Shadows on the Wall
This past Sunday we celebrated Easter, which is truly a time of celebration for Christians around the world. We attended our church, Evangel, and heard an uplifting message and call for all those who were not saved to commit their lives to Christ. During the message, our pastor said something that particularly caught my attention, in large part because it directly related to my work over the past three months. He said:
Jesus died, and He rose again. And here’s why. Not so all of us would get a ticket to get out of here as things get more crazy, but so that we, His people, would be empowered by His Spirit to be His witness on the earth. That we would make a difference in the world around us. So following Jesus is not an escape method, it is an engagement call, to be a part of our world…
I wholeheartedly agree. As Christians, we sometimes feel that it is OK to live a life separate from the “evil world”. Many over the centuries have held this view. Not surprisingly, we at NDFA do not.
Some of you may remember studying Plato’s Allegory of the Cave in school. In short, he suggested that in many ways, we are like prisoners chained to a wall who can only see our shadows. Because that is all we see, that is reality for us, even though it is not actual reality.
The picture you see, above, is from that same Easter service. It is the shadow of a guitarist performing on stage during the worship portion of the service. That shadow is not the guitarist. It cannot actually play the guitar, interact with our world, or do the other things we can do as real humans. The shadow cannot make a difference in the world around us.
What did make a difference in our world was the music the actual guitarist played on stage during the worship service. He was real. He was praising God with his talents. He was touching lives for Christ.
While I don’t necessarily agree with Plato’s allegory, I acknowledge that sometimes we get fixated on the shadows in our lives. We get caught up in our minds with things that don’t exist or tell ourselves that nothing we do really matters in the long run. What does it matter if politicians vote one way or another? Why should I bother with biblical values when they don’t deal with my world, but are just shadows of the past? They are just ephemera with little real relevance for me.
If that’s your perspective, I’m sorry that I have to be the one to break it to you – we are not shadows. Christ, who was very real and walked among us, made it clear that what we do as living human beings matters in His Kingdom. We’re not like the shadow of that guitarist; we can impact our world and we have been commanded to do so.
Does that mean you have to become a politician? Probably not. Does it mean you have to testify in front of a legislative committee, even if you become a bundle of nerves when speaking in public? No, you don’t. But like our guitarist, you do what you have a talent for; that thing God has enabled you to be really good at.
I can’t play the guitar, and it’s probably for the better, given the sounds I’d be subjecting my family to. But I can support that guitarist, by singing along, thanking him when I see him after the service, and financially supporting my church.
In the case of NDFA, we have the talent to work with legislators and help get bills passed into law. To quote our pastor, we do not want to get a ticket to get out of here as things get more crazy, but be empowered by His Spirit to be His witness on earth. No, we most certainly are not seeking that ticket. At NDFA, we want to get even more engaged as things get more crazy in our world!
NDFA exists to be the voice for you and your values in the policy world. We seek to ensure that what we do is a witness to those around us, and we thank God daily for the privilege to represent your deeply held beliefs. What can you do? You can help us by writing that email to your legislator, praying for our work, and financially supporting us.
Let us be your guitarist up on the public stage of politics. Pray that we are empowered by God’s Spirit and act as His witness, as we play your music across North Dakota.