburn, CA 95602. Email comment@thechaplain.net or message (843) 608-9715. thechaplain.net.
Click here for Pastor Birx’s final column in the Islander magazine.
