I was frustrated and a bit angry when I turned up to church two weeks ago on the Sunday morning to see the front had been heavily graffitied overnight with spray paint. I was also curious what “zone 3” meant and why we were in zone 3, and who had decided to leave their mark on our building. People have been writing their names into stone and on trees and other places for centuries, so it is not a new phenomenon. I reflected on who the people might have been who defaced the church, and their reasoning for wanting to leave their “mark” for all to see. I also had to acknowledge that in my teens I also had a personal “tag” and was responsible for some “marks” left around Urrbrae High School and on more than a few school desks.
Why do we as humans often feel the need to make our mark, or to create something that others will see that somehow makes us feel better about ourselves, or gives us some sense of meaning or importance? It may not be as inconsiderate or jarring as graffiti, but many people want to make a mark somehow so that they are remembered or feel like they have built something or created something significant that forms some kind of legacy. The reality, however, is that few of us will have buildings or grandstands named after us, or have our names mentioned in reverent tones long after we are dead.
Many great world leaders from centuries past have places that mark their time and achievements, such as a grave or an artifact or written documents or decrees. You can visit sites or see things like Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus and get a sense of their impact and power. As I have been reflecting on Advent again, it struck me that with Jesus, there is nothing physical or monumental about any aspect of his life that you can touch or go and see. We don’t know really where he was buried, we don’t have anything he wrote, we don’t know exactly where he was born or have a house that he grew up or lived in. We don’t know exactly where he died, and there are no actual relics that can be proved to be directly connected to his life. I think God intentionally ensured that this would be the case, because as humans we tend to then go and worship those things.
The ”mark” Jesus left from his extraordinary life as the Son of God, was his impact on people and their changed lives. He didn’t raise an army or build a church or establish an orphanage or a homeless shelter. He just impacted people and changed them in radical ways that then in turn lead to them changing the world. Jesus life I would argue changed the world more than anyone else who has lived, yet he left behind nothing to show for it apart from the changed people he intersected with. So for you and I, the question is how are we impacting those around us and are we being people of positive change? Will the impact of our lives on the lives of those around us extend beyond our time on earth in ways that are life giving and reflecting the love and presence of the Holy Spirit? Jesus came to us and gave himself, and the greatest gift perhaps we can give to others is also ourselves and what we bring to their lives. Who has impacted your life and how can you live to be a positive Jesus shaped impact on someone in your life?
God’s greatest gift to us was the gift of his presence.
Grace and Peace - Garry