Could You Use a Little Jesus?

How a small act of kindness can lead to big conversations

The Lincoln Diner is my go-to lunch spot when I head over to the Gettysburg battlefield for a long walk and some Sabbath time nearly every week. I usually park myself in a booth or at the lunch counter with a book and my journal and enjoy the ambience of this very old school American eatery that serves nothing by the most comfortable of comfort foods. I’ve been coming here for years, ever since I lived across the railroad tracks during one of my summers working for the National Park Service. The diner’s food was (and is) inexpensive and plentiful and the service is always friendly.

A few Fridays ago, my server seemed to be a bit stressed. The lunch crowd has been picking up at the weather has been getting nicer, and a steadily stream of tourists and locals pack the place out. The wait staff hustles from kitchen to booth to table in a blur, and I imagine that a busy shift at the diner must sometimes feel like the culinary equivalent of a trauma center (“Give me a patty melt and fries, stat!”). It sometimes feels odd to find this a place of peace for me when there is so much chaos swirling around.

After I had savored my turkey Reuben and fries, Brenda* brought me the check. That gave me the chance to offer her something in the midst of a crazy day. “You look like you could use a little Jesus today,” I said. Her face turned from the standard server smile to seriousness. “Well, I’m not really religious at all, but…”

And that’s when I handed her one of the little rubber Jesus figurines I keep in my pocket—a smiling Jesus dressed in white with a snappy blue sash. I slipped it into her hand and her mildly defensive posture quickly turned to a relaxed smile. “That’s so awesome!” she said. She grabbed one of her coworkers who was skittering by. “Look at this,” she said. “A little Jesus. That’s hilarious! I love it!”

“Can I have one, too?” her coworker asked. Certainly. I always keep a stash. I buy them in bags of a hundred from Amazon for about twenty bucks or so. Turns out that it costs very little to hand out a little Jesus, but the impact is huge.

In the last year I’ve handed out a lot of little Jesuses in restaurants, at convenience stores, at the gym, in conversations with strangers, and it’s never failed to evoke a smile and a conversation about faith. I got the idea from Bob Winters, who is one of our leaders here at Aldersgate and a man with a heart for Jesus and those who don’t yet know him. The whole idea is that you start with a little Jesus and then, as the Spirit leads, you have an opening to offer more of him to the people you meet. I’ve had some marvelous chats with all kinds of people who may not have ever considered faith or who had left it behind with their childhood. I’ve felt Jesus more than a little present in every one.

Brenda didn’t have a lot of time that day to chat, but I think a door was opened. Chances are she won’t remember who gave her a little Jesus, but my prayer is that she looks at the smiling figure and wants to know more. I pray for that every time I hand one out. It may seem trivial as an evangelism strategy, but nothing is trivial when we’re trying to reach a secular world with the good news of the gospel. Sometimes a person just needs to know that someone else notices them and cares enough to take a moment to offer them some grace and encouragement. It may be small, but it’s a great place to start.

I actually love this approach and will keep handing out little Jesuses like candy to anyone who will take one. I find that the more I do that, the more intentional I become in listening to the Spirit in the moment and the more I want to offer people the real thing.

I’d invite you to give it a try, especially if you tend to be a bit shy about sharing your faith. You don’t need a grand strategy or a lengthy sermon. All it takes is a willingness to share him.

After all, everyone needs a little Jesus today, whether they know it or not!

*Name changed so she doesn’t become internet famous, given the tens of people who read this blog!

This Week in Worship: Two Kinds of People

We continue our series in 1 John this week with a look at chapter 3, verses 7-18. There's an old saying that says, "There are two kinds of people: those who believe there are two kinds of people and those who don't." John believes that there are really two kinds of people: children of God and children of the devil. He cuts some clear boundaries for determining who's who, like belief in the incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus as Christ the King. But the real delineator is love. "We know love by this," says John, "that he laid down his life for us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another" (1 John 3:16, NRSV). Join us this week as we learn how to be Jesus' kind of people, laying down our lives for him and for others.

Looking Ahead to June

Starting next week, I’ll be taking a chunk of the month of June off for vacation and the blog will thus go into sleep mode until I get back. Pastor Jeff will be finishing out our series in 1 John that will take us through June 22. Our next sermon series begins June 29 when we’ll be taking a trip to the seven churches of Revelation and hearing Jesus’ word to them as well as his word to the Church today. I’ll look forward to coming back refreshed and ready to dive into this important series!

A Prayer for Noticing

This year I’ve been using Jonathan Gibson’s wonderful devotional book Be Thou My Vision as my daily guide to prayer. One of the things I love about this guide is that it brings together the daily rhythm of classic guides like The Book of Common Prayer while adding in prayers from across Christian history. Today’s prayer is by George Matheson, a 19th century Scottish pastor and hymn writer who, though he was blind from his youth, had great insight into the depths of prayer and faith. Matheson invites us to pray through the 23rd Psalm with a fresh perspective:

Restore my soul, O God. There are green pastures around me for which my eye has no lens; there are quiet waters beside me for which my ear has no chord; restore my soul. The path on which I go is already the path of your righteousness; open my eyes that I may behold its window. The place I call dreadful is even now the house of the Lord; the heavens shall cease to hide you when you have restored my soul. May I be content to know that your goodness and mercy shall follow me without wanting to see them in advance of me. Amen.