Posts Tagged: laying down our lives for others

“On Playing Chimes and Being Jesus”

On September 6, 2024 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

John 13:35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (English Standard Version)

One of my students did an interesting piece of writing on a man who played chimes and claimed to be Jesus. The assignment was to take some artistic piece of music, visual art, or media that portrays Jesus and interact with it. The submissions so far have ranged from da Vinci’s “The Lord’s Supper” to the tv cartoon show “Family Guy”. Interesting range!

But one student asked to do something really strange. A friend of his had told him about a recent situation at the church. A guy was playing chimes very loudly (but not very well) at the edge of their property. When he was asked to stop, he said that he couldn’t. He was Jesus Christ, and God had sent him to do this very thing. Eventually the police were called, and “Jesus” went somewhere else.

I found the premise of this student’s proposal intriguing and gave it a thumbs-up. He did a good job of interacting with this modern depiction of Jesus.

But it has set me thinking: How do I portray Jesus? Now don’t get me wrong. I know that I am no Jesus. In fact, some days, I am barely myself. However, according to the Gospel passage that leads off this post, Jesus did say that we can make Jesus known. How? Not by claiming for ourselves more than is true, not by arguing or reasoning, and not by creating a “Christian nation”—whatever that is. No, we can make Jesus known by loving others as he loved us.

And how has Jesus loved us? By laying down his life for us. In fact, Jesus spoke these words just hours before his arrest, trial, torture, and crucifixion. Hopefully, most of us won’t be crucified, but there are other ways of laying down on our lives.

I send out daily readings to some of my fellow-addicts, even when I don’t think I have the time. It’s a small way of loving them, of laying down my life for them. My wife volunteered to do whatever is needed for our neighbor who broke her foot and has a small child. My wife is younger than me, but only slightly. She has her own aches and pains. Her offer is an act of love. It is a laying down of her life for someone else.

Of course, it is possible that we might be called on to love others with our music. If so, we should learn to do so as well as we can. Jesus’ love for us fallen creatures is the best, and we owe Jesus our best. If that is music, well let’s give others the best music we’ve got. Move over, Taylor Swift!

And ultimately, even if we can’t play the chimes, we can be the chimes. We can be the love song that Jesus sings to those who feel desperately unlovable.

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