I woke up this morning thinking about Jesus. Not unusual for me. It’s been a thing since I was about 7 years old.
The song “Jesus, is a soul man . . .” started going through my mind. It was popular when I was in my early teens. As the 70’s embraced the hippie generation complete with suede moccasins, leather fringed vests and paisley maxi skirts, Jesus got a similar makeover. He was the cool dude, the master of love and the purveyor of world peace . . . “Oh Happy Day, when Jesus washed . . . oh when he washed . . .!” Great song.
As the 80’s took on the next decade with a storm of bigger, bolder and brighter, once again the man of sorrows got a new, more exciting image. Pastors left their lecterns behind and ignited their flock by pacing back and forth across the stage to gospel rock and ballerinas dancing down the aisles underneath the best light shows “the world” had to offer. I know this first hand because I was sitting there in the audience. I actually had someone tell me that if Jesus was hanging out today, he would be the life of the party!” So OK, cool, Jesus doesn’t have to be a Donnie downer, he is ultra-party guy! Definitely a better marketing plug than “if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out.” It works.
Mansions and Porsches and Riches . . . Oh My! Welcome to the 90’s and the birth of the mega churches and the prosperity message. Forget about “sell everything you have and give it to the poor”, that’s so last Millennia! This decade Prince of Peace makeover catapulted him from winemaker to giant genie in the sky status. Name it and claim it! What are you waiting for? Jesus wants to bless you with all of the riches this world has to offer! But you might have to overlook one verse or fifty; you know those ones in red letters in the Gospels. No problem.
But the most recent makeover to the son of God is truly the most remarkable in that it is so very far from the person described in the Bible. Forget about turn the cheek and master of the meek, this new Jesus punches back twice as hard when challenged. He is armed to the teeth with assault weapons and as much ammo as he can create from a few loaves and fishes. He even has a new portrait which some have called Rambo Jesus. Following a pickup truck last week, something caught my eye a mile back. When I pulled up to the light behind him, my eyes were astounded to see the entire back window painted with this ripped and dangerous Jesus, complete with six pack abs and body builder biceps. Honestly, didn’t see that one coming.
Yes, I woke up today thinking about Jesus, not unusual for my morning brain meditations. But I have to be honest with you; the Jesus I was imagining in my mind didn’t match any of these decade makeovers. I guess I never have thought of man’s projections when my mind mused on the story of a carpenter from Galilee. But rather an undefinable and immeasurable sweet flow of life and love, a living water which is available to the parched and thirsty soul.
I’m sure Jesus will undergo many more of man’s imaginative makeovers and each time he will resemble projections of his own reflection in the mirror. It’s just human nature.
But for me, I think I will just continue to close my eyes at night with whispers of love blanketing my soul and open them in the morning with a song of gratitude encouraging my heart and mind to embrace others with a heart of love. “Take me to the river . . .”
The Zen Den
Hello and welcome to The Zen Den. My name is Alison and while I am passionate about many things, my most inspiring driving force is human connection. Blogger, content writer, orthopedic exercise specialist, motivational speaker, international yoga pro, published songwriter, avid poker player, mom and wife are just a few of my titles. But when I do my job at NASA, I am known simply as “The Fairy Zenmother” a role I deeply love because people invite me into their space to help them find their center, relax and stretch their muscles and destress their mind. Here in the blogosphere version of The Zen Den, I invite you into my world where I will explore ideas for creating a better tomorrow and a kinder today. And hopefully, with insight, authenticity and humor; my words, observations and experiences will help you feel calm, centered, intellectually challenged and spiritually enlightened. Alternatively, if you have something you would like to see covered in The Zen Den, just let me know. Your feedback is welcome and valuable to the success of this blog. Finally, my heart is filled with gratitude to have this opportunity to share with all of you.
