Sensationalism

I went to the mountains again today.

With camera in hand, I drove along the road leading to the summit of Mt. Evans at just over 14,000 feet. As usual, the mountains did not disappoint, their grandeur beyond words and too substantial to capture with my lens as to do it any justice. On our descent, my wife, brother, and I stopped to watch some mountain goats and take in the view. It wasn't before long, however, that I stopped looking outward and began to notice what was at my feet.

The tundra had come alive in the summer sun.

Although surrounded by peaks measuring well over 12,000 feet, I was taken in by the carpet of humble flowers spread out before me on the ground. How easily I could have walked over them without notice!

Shaw said that the real moment of success is not the moment apparent to the crowd. It's easy for us to be drawn to what is dramatic, thrilling, and breathtaking. I think we have a natural tendency to be lured by the sensational, enraptured by the powerful, charmed by the cunning, and engrossed in the large. We like it big in America: big money, big cars, big houses, big egos, and big numbers.

Today, I appreciated the smallness of things.

I think it's easy for us to translate our fascination with the sensational into our faith. We can be drawn to power and authority, seek after the miraculous, and pray with high and lofty words. We like dramatic sermons and worship services that move us, and we judge the church's we visit based on whether or not their service "did it for us". We measure the success of churches based on the size of their budget, the numbers in attendance, the appearance of their building, and their quantity of conversions. We like numbers, and the bigger, the better.

Jesus was surrounded by those drawn to the sensational -- those who wanted to see the miracles and healings and political uprisings. The stories of miracles in the New Testament are glorious and spectacular, jumping out of the pages of the Gospels! I must admit, I am fascinated by them.

But we cannot forget to stop and look at the feet of Jesus.

Meshed in with the majestic are the words "poor in spirit", "meek", "hunger and thirst", "merciful", "peacemaker", "pure in heart". Woven into the scriptures are stories of feetwashing, bandaging wounds, feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, and comforting those in mourning. Jesus spoke of loving your neighbor, turning the other cheek, not judging others, forgiving those who have sinned against you, and giving to the needy. His is a movement that is subtle, humble, and gracious.

I have seen my share of the miraculous, and it amazes me every time. There are, however, few things that impress or move me more than to see a follower of Christ walking humbly with his God, loving as Jesus loved, serving as Jesus served. Big churches, big budgets, big worship experiences, and big numbers just don't seem to measure up to the image of Jesus washing the dirt off another man's feet.

Most people wouldn't interpret such living as success, but -- like Shaw -- I believe the real moments of success just aren't apparent to the crowd.