GPS

What has your GPS told you today? You have reached your destination. Must turn left in 500 feet. I can’t help you anymore, you are lost. I keep hearing, re-routing, re-routing.

Following God is nothing like following a GPS…or is it? Today I was listening to the radio and it talked about nativity scenes in front of churches. Every year there seems to be a story or two about how baby Jesus gets stolen. Well this year churches are fighting back.

A New York based company has offered GPS tracking devices/services free of charge to several churches. This company comes in and attaches the GPS system to baby Jesus, so in the event Jesus is taken from its manger, Jesus can be tracked and found.

I laughed when I heard this, because just yesterday in worship I made the statement that living a life of faith, following Jesus is nothing like following a GPS system! The gentle nudges from God are not as obvious as, ‘turn left here,’ we have to investigate a little, we need to trust; act on faith.

But I have to wonder, after Jesus is stolen from the nativity and the authorities begin tracking Jesus, once they have arrived at the fence, what will that conversation be?
Open Up, I know Jesus is in there!
Give us back our Jesus!
You stole our Jesus!

I know those who steal a Jesus from a church Nativity is usually a prankster or just mean spirited, but it does make me wonder about what Jesus might do in the hands of a prankster? We can’t keep Jesus in a manger and we certainly can’t track Jesus. We need to know Jesus, trust Jesus, and follow Jesus.