Who Are You?

♫ “If you've never fed the hungry, or given clothes to the poor,

If you've never helped the stranger who came knocking on your door,

If you forgot to send some flowers to sick and shut-in friend,

well if you ain't helping none of these, then you ain't helping Him.

If you've ever seen some children, playing ball behind a school,

If you've ever watched an old man, plowing ground behind mule,

If you've ever stopped and listened, when you could not hear a sound,

then brother you have met Him, because Jesus gets around.

Would you recognize Jesus if you met Him face to face?

or would you wonder if He's just another one you could not place?

You may not find Him coming in a chariot of the Lord, Jesus could be riding in a "49 Ford.

You can find Him in your Momma's eyes, or in your Daddy's face,

You can find He's always there to help you win the human race,

You can find Him in the mountains, downtown, or by the sea,

And brother, here's hoping someone can find him, and you and me.

Would you recognize Jesus if you met Him face to face?

or would you wonder if He's just another one you could not place?

You may not find Him coming in a chariot of the Lord, Jesus could be riding in a "49 Ford” ♪

Have you ever heard Country Music legend Johnny Cash sing the above song entitled “Would You Recognize Jesus?”  It has been popping up on my Pandora morning music shuffle over the last few weeks.  Every time I hear it, the impact of the words just sort of flash in my mind’s eye!  It conjures up memories of an early elementary school friend’s family car which might have been a ’49 (or there abouts…) Ford.  It makes me think of simpler times past, of a white country church in a Pollyanna-ish story sitting in an open field with a big old stately oak tree towering nest to it.

But most of all it causes me to think back about the faces of all the people over the last few years where I saw Jesus in them!  The people who have gone out of their way to open doors for Piper as I maneuver her chair through the opening, the blessed one’s who step out of their comfort zones and take the time to bend down on a knee to talk to her face to face in the middle of Walmart, the ones who encourage me with their kind words as we pass by each other or the ones who simply smile at us instead of turning away… as many do.

It is interesting to me, as the one usually reaching out to others in my role as Pastor, how much more I see Jesus in others now that the shoe is on the other foot… sort of say!  It has definitely made me more aware of the desire… and need for me to be more like Jesus for the others around me as well!

It has made me become even more aware of my sensitivity to “Listen for GOD's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go” (Proverbs 3:6 The Message) so they just might see Jesus in me.  I have heard it said many times that as Christians, we might be the only Jesus that some people will ever see!  So whether I am driving a 1949 Ford or a 2015 Chevy Equinox, I hope to be Jesus to those I interact with on a daily basis.  How about you?

Would you recognize Jesus if you met Him face to face?  Would the people in your life recognize Jesus when they come face to face with you?

Have a marvelous weekend, and as you do keep asking yourself… Am I expecting to be Jesus to someone today?”