We Are Just Bus Drivers

I just read an incredibly interesting news article. Apparently, 18-year-old James L. Harris was charged with three counts each of third-degree grand theft and burglary of an occupied conveyance. However, this was no average automobile theft. Harris took buses from several Miami-Dade Transit bus depots and drove the buses on their routes. Like a professional bus driver, he picked up and dropped off passengers along the way. Harris dressed like a Miami-Dade Transit employee and at the end of the day, returned the buses. Harris didn’t even steal any fare from his passengers! Police have set up an investigation to determine whether or not Harris had assistance from Miami-Dade Transit employees. Maybe he was doing a favor for a few bus drivers who needed the night off. Maybe he was trying to fulfill a lifelong dream of being a bus driver. Whatever the case may be, Harris was doing someone else’s job for them, whether or not he was asked.
Several years ago, the band Caedmon’s Call produced a song about a bus driver. It talks about a bus driver who picks up a woman headed to the bank, a retail salesman, and various others. He ponders the notion of what his town would be without him. He doesn’t see a lot of change, but he does know that his absence would effect at least the retail store and bank to which he delivers passengers. I’ve read several interpretations of the song, but I believe that it is about our personal significance as part of the body of Christ. Who doesn’t question their importance from time to time? I think we’ve all wondered where we stand in the universe. It’s easy to feel inconsequential and meaningless.
1 Corinthians 12 talks about our spiritual gifts. We have different talents and abilities. In the past week, I’ve seen a lot of these displayed by various people from the congregation. Without everyone’s help, we couldn’t have had a VBE or such a wonderful memorial service. We wouldn’t even have cabinets installed in the kitchen! It’s important to realize that we all have a job to do. And, unlike the Miami-Dade Transit Authority, we can’t leave someone else to do our job. We can each do a lot of good through God.

Working Nine to Nine

When I think of the various jobs I held before my current position here in Roseville, I don’t remember much passion. During high school, I worked at the local Burger King. After a couple years, I was working a ridiculous number of hours. I don’t know how it was done legally, but I would occasionally start work at 6am and finish at 3am the next day. It was nice to have my own funds, but I certainly was not fervent about the job. This trend continued in college. I spent a lot of my time working at the local Starbucks, much like I did at Burger King, creating my own culinary masterpieces. If Starbucks sold a few of the drinks I concocted, there would be three of them on every block, instead of the usual two. Working at the expensive, trendy clothing store ‘J. Crew’ lacked the outlet for creativity that I found in previous jobs. I spent most of my time folding sweaters and avoiding eye contact with customers. The few times that I did make suggestions to shoppers were disastrous. I had a decent amount of style, but I guess my street credibility was somewhat lacking. In the evenings at college, I spent hours upon hours trying to convince the groundbreaking engineers and physicians of tomorrow that a small, liberal arts college was right for them. Again, my heart was just not in it.
While I watched a television special about the Batman last night, I began to consider why a city might need a costumed vigilante. Well, policemen are human beings and police work is a job. What if every policeman and detective lost the zeal to perform his or her job? What if they all decided to do the bare minimum that is required in order to obtain a paycheck? Chaos would rule and we’d need to light up a Bat signal or two. Christians need to be zealous about God’s work. We need to go the extra mile. Is coming to a couple church services and maybe working for an hour in a neighbor’s backyard enough? Christianity is not a 9 to 5 job. It is a lifestyle. We should be willing to be used by God in any capacity and at any time. Read Acts for some inspiration.

Alien Life Form

There is no doubt in my mind that I am dating myself, but one of my favorite television shows as a child was ‘ALF’. ALF was a sitcom that ran four seasons from 1986 to 1990. The plot involved an alien, ‘ALF’, crash landing in to the garage of an average, middle-class family living in the suburbs. The Tanner family decides to hide ALF until he can repair his spaceship and return home. This, of course, led to various wacky and amusing scenarios. References to ALF’s appetite for cats alone accounted for at least 25% of the show’s comedy. The rest was typically provided by ALF’s snappy one liners or scenarios that involved hiding ALF’s existence from the Tanners’ nosy neighbors, the Ochmoneks. On one of my favorite episodes, Mrs. Ochmonek baby-sits for the Tanners. ALF, supposed to be confined to the Tanners’ bedroom, finds himself trapped outside while waiting for a pizza. ALF tries to get back in to the house and of course, hilarity ensues. Another sidesplitting episode featured the cast of Gilligan’s Island. Well, maybe you just have to see it. Mesmerized by both puppetry and situation comedy, ALF kept me glued to the television during its entire run (including the series’ subsequent syndication and spin-off animated series). Maybe I tuned in each week to learn an important moral lesson. Maybe I was emotionally involved in the struggle of an alien in a foreign world. Maybe I just love brainless television programming.
The theme of 1 Peter is that followers of Christ are “aliens and strangers in the world.” (2:11) No, we aren’t necessarily furry little dwarves who enjoy feasting on felines and racking one-liners. Being “aliens and strangers” means not longing for this world. Sure, there are a lot of attractive choices in this world. Among them are fame, fortune, and other pursuits of temporary happiness and security. We are a chosen people. While we may have to submit ourselves to the authorities of this world while we live in it, one day we will be free of our bodies and living in paradise. We absolutely should feel like ALF as strangers in this land. God wants us to feel uncomfortable when everyone else around lives sinful, impure lives. Unlike ALF, we need to be secure in our faith and let it be known. We are to come to the rescue of those who do not know the love of God.

