Jesus struck by lightning
June 15, 2010
by Pastor Jeremiah
The famous “Touchdown Jesus” statue in Monroe, Ohio burned to the ground as it was struck by lighting late last night. The enormous, 65-foot, six-story creation was the pride of the Solid Rock church located just outside of Cincinnati. According to news sources, the church membership is devastated by the fire and they are already making plans to reconstruct the statue, which is estimated to cost $300,000.
Now, don't' get me wrong, I'm happy to hear that Jesus will rise again from the ashes. After all, the grave couldn't hold him down, so what could a lightning storm possibly do. However, it got me thinking, what would our church do with $300,000? I'm all for making Jesus' famous, but I wonder if 65' statues are the most effective way to do that. In Jesus' telling of the parable, “the sheep and the goats” found in Matthew 25:31-46, he seems to be far more pleased with those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and befriend the rejected in society, rather than erecting plastic form images of him alongside the interstate. To be honest, the statue wasn't the most beautiful depiction of Jesus in the first place. I can think of hundreds of other ways to present the beauty of Jesus Christ to the world. In fact, here's a few things that are already in the works here at Westside for a fraction of the cost.
- Medical mission to Kenya summer of 2010 - Bringing medical aid to over 4,000 Kenyan people (estimated cost: $19,000).
- Feeding the hungry - Feeding 300 children from the slums around Nairobi 1 meal a day, 365 days a year (cost: $6,000/yr).
- Micro-finance - Starting a micro-finance business fund with the potential to create dozens of jobs every single year (cost: $1,000).
- Serve at the Union Gospel mission - Join with the service group this summer to serve a meal at the Union Gospel mission (cost: free)
* On another note, during the filming of "the Passion of the Christ" James Caviezel, who played Jesus in the film, was struck by lightning during the shooting of the crucifixion scene. It makes me wonder if all of this lightning activity is supernatural.
Thu, 06/17/2010 - 11:28am
Mark says:
Fri, 06/18/2010 - 12:20pm
Mary Parrott says:
Mon, 06/28/2010 - 8:45pm
Chris N. says:
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