I have a buddy who was seated beside a gorgeous TV star for the entire flight from Columbus to LA. That was years ago, and he’s still unable to wipe off a goofy grin whenever the subject comes up. It just about ruined him—some sort of nerd-induced brain damage occurred on that four-hour flight.
“So what did you say to her?” I asked. With an aw-shucks shrug, he replied, “Nothing!” He didn’t say anything to her… he just grinned. He didn’t even realize he was sitting beside a celebrity until late in the flight when another passenger asked for her autograph. (If you think about it, it is hard to get a good look at someone facing the same direction and only ten inches away. With my bifocals I would have had to step into the aisle to make a positive ID.) What makes the story even more interesting is that my buddy was flying coach!
Many of us have a “celebrity-sighting” story to tell. I have a couple. As luck would have it, none involve a super model or starlet—but I did have dinner once with President Jimmy Carter and his family. Long story short: Marilyn and I were in Atlanta with Pastor Matt and Mary Johnson. We were seated in the back of what appeared to be an unoccupied wing of the restaurant. The next thing we knew, we were being questioned by Secret Service personnel. They asked if we would be comfortable sitting in the same section with the Carters. Unable to process what actually was happening, I laughed and said, ”Oh, sure… and tell Ronnie and Nancy to come on back, too! I’m buyin’!”
Turns out, it was former First Lady Roslyn’s birthday, and the entire Carter family, including the President, was there to celebrate. Because we were the only other booth in that section, they cordoned off our area. It was just us and the Carters. When President Carter arrived, he walked directly to our table, stuck out his hand and said, “Hi, my name is Jimmy Carter. Where y’all from?” Well, at that point I had no idea what my name was and no clue from whence I came! Have you ever tried to stand straight up while seated in a restaurant booth? It hurts!
Later that evening, as Mrs. Carter was trying to calm her fussing granddaughter, she moseyed over to our table and apologized for the all the commotion. We found them incredibly polite and unassuming.
I wonder how many celebrities we’ve passed in our lifetime but, because they weren’t in the context of their famous-ness, we fail to even notice? I realize rural Ohio isn’t a target-rich environment for celebrity sightings, but here’s my point: when we are about our routines, it becomes difficult to identify who is important and who isn’t.
Have you ever wondered what Jesus would look like if he sauntered into Lancaster today? I mean, if he came as our contemporary, like he did to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in their day. I hope you don’t think I’m being too cavalier, but I imagine him in jeans and a golf shirt, clean shaven with short hair. The Bible tells us the next time he comes we will all recognize him, but I’m not talking about his next coming—I’m talking about the first time. If he walked into our lives, what would he look like? The Old Testament prophet Isaiah, who was privy to supernatural insight, wrote;
“He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him.”
Isaiah 53:2 (Good News Bible Translation)
When Jesus walked on earth, he looked no different than anyone else. But his impact was like no one else’s. He expressed kindness and compassion to those who were hurting. He offered hope to those who were in despair.
When Jesus left, he asked people like you and I to represent him to others. Can you see yourself in that role? I hope the next time someone spots you or me, just normal folk doing daily life, they’ll see a little bit of Jesus in us.