They call him “Touchdown Jesus.”

He is 62 feet tall, rising out of a former cornfield in southwestern Ohio. Made of steel, fiberglass and Styrofoam, this statue of Jesus Christ has upraised arms, which make him look like a football referee signaling a touchdown. This mega-messiah, with arms and hands big enough to hold a dump truck, was erected by a non-denominational church along Interstate 75.

And here’s where the story gets interesting: Not long after the church had the statue erected, the highway suddenly became safe. There were 14 deaths in the two-year period before the sculpture’s appearance. Then there were none. The church’s pastor, Lawrence Bishop, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Since that’s been up, there hasn’t been one wreck out there. We didn’t build it with that intent, but that’s what happened.”

So maybe this Jesus is a Super Savior. One who has calmed the storm of highway killings.

Of course, there may be other forces at work. About the same time that the statue appeared, the state of Ohio spent a million dollars to install a cable that runs down the median. This barrier is designed to prevent vehicles from crossing the median into oncoming traffic.

Says Jay Hamilton, the highway engineer who designed the barrier, “I honestly think that Jesus can perform miracles, but I don’t think the statue was the miracle out here. It was the barrier.”

Take your pick: Whether it was Touchdown Jesus or the state highway department, we can be thankful. Interstate 75 is now a much safer stretch of road.

The first letter of John also describes a Super Savior, but it doesn’t take a particular position on giant statues by the highway. Instead, John focuses our attention on the fact that our faith in Jesus turns us into children of God, and makes us members of God’s family. As children of the Lord, we are to love one another, love God, and obey his commandments. If we do these things, we are going to be given a surprising victory — “whatever is born of God,” says John, “conquers the world” (1 John 5:4).

Conquering the world. That’s even better than an accident-free drive on the Interstate.

But what do these words really mean? John begins by saying that everyone “who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (v. 1a). This kind of believing is an active verb — it means really relying on Jesus to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Savior, the Lord. When we believe that Jesus is the Christ, we trust Jesus to lead us in a new direction. When we believe that Jesus is the Christ, we accept a new set of priorities for our lives. Suddenly, we’re not interested in building ourselves up and putting others down. We’re not looking for others to serve us and meet our needs. Instead, we’re looking for ways to serve Jesus, and build up his kingdom here on earth.

Here in the church, I get a lot of criticism for what I say and do as senior pastor. I’ll take a stand one week that will be frowned on by liberals, and a position another week that will be criticized by conservatives. The scheduling of a church program will inconvenience one group, and then the lack of a church program will disappoint another. One church member will want me to put more time into sermons, another will want me to perform more visits to nursing homes, another will desire more teaching, and another will expect me to be a better administrator.

So, basically, I just try to keep everyone’s disappointment in balance. You know, a balancing act.

But then I remind myself that my job is to please Jesus, not to please people. As pastor of this church, my roles are to help you to “believe that Jesus is the Christ” … assist you in finding new priorities … encourage you to follow Jesus as he leads you in a new direction. I’m not here to serve you and meet your needs. Instead, I’m charged with helping you to find new ways to serve Jesus, and build up his kingdom in this place.

When you come right down to it, I’m not supposed to be in the church business at all. I’m supposed to be in the Jesus business.

John tells us that everyone “who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (v. 1a). This means that I do not engage in this Jesus business alone, but I do it as a member of God’s family, as part of an enormous family of faith. I do it as a member of a truly gifted and committed team of staff members — the best that has been assembled since I began my ministry here in 2001. I do it as part of a faithful and energetic congregation — a community of faith that includes each and every one of you. And I do it according to the FPC identity statement that appears on every Sunday bulletin, reminding us that we are “Small Group Centered.” This means that we are committed to gathering in small groups for education and support, spiritual growth and mission, because the Jesus business is really all about relationships.

John makes this point when he tells us that everyone “who loves the parent loves the child” (v. 1b). He is saying that there can be no distinction between love of God the Father and love of our fellow children of God — if we love the parent, we love the child. Now I know that this sounds very sweet and nice, but we all know that it can be an enormous challenge, especially when our brothers and sisters are really getting on our nerves.

Not that I’ve ever had this experience myself … in the church.

But here’s some good news. Love, as challenging as it can be, actually improves our health and happiness. Yes, that’s right — love is good for us, as has been proved in recent research studies. A Florida study of AIDS patients found that those who helped others, especially fellow patients with more advanced stages of the disease, were more likely to live longer. Another study reported that within support groups, the people who were offering help — rather than always receiving help — fared better with their illness. In a recent British poll of volunteers, half of those surveyed said that their health had improved while they engaged in volunteering. One in five claimed it helped them lose weight.

Love others and lose weight. There’s no downside to that one!

John goes on to elaborate on exactly what it means to love the children of God: He says, quite simply, that we are to “love God and obey his commandments” (v. 2). According to this verse, our love of one another is not primarily an emotion or an expression of affection, but instead it is a life of obedience to God’s commandments. If you say you love your parents — especially your Father, on this Father’s Day — show it by honoring them. If you say you love your spouse, show it by not committing adultery. If you say you love your neighbor, show it by not stealing, envying, murdering or making false accusations. When it comes to love, actions do — in fact — speak louder than words.

“For the love of God is this,” says John, in case we miss his point, “that we obey his commandments” (v. 3). Love and obedience — they go together, like peanut butter and jelly, mom and apple pie, Law and Order, Britney Spears and Kevin Federline (uh, maybe skip that last one). As James, the brother of Jesus, says in his little letter, “be doers of the word, and not merely hearers” (James 1:22). Obedient doers of the word know instinctively that loving words have to be translated into loving actions. “If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food,” asks James, “and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill’ … what is the good of that?” (2:15-16). I’m so pleased that we’ll be commissioning our Youth Mission Trip participants this morning, for they are clearly committed to translating loving words into loving actions.

Love and obedience belong together, right along with faith and good works. It’s the way that God has designed the world, which is why John can say that God’s commandments “are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). He knows that they are good for us, and good for all our brothers and sisters.

So, what is the message here? It’s clear that the power of God is not to be found in a 62-foot Super Savior along an Ohio highway. Instead, it comes to us through our faith in Jesus, our love for God and one another, and our obeying of God’s commandments. Faith, love and obedience are going to guard and guide us much more effectively than a roadside statue of Jesus.

John says that “this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith” (v. 4). We’re victorious because our faith in Christ keeps us connected to God, no matter what life throws at us. We’re victorious because our spiritual link remains strong, in spite of frustrations and failures, breakdowns and betrayals. As Paul writes to the Romans, “I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

Nothing will be able to separate us. Absolutely nothing. That’s victory. That’s world conquest. That’s the power of a Super Savior.

When we get into the Jesus business and do his work, we are focusing on transformation … not domination. We change the world around us by practicing faith in Jesus, love of God and neighbor, and obedience to God’s commandments.

This is true victory. The best kind of world conquest. As Touchdown Jesus would say:

“Score!”

Amen.


Sources:
Sloat, Bill. “Giant Jesus: highway guardian or Christian kitsch?” The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, September 23, 2005, www.newhouse.com.

Anderssen, Erin. “Doing good deeds can improve health, make you happier, scientists suggest.” The Globe and Mail, January 15, 2005, www.theglobeandmail.com.