This has happened to me before. Just when I think I’ve journeyed along to a point where I understand Jesus, I find out there is more. When I think I’ve seen real change, I find out there is more. When I finally think I know and understand the gospel, there is more. Last Sunday I was reminded once again: There is more.
During the large-group worship time in my church, a musician came to the front of the room and held up a poster-sized piece of brown cardboard on which she had hand-lettered: “Six-bypass heart surgery and cancer.” She turned the card over to let us read part two of her story: “Still playing His praises and serving Him today.”
Another person followed with a card that said: “Lost a twin at birth.” She then turned her card over to show: “He carried us through, He never let go.”
And they kept coming, one after another, one story following the other.
“Wife’s critical illness since 2003;” (over) “Trusting God more, one day at a time.”
“Unexpressive and lost;” (over) “Expressive through God.”
“Our son had open-heart surgery at 10-weeks-old;” (over) “Look at him now.”
“I thought he’d be better off without me since I couldn’t give him children;” (over) “Now we have a houseful - four eternally adopted children.”
“Locked up because of sin;” (over) “Set free because of Christ.”
“Our 6-year-old son had a 20 lbs. tumor, no hope;” (over) “He is now 26 and healthy, and Jesus is our hope.”
“Felt different and alone because of my diabetes;” (over) “Now I know I am special and God is always with me.”
“Son divorced 4 times;” (over) “Jesus heals the brokenhearted.”
“We have no children of our own;” (over) “Now richly blessed teaching music to children.”
“Stricken with MS;” (over) “God has a purpose for me.”
“Died of a heart attack;” (over) “God brought me back to life.”
“Lost boy in Sudan running for my life;” (over) “Found by Jesus.”
“Living with incurable cancer;” (over) “God is in control.”
“Both thought we were Christians;” (over) “Heard the gospel for the first time.”
“Our son, a prisoner of drugs;” (over) “Truth set him free.”
It was one of the most powerful expressions of the gospel I’ve ever seen. These weren’t internet stories that get forwarded around by email; these were real stories. Maybe they were so effective because of their starkness - a complete story told in only two phrases.
Maybe it was because everyone in the room saw their own personal story on one of those cards.
Maybe it was because I knew most of the people and I knew many of the stories … and I knew that for many of them the story isn’t over. The second side of their card was more about hope than about a final answer.
Or maybe it was because many of those stories had never been shared in front of so many people … too scary, too exposed, too transparent, and too vulnerable.
As I sat in the worship service and read those cards, I realized once again, there was more to Jesus. If you’ve been around church as long as I have, and grown comfortable talking about Jesus and spiritual things, like I have, it’s easy for Jesus to become a philosophical idea that’s fun to talk about, a self-help project to teach us to live better. I need to be reminded often that following Jesus is not merely life-enhancing; it is life-changing.
But even with a changed life, it can be frightening to tell our story when our story isn’t over yet. We don’t know if the faith that helps us survive today will be so strong tomorrow. What if I tell my story to the whole church and then I fall apart in front of them? There is no guarantee that my hope and my faith will last.
I also know that for many of the people who were watching, it was a painful experience to see those cards. They are living on the first side of their card, waiting for side two. They don’t have a miracle yet, or hope, or faith, or an answer. They just have the problem.
We often have to lean on the faith of our friends, and believe that the God who changed them can change us as well. We have to believe there is more. We must know there is more.
