Jesus Everywhere

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
-Colossians 1:17

Several weeks ago, when I arrived home from my trip to Turkey, I found Jesus.

He was everywhere. Literally.

My kids had betrayed me and allowed some of our LifePath Church friends (former friends?) to sneak into our house. But instead of taking stuff, they left things. Everywhere. You couldn’t tell at first. It started slowly: a cute little figurine on the windowsill! But they kept coming. As we unpacked, we started to find dozens and dozens of bite-sized Jesuses ("Jesi") in every place you can imagine. A one-inch Jesus was in our mixing bowl. Another was on the bookshelf. Behind the milk in the fridge. In our flower pot. Under the couch. In my coffee maker. Nowhere was safe. Mini-Jesus, everywhere.

My daughter finally confessed that she knew more about this, and that there were 100 of them hidden throughout our house. After three weeks, I think we’ve now found 84 of them. Sixteen fugitives remain. I will find you, Jesus.

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Actually, the fun and laughter this has caused has been a welcome reprieve from the intensity of our world. I can always use reminders about Jesus being a part of every aspect of my life. This is a pretty basic concept, but it’s crucial. We believe that Jesus is the full embodiment of God and God’s very nature. If we want to know what God is like, we look to Jesus. If we want to understand how to live and engage with our world, we look to Jesus. If we want to know the depths of God’s love, we look to Jesus. There is nothing in our lives that remains untouched by our discipleship to Jesus. No belief, no action, no relationship. If we are people who profess Jesus as Lord, then, as John wrote in his letter, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 Jn 2:6).

It’s easy for me to open the fridge and assume that Jesus isn’t there. It’s easy for me to form attitudes about people or policies or wars or money… and keep Jesus out of those spaces too. But a Jesus-centered faith will require us to do new work and ask new questions. If we are seeking to look for Jesus everywhere and walk as Jesus walked, then we will do the deep work. This past weekend, for so many heartbreaking reasons, was a chance to reflect on what Jesus teaches us about violence. Of course, that’s just one example. Looking for Jesus everywhere will lead to more. What’s the posture that I am called to have? What words would Jesus be inviting me to speak? What ways should I trust God? What ways should I act? These are the questions we work through when we believe that Jesus is all around us and wanting to shape every piece of our lives.

So lately I’ve been seeking to pause and expect that Jesus could indeed be hiding behind my mixing bowl. Or wanting to be noticed as I form opinions on immigrants in Delaware. Or as I talk to my children. So if I don’t find those final 16 figurines, it’s okay. It’s good to have a hunch that Jesus is probably right here somewhere, inviting me to see life through his eyes.

It’s one of the reasons I’m excited that our church is hosting a Jesus Collective Regional Event next weekend on June 27th and 28th. Jesus Collective is a network of Jesus-centered churches and leaders that I’m so thankful to be a part of. This learning opportunity is available for anyone to attend. Since many who receive this weekly reflection aren’t a part of my local church, I wanted to make sure the invitation is extended to you as well. It’s a Friday-through-Saturday conference that seeks to locate Jesus at the heart of crucial topics:
What does a Jesus-centered approach to justice look like?
What does a Jesus-centered approach to power look like?
What does a Jesus-centered approach to disagreement look like?
The answers we discover together may be different than what is often seen in our country and our churches.

I’ll be one of the presenters on that third topic, telling some of my own ministry stories in dialogue with others.
It’s not too late to join us in Delaware! You can learn more and register here.

This week, allow yourself to invite Jesus into new places in your own life. It doesn’t need to be scary or guilt-inducing. There is grace as we navigate the way of love and compassion and truth imperfectly. But as we do so, we may be surprised to see all the good that begins to emerge in ourselves and in our relationship with the world around us.

Jesus, shape every area of my life.

Peace,
Keith