My friend Kevin's recent post about taking the bus provoked me to get out a little bus idea that's been marinating in me for a while. There are many environmental, social, and economical benefits to taking the bus, but I'm not going to talk about them now.In a conversation with my friend Jeff a few weeks ago, it came up that both of us have had some important seemingly random conversations with folks we've met on the bus. Sometimes they were strangers, and sometimes they were people we already knew. I believe that using relationships and interactions between people is a big way that God works our lives and both Jeff and I have experienced it in a somewhat frequent way on the bus. Why is that?
I think it's a matter of opportunity. If we just go along in our own cars in our American way we never interact with others (at least not on a positive verbal level) unless there's an accident or a breakdown or something. (I know God frequently shows up for folks in that kind of situation, but it's not something anyone wants to have happen often.) On the bus there is plenty of room for us to bump into each other and thus plenty of opportunity for God to show up in those those interactions.
I think of it kind of like what happened when Jesus, after beginning his ministry, returned to his home town. People were skeptical that someone they had always known in their small town was anything more than they thought he was. "...he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief." (Matt 13:58 ESV) Why? I don't think the people of Nazareth asked to be healed but didn't score high enough on the faith-o-meter. I don't think they asked. Most of the probably didn't even come to see him. There wasn't opportunity for Jesus to heal anybody because nobody showed up to be healed!
That's why I think Jesus would ride the bus. Plenty of people. Plenty of opportunity for God to do transforming stuff in their lives.
I bet you'll never see that point listed on a Metro Transit poster!
