He was in the world

John 1:10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.

Are you one the folks walking the face of the earth that can instantly recognized people and recall their names? If so, you are blessed. As for me, I am recognition challenged. Names do not come easily, so the awkward moment of recognizing someone and not recalling a name happens very frequently. This is especially true if the meeting takes place somewhere out of context. By out of context I mean in a setting that is not where I normally see someone. It is a constant struggle to be sure.

Out of context is an interesting condition. As Christians we are thought to be in-context when we area in Church on Sunday, or hanging out with a bunch of fellow Christians doing "Christian" things. When we are in church or doing "Christian things" others can easily recognize us as Christians. But what about the remaining parts of our lives? Can people you do not know recognize you as a Christian by how you live the rest of your life? If we look back on the time  Christ spent on earth we can draw some interesting conclusions about what was in context for Him. As a child we know He was studious (Luke 2:41-52)' and when He called disciples they were not the scholarly type (Mark 1, Matthew 4.) And while the religious authorities of those days might have accepted the Messiah as a miracle worker, they rejected Jesus outright because He did not fit their paradigm of what the Messiah would be like. He was rejected because He was not the "Earthly King" they were looking for.  Truly their loss and our gain as Christians. Similarly, when we see people who are ministering to those in our society who are viewed as the "dregs", do we grasp the concept of Jesus reaching out to all, especially the less fortunate? We can read of the first miracle at the wedding festival, and his healing the sick, lame, blind, and demon possessed. To those who abused their authority he was less tolerant of their self-inflated sense of importance. And so, when we look at where we can reach out, we need to remember the words of Christ from Matthew 9:12-13. On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners."

When we consider our own "context" we should look at the context of Jesus for a standard of comparison. If we are focusing our efforts on saving the saved, we miss the mark set by our Savior.

PRAYER: Father in Heaven we seek Your will in serving those in need. Guide us to those You would have us reach out to. Help us to find the lost sheep of Your flock. This we ask in the name of the Good Shepherd Jesus Christ, Amen.