The Results Of Your MRI Are In!

By now most of us have probably read or seen some kind of report about the woman from suburban Pittsburgh who says that the recent MRI she received at a local hospital looks quite a bit like the crucified Christ. Her own description of the image goes like this:

"You could actually see the hands. They look like they're nailed on the cross. You can see the body. It's in a straight line and then you see his feet, they look like they're together, and the knees are bent."

Admittedly, for many of us, this sort of thing is quick to dismiss, like the grilled cheese sandwich with Jesus' face on it, or a weeping statue of Mary. When asked if the image of Jesus has changed her life, she replied:

"I can't be swayed by a picture. My neck does feel better. I don't know if that was Jesus or physical therapy."

Maybe she has summed up what the Apostle Paul referred to when he said, "Great indeed is the mystery of our faith." Hopefully, we can differentiate physical therapy from Jesus. It's not that Jesus doesn't possess incredible abilities over the human body (see Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), but is that all Jesus does? Is he just the cosmic faith-healer, the teller who gives out blessings at the counter of God's Bank like toasters were once distributed to new customers at the Savings and Loan? Or is he much more?????

MRIs aren't just for people with bad backs. Leonard Sweet says that the Church of Jesus Christ needs and MRI; an infusion of the:

Missional.........Relational.........Incarnational........

spirit we witness in Jesus. While Jesus didn't believe that everything real could be seen, ("blessed are those who have not seen and yet, believe), he also noted that, ("a tree is known by its fruit.") So if God calls the Church into the examination room where MRIs are performed, what is going to show up on the imagery of the scan? Will it depict us as missional, relational, incarnational communities where faith is born and takes flight? Or will the test display us as fraudulent imposters, con artists adept at shaping the picture to appear the way we want others to see us, rather than an accurate depiction of who we are?

Way back in the last millennium the Raleigh District was blessed with a leader who happened to serve among us as a superintendent on his way to becoming a bishop. Some of you remember him well; a man with a dazzling smile and an an infectious laugh. His name was Dr. Joseph B. Bethea, known affectionately to many as "Joe". I remember how "Joe" moved among the churches of our district one year in particular during the Charge Conference season. The best way I can describe the way he carried himself is with the countenance of a wise and all-knowing Cheshire Cat. He would begin the Charge Conferences saying something like: "I am 'The Doctor' and I'm here to give you your annual check up!" He would pause for a few moments - then a smile would spread all the way across his face, soon thereafter followed by his trademark laugh, which filled the entire room.

The test results aren't yet received. The question remains to be answered:

Is Jesus showing up in our MRI????

Singer song-writer John Michael Talbot, posed this question in a similar way many years ago:

"As my lips so often speak the name of Jesus, will the canvass hold his image within me?"

By God's Grace....may it be so.

Jon(the methodist)