Framed

By: Randal Myers

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Have you ever noticed the importance of a frame? Rarely, if ever, will you see a beautiful portrait or oil painting hanging in a prominent place without a proper frame. The perfect frame enhances the beauty of the object within its borders. In fact a rather common painting can take on a true sense of beauty if the frame is one of distinction.

Never, though, would one place an object of beauty in a frame that draws attention away from that within the frame and onto the frame itself. It is the function of a frame to present that which is framed in the very best manner possible.

Image consultants for celebrities have known and used this concept for years. Much care is used in presenting an artist or public figure in surroundings and settings that subtly send the desired message about the person. The proper clothing, backdrop, lighting and similar elements are carefully chosen to project the featured person as possessing specific qualities. Beautiful models are never pictured in run-down alleys and dirty city streets, but rather on picturesque beaches or breathtaking mountain peaks.

"We must always be aware of how we are presenting Jesus."

Even political leaders attempt to frame themselves in various ways. Sometimes the ploy works and sometimes it doesn’t. (Do any of you remember how ridiculous former presidential candidate Michael Dukakis looked riding that tank wearing a combat helmet?) But many utilize this “framing” to their advantage. In a recent New York Times article, it was noted how good President Bush’s advisors are at presenting him in the desired framework. The following is a paragraph from that article.

For a speech that Mr. Bush delivered last summer at Mount Rushmore, the White House positioned the best platform for television crews off to one side, not head on as other White Houses have done, so that the cameras caught Mr. Bush in profile, his face perfectly aligned with the four presidents carved in stone. We pay particular attention to not only what the president says but what the American people see," Mr. Bartlett said. "Americans are leading busy lives, and sometimes they don't have the opportunity to read a story or listen to an entire broadcast. But if they can have an instant understanding of what the president is talking about by seeing 60 seconds of television, you accomplish your goals as communicators. So we take it seriously."

I believe that we, the church, are also in the “framing” business. As the embodiment of Jesus in the current world, we must always be aware of how we are presenting Jesus. As those around us learn that we are Christians they form opinions about the Lord and his Church by what they see in us. That’s a heavy responsibility. Is it possible that some might have been repelled from following Jesus because they have been repulsed by me? Have I “copped an attitude” on occasion and tainted my testimony of how tender and compassionate Jesus is? Could a person ever say of me, “If that’s Christianity, I don’t want it”? As the body of Christ, we owe it to God and to the world to present the best “picture” of Jesus possible to a lost world.

When guests attend our assemblies are they seeing a Jesus who has their interests at heart? Is the love of Jesus exhibited around and to them? Do they feel in our presence the same way people in Bible times felt in Jesus’ presence?

A frame must always be mindful of its role…to present the object in the most complimentary fashion. Jesus is the object; let us all frame him to the glory of God.

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