A Latte for the Soul

Sister - I have to confess that I've seen that fellow with the Starbucks cup! He lives in Los Angeles (maybe West Hollywood?) and his name is Kevin. I don't know why he dresses "like Jesus" (as if we know what Jesus dressed like) but he seems to be a friendly person, and I took seeing him as a "sign" that my formerly agnostic self was trepidatiously going to catechumen classes. You see, I got on the bus one Saturday after a thoroughly thought-provoking and unsettling class where we discussed that big "If God loves us, why is there suffering?" question, and I was full of all kinds of thoughts and feelings and I looked up and there was someone who looked like Jesus, getting up and offering someone else his seat on the crowded bus. He had two Starbucks cups in his hands at the time. He got off the bus at (you won't believe it, but I swear this is true) at Temple Israel. It was one of the funniest and surprisingly inspirational experiences I've had. There were many reasons I came back and I really can't count one more goofy Hollywood weirdo as a major influence, but it was like a silly reminder that I was moving in the right direction. And maybe even a sign that God does have a pretty good sense of humor.

Which begs the question "what would Jesus actually look like if he were strolling around now?"  Of course, He told us how to find Him. Look no further than whoever you see.

We really aren't going to find Jesus knocking on our doors, wearing a toga with long hair and a beard. He's not going to be what I call "mosquito bite Jesus" (because He's so pale and white that biting insects cannot resist Him).

If He was alive now, we'd probably miss Him in the jangle of sound, the endless tweets and postings. He'd be just another Deepak Chopra kinda guy. Would He appear with Oprah?

We'll never know. He did the only thing that was available to Him at the time. Walk around and talk to people. He would have many more options now. Would he start an indiegogo campaign to crowd fund a mega church?

Ironically, He is using the internet. Because ....here we are.

But I really do think that if Jesus were just starting out right now He would be considered "one more goofy weirdo", no matter how he dressed, because His message, what He asks of us, is so completely radical, in some cases counter intuitive, that few people actually would take us His cause.

And if we look at the world around us, we can ascertain that few people really have. It's why so many followers, like Mother Teresa, have a "dark night of the soul". It doesn't last for just one night.

You're right. We need to see Jesus breezing along with a cup of Starbucks coffee in each hand once in a while. We need to be reminded that what He asks of us makes our lives better, and makes the world better.