A Savior That We Used To Know

            I wrote earlier about our sermon series based on country music.  Recently, I was visiting with a member of my congregation in a store, and the song “Somebody That I Used to Know” came on over the store’s speaker system.  She suggested that the next time we do a musical sermon series, we include that song.

            It got me thinking about the song, especially the chorus.  Some of you will know the words, but in case you don’t, here are the words of the chorus:

You didn’t have to cut me off

Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing

I don’t even need your love

But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough

You didn’t have to stoop so low

Have your friends collect your records and then change your number

I guess that I don’t need that though

Now you’re just somebody that I used to know

            Here’s what I though about:  can you imagine Jesus saying those words to someone?  All of them might not fit, but some of them would.  Can you imagine Jesus saying them to someone you know?  Can you imagine Jesus saying them…to you?

            I can imagine Jesus saying them to me sometimes.  Yes, I’m a pastor, and I spend a lot of time working on church stuff.  But there can be a big difference between “working on church stuff” and actually feeling close to Jesus.  Pastors are not immune from drifting away, any more than anyone else is.

            Many of us have times when we cut Jesus off.  Sometimes it happens deliberately, but a lot of times it happens gradually, almost by accident.  We get busy.  We get distracted.  We decide we don’t have time to pray right now.  We don’t have time to go to church right now.  We don’t intend to stop these things forever, but one day becomes two, then a week, then two weeks, then a month, and pretty soon Jesus has dropped out of our life.

Jesus may not need our love—as part of the trinity, Jesus is God, and so complete in himself—but I’m sure it hurts when we treat him like a stranger.  We stop talking to Jesus, and we no longer have any interest in having Jesus contact us.  Jesus—whether deliberately or accidentally—has become someone that we used to know.

The thing about Jesus, though, is that he never goes away.  We can turn our backs on him, but Jesus won’t turn his back on us.  He’s still there, waiting for us to turn to him again.  Sometimes he’ll contact us, just letting us know that he’s still there, ready to resume the relationship if we are.  We can hang up on him, we can ignore the messages, but Jesus never goes away.  Jesus never gives up on us.

So, if you feel like Jesus is not a part of your life right now, why not turn back to him?  He’ll be happy from you.  Don’t let Jesus become “a Savior that you used to know.”