Jesus On A Plate

July 10, 2009

For years one of my most cherished childhood possessions was a Christian novelty item, a chintzy white porcelain six-inch plate with a picture of Jesus painted in the center; the light-skinned, blue-eyed, wavy blonde-haired, semi-smiling version of Jesus. Similar renderings of which could be found in my framed needlepoint wall hanging of the Good Shepherd and the full-color Jesus centerfold in my pink faux leather children’s Bible. I loved that plate and for longer than I care to admit thought it was the most valuable possession I owned, not only because Jesus was right there smack in the center of it which increases the value of just about everything from burnt toast to black velvet paintings, but because the edges of the plate were adorned with splashes of metallic gold paint and as a seven year old you could never have convinced me there was a difference between metallic gold paint and real gold.

I know you’re wondering how I got my chubby little princess fingers on such an exquisitely rare gem so let me resolve the mystery for you. I went empty-handed to a children’s evangelistic crusade at our church and returned home having hit the Jesus dessert plate jackpot. Okay, here’s how it happened because I know you’re dying for details.

On the off chance you’ve never been exposed to a child and were never one yourself, let me clue you in on something. Whenever a large number of children are jammed in one room together and told to be seated, the odds of them actually remaining in their seats instead of jumping up and down for no particular reason other than hyperactivity is statistically unlikely. This is why those of us with a little more experience with children (having been one or met one) place the youngest and thereby shortest children toward the front of the herd so they can actually see whatever there is that might be worth seeing. It also works well in that the youngest children are usually the only ones in the whole lot of jumping beans who still have any vested interest in vying for the role of teacher’s pet in which case sitting within the teacher’s frame of vision is a crucial element.

Everything was working in my favor that day. I was in the front row, dead center to the stage and so when the leader asked for a volunteer I popped my hand up in the air, kicked my adorability factor up into overdrive and the next thing I knew I was being beckoned up on stage where the leader stood with a wrapped present in her hands.

Her: This present is for you. Do you want it?

Me: Yes!!!

Her: That’s great because this present is for you and I think you’re really going to like what’s inside.

Me: (Thinking to myself: So quit talking and give me the present!)

Her: It’s your present. What do you suppose you need to do to get it?

Me: Hmmmm….say “please?”

Her: No. It’s already yours. You don’t need to ask for it.

Me: Oh. (Thinking to myself: Why did I raise my hand?)

Her: So if the present is already yours and you don’t need to ask for it what do you need to do to get it?

Me: Hmmmm…say “thank you?”

Her: Well, that would be nice to say after you get the present but there’s something you need to do first. (Now she begins to talk slowly as though she’s trying to work the right answer out of a puppy.) If I hold this present out to give it to you, what-do-you-need-to-do-to-get-it?

Me: Pause. Pause. Pause. And then the light bulb lit up over my head. Take it! I have to take it!

And with the right answer finally achieved, the leader placed the package in my hand, motioning for me to return to my chair, front row, center stage, and as you may have already guessed by now, being as clever as we all know you are, the point she was trying to demonstrate was that God’s gift of salvation through Jesus had already been given to us and we simply needed to take (receive) what was already ours, although the point was probably lost on us since our minds were already drifting to snack time and the possibilities it held in sugar consumption.

And that’s the story of how my cherished fake gold Jesus plate came to be in my possession; a story brought back to mind yesterday when I read these words in “Beyond Grace” by Frederick Buechner:

Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There’s no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth.

The grace of God means something like: “Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are, because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. Its for you I created the universe. I love you.”

There’s only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you’ll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.

So just how am I going to smoothly tie my simple little childhood recollection into Buechner’s theologically profound reflection?

Here’s how.

Take the present. It’s already yours. Come on. You know you want to. Just take it.

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Posted in Grace Meditations, Storytelling