Shadows

I absolutely love shadows.

They’re fun to play with.

They make me feel like I’m powerful (“I command you to raise your left hand!”)

And on top of that, as the sun continues to sink into the horizon I get taller and taller. I’m 5’11.98’’ not short by any stretch of the imagination but I grew up with and still hang out with today, people who are freakishly blessed with height. But anyways, back to the shadows....

Here’s the thing about shadows though, they’re not the real thing. As fun as they are to play with and manipulate, They’re only a byproduct of the real thing. If you follow the shadow to it’s source, you find that the source is way better. The easiest way to see this would be to look at my wife’s shadow. Now she makes a striking silhouette on the ground, (The details of which aren’t appropriate for this post) but connected at the feet, is a way more attractive Katy. Her shadow makes no effort to copy her smile (If it does try it has failed miserably). Her shadow can’t give me the unnecessary details of a story like the real Katy can (and does most of the time).

The shadow is great, but it can never (hard as it may try) come close to the glory of the real thing.

Spring is in the air.

I’m sitting in a trendy coffee shop in New England and they’re currently setting up the tables outside in anticipation of warmer weather. You can feel it. It’s almost here and I’m getting excited. I adore warm weather. I’m a shorts and flip-flops kind of guy but as great as late spring in Connecticut is, maybe it’s just a shadow of something much, much better.

What if it’s entire purpose was to get us thinking about a more-perfect spring?

A more-perfect shorts and flip-flops kind of day to come?

The Bible uses the imagery of a “shadow” over and over again. In fact, that’s pretty much what the book of Hebrews hinges on. Again and again we hear the writer say things like “it’s a shadow” or “it’s a picture”. It uses these words to describe the Law and the Prophets. It uses these words and then says that these shadows connect at the feet of Jesus- The true form.

The way more attractive form.

The “more-perfect” form.

It’s Holy Week. Easter is a couple of days away and the stats say that church attendance will balloon for the day. Some churches will take advantage of this and preach a gospel message.

But some won’t.

We’re preoccupied with manipulating the shadow.

It will simply be another in a long list of sacrifices that Hebrews says get us nowhere.

It will simply be another in a long list of offerings that get us no closer to the true form.

It will simply be another in a long list of attempts to fill the eternal hole in our souls that can never be filled with un-eternal sacrifices.

During a week of hyperbolized evangelical-ness my hope and prayer is that you will enjoy the shadow but even more than that, I pray that you’ll trace the silhouette down to the feet where it connects to the more-perfect form, Jesus.

He has risen!

Your response here: ___________________!