The Children of Eden

Have any of you ever had the hankering to start your own cult? Please refrain from tossing this bulletin in to the nearest trash receptacle. Just hear me out people. I'm not planning to have anyone drink poisoned kool-aid or ride around in little cars while adorned with fezzes. I am trying to create a practical cult. I was walking around the mall noticing the legion of clothing stores with $60 t-shirts and pants you'd have to trade your first-born child for. Suddenly a thought came to me. This came as a surprise to me being that my head is typically a grand canyon among minds, void of thought. I realized that clothes are merely the product of sin. They symbolize all that is wrong with humanity. When Adam and Eve took of the forbidden fruit, they were ashamed of their nakedness and fashioned the very first J. Crew ensemble from twigs and leaves. This design later sold at the retail price of 75 forbidden apples, the equivalent of a month's wage back then.
Michelangelo’s "David", a piece of art cherished throughout many generations, wasn’t wearing a cashmere cable crewneck sweater! He wore nothing! My cult would emphasize the idea of enjoying our bodies. Well, because of the damage caused by Kripsy Kreme and Mickey D’s and the shame that came as a result of sin, complete nudity might be taking things a step too far. Why not just assemble our clothing from the flora, fauna, and other raw materials provided to us in nature? We could even use that fluffy stuff that covers sheep! Who’s with me?
All that silliness aside, it is amazing that we spend so much of our lives focused on things that don’t really matter. We spend our time and effort fighting to gain the most material possessions. These possessions break, wear out, fall apart and eventually loose their usefulness. If it isn’t possessions we are worried out, it’s a long list of other items. Who will I marry? Where will I work? What will I do if my health decreases? I will give you the passage once inscribed in a book given to me. Matthew 6:25-34 reminds us that God even provides for the birds. We are much more important to God. If we trust in God, he will give us the clothing, food, and whatever else we really need.

Enter the Wriston

A good friend of mine and I used to visit, according to a weekly ritual, a sushi restaurant called “Take Sushi”. For those who have never tried sushi, it is actually quite delicious (particularly its fried incarnation known as ‘tempura’). I have, over the years, come to appreciate many manifestations of Asian cuisine. Certain Asian restaurants cause me to feel that I am walking into a martial arts action movie. At any time, a shuriken or a dagger with a threatening note attached could whizz past my nose embedding itself into an adjacent wall. After a dramatic dodge or reading of the attached note I spring in to action. I flip a table on its side to deflect the attacks of several ninja warriors. I, and my ally fend off the assassins and are treated to all of the finest foods that Asia has to offer. When my good friend and I used to enter "Take Sushi," I felt as though we were the twin dragons, foretold by legend. We were two American detectives trained, since youth, by the monks that raised us in a temple high atop a mountain. This illusion ends as I rip into a packet of Sweet 'N Low. Certainly no master of the martial arts would ingest an artificial sweetener known to cause cancer in lab rats. I probably wouldn't get "tummy aches" from eating too much either. Well, one can always dream.
All of us might not have the power to defeat evil martial arts masters, but we definitely have power in Christ. In Philippians 4, Paul ends us letter to the church in Philippi by speaking of how he is content and empowered in all situations because of God. In 1 John 3:6-9, we learn that living in Christ removes us from sinning. The devil, like a ninja assassin, continually makes well-planned strikes against us. We need to be prepared. Like one trained by monks, we need to put on the full armor of God that is mentioned in Ephesians 6. Life is not without joy and peace. The only way to a fulfilling life, however, is through God. Accepting his forgiveness, we need to live as warriors of the faith.