Have you ever read 'A Tale of Two Cities?' Like Dickens classic, setting London and Paris over and against one another during times of revolution, we too live in two cities. Some of us live on the east coast and some on the west coast. People live in Washington and Baghdad. People live in upper class suburbs and people live in slums in the Global South. But our story begins before these cities and their differences were established. In the beginning the earth was nothing. The earth is void. It is blah and bland. There is no light, no substance, no color, no flavor. It is repulsive and repressive. Boredom reigns supreme. But this isn’t God’s plan for life.
We know this full well because now and then, here and there, light explodes in our lives. We know this full well because light and life exploded into this primary story. In Genesis 1, God says, LET THERE BE FLAVOR! LET THERE BE COLOR!
It was good, very good. Life in our universe left repulsion and repression, and went from blah and bland to bright and bursting. Life with my wife has taught me so much about faith and grace, flavor and color. When she and I met in 2001, I was driving a gray car. My favorite shirt was a charcoal gray long sleeve T from Old Navy. I wasn't sad by any means, just a bit gray. Into my life rolls a yellow Jeep driven by an Italian girl with funk and flair. This somewhat average life became a vibrant and colorful experience. And it didn't stop with color. Now many of our evenings begin with the smell of olive oil, garlic, onions, and red wine as she cooks up another Italian masterpiece.
Christ stands at the center of our story. It was true at creation, it was true when we walked the earth, and it’s true now. So he stands at the center of our story now. Jesus moved into the world – what Christians call the incarnation – to show us how to live as dual citizens – or better, live as citizens of God’s city with zip codes in places like Colorado Springs, Orlando, LA, Kostroma, Russia or even Baghdad. Jesus tells us why we're here. Jesus says, BRING OUT THE FLAVOR! BRING OUT THE COLOR!
That’s why you’re here. The flavor and the color already exist – just live now to bring that out! If we live like this – the City Bright with Light and Bursting with Flavor will invade and drive out the Dark and Bland City. The recipe and the reflection will overcome the repulsion and repression.
But there is an enemy. The enemy wants us to horde. The enemy wants us to close and lock our doors. The enemy wants us to become opaque. The enemy wants us to lock our recipes up and not share them. The enemy says, DESTROY THE FLAVOR! DESTROY THE COLOR! This is happening ever day in the lives of the poor. Orphaned, abandoned, and vulnerable children are having what little bit of life left in them snuffed out by a destructive and disgusting enemy. I won't stand for this! It makes me sick to think of it!
But we can overcome the enemy. Let’s start living the flavorful and colorful life. Let’s invite others to the party. Let’s invade the darkness and the blandness with this party. Let's say, ENJOY THE FLAVOR! ENJOY THE COLOR!
Thanks for making our world more colorful. Mike Leanne Hudson Kellen and Macie enjoy more color and more flavor because of the God color in Dan Julie Judah and Luci.
Here's to making Colorado Springs even more colorful come August.
Posted by: Mike O'Donnell | February 21, 2008 at 10:55 AM