Concrete Jesus by Rick Edwards
Psalm 116:1-2
Power point available upon request
I love excitement…for the most part I think most people do. Now I know not everyone likes riding motorcycles though for the life of me I can’t figure why they don’t… anyway I recently went on a short trip to Magnolia Arkansas… I had never ridden there before and I was really excited about it… the first part of the ride was very uneventful since a I am all too familiar with the Clarksville Avery part of the trip.
As I continued on Highway 82 about New Boston was kind of a new adventure for me… one of the great things about motorcycling is the up close and personal view you get of things… as I continued on my journey I followed a log truck for a while… you have seen them before it’s a tractor trailer with an expandable log trailer… this particular one had red flags on two of the logs sticking out the back… on one of the red flag were written the words “If you have a problem with logging try some plastic toilet paper” …gave me a whole new appreciation for the logging industry…
So I am just ridding along and enjoying the sights, sounds, and the fresh air…the scent of fresh cut pines, the earthly smell of a freshly plowed field, and the occasional smell of someone cooking or smoking meat over a fire… it was truly an enjoyable ride. I had left early that morning and the sun had not started it job of baking the country side just yet…
All is well with my soul as I am propelled along at a high, unnamed rate of speed… and then I saw Him. Now most of you who know me thought immediately that I was speaking of a highway patrol or some law enforcement officer who task it is to maintain law and order and enforce speed limits… well not this time, this time it was someone much more powerful, much more revered, much more respected… I was concrete Jesus
When I first saw Him I though cool I would like to have Concrete Jesus at my house…after all I was a concrete man for years… what better thing could I possess than Concrete Jesus.
He was standing so majestically, there among the neatly trimmed hedges and well watered flowers, just a few feet from the garden bench that invited a passerby a place to sit while in the presence of Concrete Jesus.
Now would be a good time to explain that I am in no way talking about worship and idol, something man made… See that concrete Jesus can’t save me, it can’t hear my cries for help or phantom my tremendous need for mercy… the Psalmist put it like this
“I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”- Psalm 116:1-2
Now that is the kind of savior I’m talking about one who loves me and cares what happens to me, One who is concerned about my salvation, only one name in which I must be saved…Peter said it best in face of great adversity
8Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: "Rulers and elders of the people! 9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11He is'the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the capstone. 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
You know, Concrete Jesus had me thinking …yea at first thought I wanted him, but then my thoughts went on to my Jesus… maybe concrete Jesus was to ridged for me… concrete is very inflexible though extremely strong
Then there was the fact that in all the years of pouring concrete I discovered it was not very forgiving… I never really found any grace there… so now I really got to thinking about my Jesus… so much so that I collaborated with a group of theologians to help me examine the ideas concrete Jesus brought forth in my mind…
Theologians are people who study religion and I think it’s safe to say that the Slacker class was a bit surprised to discover they were theologians but that exactly what we were doing…exploring the Christian faith and God’s relation to the world…So, just so you know, if you went to Sunday school and learned about Jesus or if you opened your Bible today and read a passage and thought about how that scripture was relevant to your life then you too are a theologian… nowhere does it say in scripture that you must write a book or have a degree to do theology, the study about God… as we study we should keep in mind the words of
2 Timothy 2
14Keep reminding them of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
It saddens me that so much time in our modern world today is spent on arguing about things that have no eternal consequence… do I take the break, break it myself or do I receive the bread, someone break it for me… it’s this type of petty bickering that makes us miss the point all together … the point is Jesus…without Jesus none of it matters anyway…
"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart," that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10
I am very grateful for God allowing me to see the concrete Jesus, it was in the see, that started the thinking, and it was in the thinking that leads to the reading, and it was in the reading that leads to the praying and while praying I discovered how much Jesus has really done for me… I was reminded of the huge the difference knowing Jesus made in my life…
I won’t burden you with all the details of my life before coming to know Jesus…about the darkness, the despair and the utter self-interest that ruled my existence… Just let me say knowing Jesus has made all the difference for a sinner like me…
I think that why I liked the concrete Jesus so much, see, more than anything it reminded me of how great my God really is… The same God of Genesis who created the world and everything in it… the same God who so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not parish but have eternal life… We seem to make it too hard for people sometimes with the requirements and the dress codes and the unrealistic expectations we hold others to…
Yet God’s word says whoever believes in Jesus shall not parish but have eternal life
Jesus, the name above all names, worthy of our praise, Paul wrote to the Philippians in chapter 2
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
So I was kind of wondering did the concrete Jesus invoke these kinds of thoughts and stir your imagination or did you just think man that’s some tacky lawn art… if this discussion and description doesn’t do it for you I hope something does… I pray there is something that stirs your heart and mind for Jesus
During our great theological discussion someone in the slackers class wanted to know what your statue of Jesus would be made of
If you were going to make something to remind you of Jesus what would you use? The answers were very interesting… someone suggested gold because of its purity and its flexibility… it was suggested that concrete might be too unforgiving and ridged… the more we discussed the deeper and more thought provoking the answers become. Smoke because it fills all spaces, ice because it can transform from a solid to a liquid… we thoroughly enjoyed discussing our own Jesus
We discovered something I thought was pretty amazing… Whatever the material a person chose to make this likeness of Jesus was a matter of perception… the gold refined by the fire life, ice signifying the transformation of a person’s heart, smoke demonstrating the every presence of Jesus… and don’t forget rubber or elastic for those of us who are EGR people …extra grace required people… and the list goes on and on…
As I close today I hope you will join me in some theology … I want you to think about how you would define Jesus in your life today, would he be Concrete Jesus? Would Jesus be someone you know personally or is he just someone you have heard about… How would you describe your perception of Jesus to someone who doesn’t know him?… what kind of material or words would you use to express what Jesus has meant in your life
“I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”- Psalm 116:1-2
I pray that perhaps this helps you can understand why we Christians so deeply and dearly love Jesus…Concrete Jesus simply helps me remember the depth and width of that love…
Praise be to God!!
