Who is lifted up?

Self-promotion has many faces. Star athletes adopt a swagger or brag about their exploits. (I find them hard to like.) Corporations spend millions on promoting their brand and promising products they claim are superior to all others. Even academia, once a bastion for genteel modesty, promotes its programs with splashy sureness. Competition is fierce in athletics, industry and academics, almost everywhere.

Does self-promotion belong in the church? The "bigger is better" theme is a constantly reinforced religious value. Churches use social media to promote themselves. Modesty is hard to find. Swaths of significant accomplishments are boldly presented without an asterisk or footnote mentioning the grace of God or the enabling Spirit. A slate of special performers at coming events is similar in kind to the latest performing rock band or dramatic troupe passing through town.

Am I opposed to enticing neighbors to attend special events at church? NO! I believe in the power of the Spirit to work His Message into people’s hearts when they gather in Jesus’ Name. I am merely reacting to what I consider an over-the-top self-advancement. People don’t need to know me. People need to know Jesus!

We are in danger of calling attention to the vessel or conduit as more important than the precious oil of the Spirit flowing through us. My head hangs in shame as I remember distributing an advertizing piece when I was very young and overly ambitious. The theme of the piece was, "The distance is worth the distance." How could I have been so crass, clumsy or conceited? Isn’t it my role under God to build up others?

The success of an athlete to end a contest with a heroic fete may warrant braggadocio. A company’s ability to parlay a promotion into dollars for stockholders may be an excuse for bragging. Colleges may be justified for pointing to successful alumni and ratings by accrediting boards. But I wonder is Jesus impressed with what one pastor calls his "wow factor?" Am I a servant or a savior in my own mind and heart? How much of Jesus is able to pierce the gaudy facades of church presentations?

Somewhere I remember reading, "If I am lifted up, I will draw all men unto me." A tad more modesty may go a long way to allowing Jesus to come to center stage.