John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” [MSG]
Why are you a Christian? One of the assignments I give my Public Speaking students requires them to give a 6-minute speech explaining why they believe in Christ. After listening to one and a half hours of speeches, I sometimes feel like I’ve been to church! It’s refreshing to hear college students give clear explanations for their faith. They know the purpose of their speech and they deliver. They keep the main thing the main thing.
My students’ speeches are effective because they don’t “bury the lead.”
“Burying the lead” occurs when reporters begin with relatively unimportant information and relegate the most important information for later. By the time the main point is reached, the audience has long since tuned out.
Admittedly, it’s fairly easy to keep the main thing the main thing in a speech, but I’ve been asking myself how often I bury the lead in living out my faith. Sometimes I let concerns consume my story. I fret about the country. The church. Family. Friends. The lead should be: In spite of everything going on in the world, Becky chooses to keep trusting in the Lord with all her heart. Instead, the lead gets buried under an avalanche of me trying to figure things out.
Jesus never buried the lead. He kept his focus on why he came to the earth, and never strayed from reflecting a life “bursting at the seams with grace and truth” (as author Mark Buchanan describes). He wants us to do the same, and not let worry, unforgiveness, cowardice or apathy usurp our headline.
We live in a world where every weakness, flaw and faux pas becomes front page, above-the-fold news. It’s into this atmosphere Jesus sends us to show his “one-of-a-kind” glory. He wants the fullness of his grace and truth to be our lead, from start to finish (John 1:14).
Friend, I don’t know what in your life might be threatening to bury your lead. But don’t let it. You have a purpose to fill as long as you’re on the earth. Especially with the advent of this Christmas season, the world is waiting to hear some good news.