Month: January 2025

Written by: Brian Crawford

Andy Crouch, in his book The Life We’re All Looking For, recounts a powerful exercise he conducted while walking through a busy airport. He resolved amidst the hustle and bustle to take note of every person he passed, silently reminding himself of this simple truth: They were image bearers.

“I passed a weary-looking man in a suit. Image bearer. Right behind him was a woman in a sari. Image bearer. A mother pushed a stroller with a young baby; a young man, presumably the baby’s father, walked next to her, half holding, half dragging a toddler by the hand. Image bearer, image bearer, image bearer, image bearer. A ramp worker walked by in a bulky coat and safety vest. Image bearer…”

Crouch reflects on the weight of this exercise—the untold stories, the unique struggles and triumphs carried by each individual he observed. Even years later, Crouch says the exercise moves him deeply and he feels the significance of acknowledging the divine imprint on every person he encounters.

What would it do to our hearts if we lived this way, constantly reminding ourselves of the sacred truth that every person we meet—every stranger, coworker, or family member—is an image bearer of God?

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Rediscovering Who We Are

Before we were anything else, we were image bearers.

When God created humanity, He didn’t say, “Let us make man a professional plumber, a practicing pediatrician, or a partisan politician.” Instead, He declared, “Let us make man in our image and likeness” (Genesis 1:26). That proclamation defined who we are at our core. We carry the image of God, a truth that shapes not only our identity but also how we should view one another.

This is why, before we belong to any political party, profession, or personal affiliation, we belong to God and to one another. Our shared identity as image bearers is the foundation for our relationships and our call to love, respect, and serve each other.

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The Peace We’ve Forgotten

Mother Teresa once said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

This is the great tragedy of our age. We live in a world dominated by “angertainment” and divisive and mean sarcastic social media streams, where it’s easy to see people as enemies rather than as bearers of God’s image. When we forget who we are and whose we are, peace becomes impossible.

But when we remember that every person we encounter carries the divine imprint—when we practice seeing them as Crouch did, or even more significant as JESUS does, as image bearers—something begins to shift. Our hearts soften, and the divisions that seemed insurmountable start to fade.

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A Challenge for Image Bearers

This truth comes with a challenge. Being an image bearer isn’t just a label—it’s a responsibility. It requires us to ask:

• What is my role as an image bearer of God?
• How can I serve the other image bearers God has placed in my life?
• How can I create opportunities for the flourishing of all image bearers, regardless of their background or affiliations?

This challenge transcends political parties, professions, and preferences. It calls us to live as Christ lived—with love, humility, and grace toward everyone.

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Living the Challenge

Let this challenge wake you up in the morning, guide your actions throughout the day, and remain with you as you close your eyes at night. Imagine what could happen if more of us embraced this truth—not just in theory, but in practice. What if we stopped asking how to further our agendas and started asking how to serve the image bearers around us?

This is the kind of life that transforms relationships, communities, and even nations.

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A Prayer for the Journey

My prayer is that by the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of Jesus Christ, we would all embrace this challenge. May we see each other as God sees us. May we live in a way that honors the image of God in every person. And may we become people marked by love, marked by grace, marked by reconciliation, and marked by a pursuit of oneness.

Let it be so, in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Written By: Brian Crawford

Moving Different

When I was a teenager, I thought I was the definition of cool. At 16, I got my first car—a Nissan Sentra—and the first thing I did was lean the driver’s seat all the way back. Because, of course, cool people don’t sit upright in their cars, right? For two years, I drove like that, convinced I was too cool for school.

But then, my aunt asked me to help move some furniture. I bent down to lift a piece, heard a pop in my back, and, well, life was never the same. From that moment, my back gave me trouble, and I had to change the way I did things—starting with how I drove. My “cool guy” lean was wrecking my posture, so I had to adjust and start sitting upright. It wasn’t comfortable, it wasn’t cool, but it was necessary. That change was healthier, even if it wasn’t cooler or what I wanted at the time.

Isn’t that how life is? Sometimes, we hold onto what we think is “cool” or comfortable, even when God is calling us to something better—something new. That’s exactly what’s happening in Luke 5:33-39. Let’s take a closer look.

Joy in the Bridegroom’s Arrival

In this passage, Jesus is hanging out with tax collectors and sinners—people who weren’t exactly popular in ancient Israel. Tax collectors were considered traitors and cheats, and sinners, well, they weren’t the type you’d invite to a religious gathering. But Levi, one of newly called Jesus’ disciples and a tax collector himself, throws a big party to celebrate how Jesus changed his life. He invites all his friends, and Jesus shows up.

The religious elite—the Pharisees and scribes—are not happy. First, they don’t like the company Jesus is keeping. Then, they criticize Him for even being at the party. They say, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but yours eat and drink” (Luke 5:33). In other words: “Why are you doing things so differently?”

Jesus answers with this: “Can you make wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” (Luke 5:34). Weddings in ancient times were a big deal. There was the engagement, the ceremony, and the feast, the highlight of the wedding! The feast was a celebration filled with food, dancing, and joy that could last a week! Jesus is saying, “I’m the bridegroom. I’ve arrived. This is a time for celebration!”

That’s the first lesson here: Jesus’ presence brings joy. Yes, there’s a time for fasting, but this wasn’t it. And the joy He brings isn’t fleeting—it’s lasting and transforming. It’s a joy that should shape how we live every day.

So, let me ask: Does your life reflect that kind of joy? Are you walking in the joy of knowing that Jesus has come, or has that joy been clouded by the “angertainment” of culture, social media, and 24-hour political commentary. Are you letting the frustrations and divisions of the world define you or are you being defined by the reality that a Savior has come? As believers, we’re called to live differently—to be perpetually marked by joy, not misery, love, not hatred.

Out with the Old, In with the New

But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on to tell a parable about new wine and old wineskins. Back then, wineskins were made from animal hides. When new wine was poured into them, it would ferment, releasing gases, and expand, stretching the skin. Once a wineskin had been stretched, it couldn’t handle more new wine—it would burst.

Jesus is saying something powerful here: You can’t pour something new into something old. The Pharisees were trying to fit Jesus into their old traditions and self-righteous ways, but He wasn’t about patching up the old. He was bringing something entirely new.

This is where it gets personal. How often do we try to “Jesus-fy” our old habits? We hold onto patterns of sin, division, or bitterness and try to slap a little Jesus on top. We justify patterns of hatred when Jesus tells us to love our enemies. We justify patterns of self-centeredness and selfish living when Jesus calls us to be LIVING SACRIFICES. Following Jesus isn’t about adding Him to the old patterns, adding to him to our lives—it’s about replacing the old with the new.

Think about it: Are there areas in your life where you’re trying to hold onto the old while claiming the new? Maybe it’s a grudge you refuse to let go of, a people you refuse to love as yourself, a habit you don’t want to break, or a way of thinking that doesn’t align with His teaching. Jesus isn’t asking for tweaks—He’s calling for transformation.

Embracing the New

As we enter a new year, I want to encourage you: Don’t settle for patching Jesus onto your old life. Embrace the new. Let His joy define you. Let His grace transform you. No, this isn’t about works or earning your way—it’s about receiving the gift of His newness and the arrival of His life into your life and letting it reshape everything you do.

The bridegroom has come. Let’s celebrate, live differently, and embrace the newness of His gospel in every area of our lives.

Amen.