Manson's Memo 1/10

Flu. Everybody seems to have a chance at it this year. We’re all coughing. Some of us have ended up in bed with fevers. All because of one of the smallest of living things, a virus.

It seems strange that something so small can have such power. It takes control of our bodies, raising the temperature, congesting our heads and chests. It takes away our appetite and saps our strength. And for the most part, we’re helpless against it. We have to wait for our bodies to start fighting it off, but it takes time. Even after the virus is gone, its effects (runny nose, cough) may hang around for weeks.

We live in a world that often sees the strength of size. Banks brag of their assets. Nations rely on their arsenals. Athletes use steroids to bulk up. There are so many ways that we think that bigger is better.

Yet, consider how often the biblical story relies on runts. David against Goliath. Gideon’s army of 300 against the much larger Midianite army. A group of Jesus followers hanging out in Jerusalem until the winds of Pentecost blew through their house.

The Gospel is very much like a virus. It may not seem very formidable, but once it takes hold of our lives, there is no stopping its spread into every corner of our world. The church carries this virus wherever we go. We may not always seem like much, but what power we can have.