Nice Sentiment

If Jesus is sentimental to me, He's not consequential to me.

When I think of the sentimental, I think of the things or experiences in life that are nice, sweet, cute, kind.  I think of the Christmas morning when I got the GI Joe army base.  I think of Hallmark cards.  I think of little kids singing songs down the hall from my office.  Sentimental.

I'll grant that there are other definitions and understandings of sentimentality, but this one in particular seems spiritually dangerous.  Why?  Because Jesus is none of those things - nice, sweet, cute, cuddly, etc.  He's not a stuffed animal.  He's not a fun little moment.  He's not the guy in the portrait on the wall of the 3rd grade Sunday School classroom - the one with the flowing hair and off-stage lighting.

The problem with that kind of Jesus is we outgrow Him.  He ends up on the shelf of our lives with all the other sentimental stuff, collecting dust and fun to remember at times (like Easter and Christmas).  Nothing on that shelf impacts my life today.  Sentimental = inconsequential.

But if Jesus Christ is Lord of lords, the One True God, Living Water, Bread of Life, the Crucified and Risen Savior, Ascended and Reigning Sovereign over the universe, and Returning Conquerer and Judge, then that changes everything.  That Jesus matters.  That Jesus matters for life eternal as well as life today.  That Jesus changes everything.

But that's just me thinking thoughts...