One evening in another place during a recent Festival of Faith, Cooper wore his little Carolina football jersey bearing the number 21. When a friend, Ron Osborne, met Cooper that evening, he greeted Cooper and said, “I see your football jersey and number 21. Do you know who that is? (And, of course, Ron, an Ohio State fan, was referring to Ryan Brewer, a product of Ohio who came to USC to play football.) Yet, in response to Ron’s inquiry, “Do you know who that is?” Cooper responded, “Yes, it’s ME!”
In spite of the fact that he would pretend to be Spiderman or Batman or a Power Ranger, Cooper knew that he is just Cooper. There’s a great message in that as we journey to the cross. This journey helps us remember who we are, whose we are. The cross and our Lord’s Passion upon it reminds us of God’s abiding love for all of his children. The Scriptures bear testimony to that as they share teachings like “the hairs upon our head are numbered” and that “we have been known by God since before we were born.”
God in Christ died for our transgressions! What will we in response do about it? It seems to me that we would struggle to formulate lives that are filled with faith and a willingness to declare God’s centrality in our living. Most all church members could use an Extreme Makeover. As Christians, we are in a constant state of self-examination, self-evaluation, and renewal. Somebody else’s faith will not serve us. We must each make time and take time with the Master to grow in spirit and holiness. Church is not a weekly exercise for the masses alone. It is time for the individual to come before God. And when God poses the question, “Who is it?”, we can respond saying, “It’s me, Lord. Not my brother or my sister. It’s me. Standing in the need of prayer.”
Ken