I will be preaching at a church in our presbytery this week and I am looking forward to it. The text I am preaching from 1 Peter 2 has me making a point about the Christian life and how, while we come to Christ at our conversion, our discipleship is not locked into a point or period in time. I was thinking of saying something about becoming a Christian is not just about getting your ticket punched; you know, my way to heaven secured. But then I wondered, “do you still get your ticket punched?”
We used to ride the train from Trenton, New Jersey, to Penn Station in Manhattan, and the conductor always punched our tickets. It turns out, though, the very month we left Langhorne, New Jersey Transit quit punching tickets. Now the conductor scans the QR code on your ticket, or better yet, the app on your phone.
Another metaphor bites the dust. We may talk about tuning in and hanging up, about cabooses and different tacks, but the realities on which the images are based have mostly disappeared. Continue reading