Earlier this month I visit the world’s most popular museum exhibition, Bodies Revealed. According to The Year of the Human Body web-site, presented by St. Luke’s University Health Network, “The world-renowned Bodies Revealed exhibition – which has been seen by more than 15 million people of all ages – provides visitors a mesmerizing three-dimensional tour of the human body that otherwise is available only to medical professionals and students. It also inspires appreciation for the human body as an intricately-developed machine that is more complex and wondrous than all of the computers and gadgets surrounding humanity every day.”
I was engrossed by the many specimens on display and the informational captions that accompanied them. By the time I reached the end, I was well-overloaded with material that my brain could simply not store or process in such a short time. What all it boiled down to in my non-medical mind was summed up in this one simple placard: “Each of us is physically unique from the shade of our skin to the size and shape of our organs. What we have in common is a miraculous set of internal systems, each with its own precise role in how we function.”
This little field trip of mine was very timely for me. You see, my husband and I will soon be planting a church in a neighboring community not yet our own. This is indeed an exciting adventure, but like any work of the Lord, is not without attacks on the mind. What if the people I am sent to minister to are better educated than me? (Likely) Wealthier than me? (Highly likely) More glamorous? (I’m a yard sale junkie – not very glamorous.) What about the addict, the adulterer, the widow, the orphan… The list goes on… How will I relate?
By thinking back on this exhibit, God reminded me: Inside we’re all the same. We all have hurts. We all have the desire to be loved unconditionally. We all have been formed by the sublime Creator who pursues us by His Holy Spirit. He wants so much to be in relationship with every one of us and desires none of us to leave our earthly bodies without experiencing His love. And if we do, there is a heavy price to pay.
The reality is this: our present bodies will either wear out or be snuffed out. Face it, the death rate is 100%. But that is not the end. Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life. His sacrificial death has paid the ransom for anything that we think, say, or do that displeases God. Because of Jesus’ obedience to the Father, a way has been made to escape the coming judgement. Beyond that, a glorious never-ending life awaits.
Dear Reader, I pray that you have accepted or will accept this Good News. If you have the assurance of an imperishable body to come and an eternal life with God, tell someone this Good News today. Sharing the gospel is even better than a trip to the science center, and you don’t even have to pay admission. More importantly, it’s a matter of life or death.