Wearing Jesus All Summer

Because of those red shirts.

A few weeks ago, I turned on the TV to watch a playoff game and the stadium was full (can you believe it?)! I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed that. The energy was already out of this world, but was intensified all the more because most of the fans were wearing the same red shirt. It was clear what team they were rooting for – everyone watching on TV and in the stadium knew.

Just Imagine

I’m naturally a curious person and I often like to dream about possibilities. One of the things I’ve been dreaming about is this question: how can we all band together to display to our community a continuous portrayal of God’s love? I think about this a ton! How can we, together, make a Christ-like impact on the world? Just imagine.

12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
-Colossians 3:12-14

A month ago, we wrapped up a series called Summer Fashion which was birthed out of a very similar question: What if we all actually lived out the Apostle Paul’s words in Colossians 3 and clothed ourselves with this new kind of fashion – compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love? What if we all lived this out? What if we wore these characteristics wherever we went?

What if when others saw the people of Kensington Church they got a clear glimpse of Jesus? Again, that’s something I continually dream about; that’s my hope for our church!

The Summer Fashion metaphor for this spiritual principle is about doing this on a micro-scale. We can plan macro-scale events and programs, we can host church wide campaigns, and we can financially support great, global causes, (which are all wonderful) but Summer Fashion was about every individual choosing to show Jesus daily in small ways.

It’s a call for each and every one of us to clothe ourselves with the characteristics of Jesus in our marriages, with our kids, with our parents, with coworkers, and in our daily interactions with strangers.

Maybe changing the world is about small acts. Mother Theresa said so many compelling things, like “Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.” and “I want you to be concerned about your next-door neighbor. Do you know your next-door neighbor?”

“Love begins by taking care of the closest ones – the ones at home.”
-Mother Teresa

I love these! You can change the world by simply being present and loving the people right in front of you. Let’s do this!

“I want you to be concerned about your next-door neighbor. Do you know your next-door neighbor?” -Mother Teresa

So friends, throughout this summer, don’t just dress yourself in shorts and sandals, but let’s remember to “wear Jesus” wherever we go and show His love to whomever we’re around.