Lent Devotional 14

In The Heart of Christianity Marcus Borg says that “ if mainline Christians can learn to speak of the importance of being born again, the possibility that  these two parts of the church might come together increases” (p. 104). The phrase “born again” is a phrase that is not frequently used by many Christians, but it a central concept of the Christian tradition. I have been thinking of images and synonyms of born again. 

I still remember the first time I saw it. It was a red, with a liberal highlighting of rust, 1951 Ford pick up truck. It sat on the side of SR-33 in front of a very small farm workers cabin and it had a large handwritten For Sale sign on the windshield. I did a u-turn and went back to look.

I have always wanted a ’51 Ford. It is the year of my birth, but it is a cool looking truck. This one was really rough. There was rust on top of rust. The wood in the bed was mostly rotted away and the rear bumper was a piece of railroad track. When I looked inside the cab I saw a seat that was mostly exposed springs covered with an old blanket. There was a shag carpet on the floor and little pom poms hung around the windshield. I could not open the hood to look at the engine, but what I could see was the pool of oil under it. The sign said $500.00. In 1980 that was a lot of money and an unbelievably large sum to a family with 3 small children.

I finally had to stop driving that way to camp because when I saw that truck I began to dream about the possibilities. All that needed to be done was tear out all of the garbage in the cab and redo the seats and floor mats, sand the metal and repaint it, new gauges, and a new steering wheel and it could look like new. All the fenders and doors could come off and either be repaired or replaced. With a new red paint job it would look great. The bed just needed new wood and some cutting and welding and a railroad track bumper was intimidating in a cool way. A rebuilt engine was not that big of a deal. And with the right “modifications” that old “straight 8” could be a real beast. That truck had real possibilities, but realistically it was beyond my ability to do the work and there would never be enough money to finish the job. Restoration was not a viable option.

About 6 months later I drove by and saw the weeds where it had sat, but the truck was gone. I have always wondered what happened to it and even today when I drive up the road I would look to see if it had magically reappeared. And I sometimes wonder if I saw another 1951 red, highlighted by rust, Ford pick up for a mere $500 what I would do.

For some of us being born again is a frame up restoration…. very long expensive process that restores the original gleam of life. A process that was initiated by a loving God who has the patience and has already paid the price for the restoration, but a God who continues to pay whatever it takes. God sees the potential. We have to do the same.

Today think about what being born again means for you and …..

SHALOM,

Tom Mc