Saturday, September 27, 2014

Who’s in the Audience?


I was reminded the other day of a precious promise from the Bible. I was listening to the discussion on the Christian radio station about knowing that God was always with us. When I hear things like that I am always drawn to the Collect for Purity which is read at almost every Anglican Communion (Mass, Eucharist) on Sunday’s. It states in part, “For to you all hearts are open, all desires known and from you no secrets are hid.” While I know Jesus knows all and sees all, I think part of this statement is true because Jesus is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24). Jesus' close proximity to those who know him, love him and serve him brings comfort, strength and assurance. Jesus’ departing words at his Ascension were, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) The can be no denying this fact. We are always in an audience of one.

 

That promise stuck with me most of that day. I was pleased to know that I was never alone. I drew immense comfort from this. That is until I realized that with this promise, this blessed assurance, there comes a responsibility. This is the opposite side of the same coin. If Jesus is present with me all the time, every time, wherever I am, that means I am never alone. There is never a time when I can get away with something because Jesus won’t see me. Just because other people are not with me does not mean I am free from the responsibility of being, acting, striving to be Christ-like. This became a profound reality for me very quickly.

 

At my other employment I have to deal with difficult people on a regular basis. I am used to it. In fact I am so used to it that I am becoming jaded and somewhat irreverent when they are not around. I really did not realize how far I had backslidden until I remembered that Jesus was with me all the time. As one of those difficult people left my office the other day, I said under my breath, almost inaudible to even me, something not very flattering about that person. I guess I have done that a lot lately without even being aware of it. This time I became acutely aware of it because Jesus reminded me he was there. I realized that even though no one else had heard what I said, Jesus did! Immediately I got image in my mind of Jesus covering his ears, closing his eyes, disappointed in my actions. He looked like two of those monkeys: see no evil and speak no evil both at the same time. I was instantly convicted. He reminded me of the many passages of Scripture that speak to what I had just done. I was certainly not proud of myself. We are always in the audience of one.

 

Here are two of the passages he brought to my attention. Proverbs 29:20 states: “Do you see someone who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for them.” This verse can bring a smile to your face when you think there is more hope for a fool than for you. I know it did for me. I had no idea what that person was going through other than the imposition they were placing on me. Instead of seeking to offer comfort, understanding or support, I basically cursed them when they left. Jesus’ rebuke of my verbal assault was justified. It did not make me feel good either! Being a fair weather Christian is easy. It is not hard to pretend in public, to put on the good, pious Christian mask. But as Paul encouraged the church at Colossae, “live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.” (Colossians 1:10) Life is not just lived in public but before an audience of one. And, make no mistake about it; my actions did not bear good fruit. It was not a good work and any fruit coming from it was rotten, tainted and worthless. I should know better. If I did not then, I do now.


The one thing about Jesus rebuking you is that he does not leave off with a reprimand. He offers you a solution, a positive way forward, something to change about yourself to make your life more in line with his will and purpose. So, he prompted me to another verse of Scripture. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”  (Matthew 5:44) Some people make it so hard to love them. And these difficult people are not really persecuting me. They just aggravate, disturb and inconvenience me. I know those are not the same things. But I think from Jesus’ point of view these are distinctions without a difference. We can try to rationalize that they are not really our enemies. They do not want to see any real harm come to us. They certainly do not want to end our lives – at least I think not. As such, we really do not have to pray for them, much less love them, right? Jesus sets the bar so high, impossibly high. If we find people aggravating, disturbing and inconvenient, then we should love and pray for them. Our job, our duty, our goal is to present Jesus Christ in a favorable light whenever possible. We should attempt to do this most especially when no one is looking, except Jesus himself.

 

I know there are times when I will not live up to the expectations of Jesus Christ. But I also know there is never a time when I should not try! Jesus’ teachings are difficult and hard to adhere to. If they were easy, everyone would do them and we would have no need for a Savior. Even in my meager attempts, I know that I could – I should – try to do better. If only because I am always in an audience of one – the ONE!