I Love Kevin

On my drive today I was passed by a large delivery truck. It was empty except for one large box that had been wrapped in plastic. It was about the size of the heat pump outside your house. Someone had spray painted in large yellow letters "I LOVE KEVIN" on the plastic. It made me chuckle, then it made me think. Someone really loves Kevin! I hope Kevin knows how much he is loved.

Jesus said "love God and love your neighbor, that's what matters". That's so easy to say, not so easy to do. As we read the scriptures, we don't see Christ judging. Or categorizing. Or avoiding. We see him accepting. And loving. And giving hope.

When Jesus sat by the well a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Alone. This was her daily ritual. She was an outcast. Not accepted by Jews because she wasn't a Jew. Not accepted by the other Samarian women because of her lifestyle. Even worse, it seems she has accepted her lot in life. When Jesus spoke, her response was "you're not suppose to be talking to me, I'm not the type of person that you accept". John 4:9 says "Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans."

What would the world spray paint about us Christians today?

"I Love Christians"

or

"They turned their back on me"

As Jesus talked, he convinced the woman that he was the Christ. What happens next ... this is the cool part we often miss. She became what many consider to be the first evangelist! Not a trained priest. Not a bible scholar. Not a lifelong member of the choir. Someone that was rejected by everyone. Everyone except God.

She met Christ, she changed, then she told everyone.

John 4:28-30 says "The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him."

Then, "they" went searching!

Our world is full of division, separation, name calling and hatred. We often protect ourselves by pushing others away, blaming others for our situation. But all we have to do is share Christ's love, and then Christ's love gets shared by others!

And we didn't even need a can of yellow spray paint! Thanks Kevin.