There is a great cartoon I saw some time back.  It was titled “Jesus Takes a Selfie”.  It showed Jesus holding a cell phone at arm’s length and smiling broadly.  On the phone screen, however, was not his face but rather a crowd of people of different colors, sizes and genders.

The message was simple and clear: Christ is in everyone, no matter who they are.

I would extend that lesson and make it a little more personal.  Christ is also in you.  And not only is Christ in you, Christ is in all of the aspects of who you are.  This is important because sometimes we can think that Christ is with us only when we are “in the zone”—upbeat, extroverted, reaching out to others and otherwise activating our faith in the best way we know how.  To be sure, Christ is with you then.

But it is also important to know that Christ is also with you when you are cranky, when you make mistakes, when you get angry, when you act selfishly, and when you hurt others by your actions.  In those moments, you are still photo bombing Jesus’ selfie because he is still with you and in you.

That doesn’t mean that Christ approves of who you are in those moments (and I’m betting you’d probably agree with him), but Christ understands and Christ forgives.  That is the great power of God becoming human in Jesus Christ.  God knows the foibles and challenges of living this life.  God knows the human condition because God has lived it firsthand.

We don’t have to be perfect to be accompanied and loved by God (thank goodness!).  We don’t have to be at our best.  There is room in God’s heart for the uneven parts of our personalities and our lives.  Nothing keeps us out of the picture of who Christ is.  We are part of it no matter what.  God’s love never evaporates.

It is that great gift that should cause us to own the less-than-shiny parts of ourselves; the wounded parts, the incomplete parts, the hurting and hurtful parts so that they can be known, heard and healed by the God who never abandons us in Jesus Christ.

See you in church,