The Grand Illusion, Remixed.

Jesus said to another, "Follow Me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:59-60)

Pastor Shane made a profound statement concerning Luke 9:59: The man who asked to first go and bury his father was himself dead: not physically, but spiritually.

In considering the importance of having Jesus as our first love, we must also keep in mind the danger of holding to the illusion of religious duty as an expression of love. Our pastor noted that, although we might be in church, our presence is no indicator of our depth of love for the Lord. He gave an example from his days as a gang member, during which he faithfully served as an usher in the church while keeping his gang flag hanging visibly from his pocket. The message represented by the gang flag was this: He's here in church, but he's not sold out to Jesus: it's the gang culture that has captured his heart.

There came a day when the Spirit of the Lord caught Shane's attention, and the ensuing years have been a joyful testimony of the power of God to change a man from the inside out. And just as God transformed Shane from a gang member to a pastor, God longs to transform all of us into people who reflect His character and His love. Our pastor has implored us to transcend the concept of mere church attendance, and to embrace the concept of loving God: a love that makes all other loves pale in comparison.

In the Luke passage, Jesus had a message for the man: "Follow Me." It was a message with an undercurrent of urgency. Jesus was, and is, seeking people to become citizens of the kingdom of God. And there is a time limit on the offer. The world has painted the illusion that humanity has all the time in the world to make decisions that involve the state of our souls. But we are finite beings. As Pastor Shane said, now is the time for us to 'get with the program.' We are not promised tomorrow, nor even the next hour.

Is your love of Jesus a present reality? Or are you living an illusion?