Greetings Dear Reader,
In the sale aisle next to our vinyl Buddy Christ you can find
that dashboard plastic Jesus you have heard about. The song starts like this, “I don't care if
it rains or freezes as long as I've got my plastic Jesus ridin' on the
dashboard of my car.” The idea of a three-inch
piece of plastic being protective is not simply a form of idolatry.
There is something worse at work here. Jesus is not a talisman to ward off danger
and trouble. He does promise to be with
us and protect us from evil. He does not
promise that we will never have trouble.
He does not give us the idea that we are free from danger just because
we follow him. In fact, he asks us to
take up our cross and follow him.
When we use symbols and phrases instead of faith to follow Christ,
we are not following Christ. It does not
matter how many pictures, crosses, and talismans you have. If I do not spend every moment acting in
faith, that faithless moment is a failed moment. I am not condemned because of it due to grace
and mercy. It all begins and ends with
the real Jesus. It is a personal interaction
between you and his love for you. It is
following daily in faith.
I am not saying that it is wrong to have a statuette of
Jesus on one’s dashboard. I am saying
that the reason why matters. My
Grandfather had one in his ’57 Chevy.
Every time he started the car he would pray, “Dear Jesus, please allow
me to drive in a way that honors you and hinders no one else.” He viewed that plastic Jesus as a reminder of
his accountability to drive by faith in the protection of grace and mercy from
God.
In a world where the cross has become jewelry and our
symbols fade into the background when things are hard, I have to remember that
talismans and symbols are not wrong.
They must, however, gain their power only in that they remind us to have
faith in that moment. They must draw me
back to the real and living Jesus. They
must move me beyond the image to the reality that Jesus is there to love and
guide in every moment that I allow it.
That, Dear Reader, is a good reason that is more than a clear vinyl
slipcover. It is the real faith that leads us on the journey home no matter
what the weather is.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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