Jesus is not a franchise
There is this saying that my dad would often say, “Jesus is not a franchise”. It never made much sense to me but recently I was confronted with a thought that made me think about it.
We all worship God and we all love Jesus but our faith so easily becomes religious practice. I hear people make statements about Jesus and I find myself wondering if they realise what they are saying. Don’t get me wrong, my intention is not to judge people’s hearts, but rather take a look at my own.
During our time at Anafora our team joined the Coptic Christians for their evening prayer. It had a very systematic approach. They start by singing one or two songs in Arabic which after the fifth evening you start to hear some of us sing along in a soft semi of key hum. Then they repeat the phrase Kyrie eleison (God have Mercy) 41 times which is the followed by a scripture reading in all of the different languages present in the church.
One evening our team stayed behind in the church to worship, and not just because the acoustics are incredible. It was a special time as each one spontaneously lead either a song or a prayer. As we ended with our last song I had a thought that shook me to my core.
Am I really worshipping God in Spirit and truth. Am I living a life where I walk with Jesus or am I also just systematically practising the religious habits that I have learned over the years. Have I made Jesus a franchise or a product that I am promoting or is my life and relationship with Him truly testifying of who he is. The Great and Almighty God.
Again I am not trying to say that the way the Coptic Christians do things is wrong, because when you speak to Bishop Thomas from Anafora you see a man with a deep desire for God and for people to see and experience the love of Jesus and the power of the cross. Yes his approach looks different. And although they have a different way of worshipping and living out their faith, you can see and feel the love of Jesus in his life and in their ministry.
True worship is not in the representation of it but in the attitude of your heart. One day when I see Jesus what will he say? Will I be able to say that I knew him and that I walked with him?