Are We Minglers?
A mingler is one who mingles, interacts, associates and mixes with others in a social setting. I’m a mingler – a far departure from the girl and woman I once was. I like to think I take after my big Brother – Jesus, Who was a mingler of gigantic proportions. I found Him that way early on in Sunday School, when in my childhood, our greatest sight and sound was illustrated from flannel board characters and our teacher’s voice. And before long, I started seeing Jesus portrayed in movies on the big screen. Having a visual of Jesus on the big screen made Him even more personal. But, hold on! Welcome to the 21st Century!
Though we have seen many actors playing Jesus in many films, I have never heard or seen Jesus and His disciples acted out so well as in the TV series, “The Chosen”. And, to top it off, I’m seeing a Jesus in a way that has broadened my imagination and even a greater desire to know the real Him in a more personal and rich way. Though this may sound like I’m on their payroll, I assure you what’s in it for me is seeing others as blessed as I have been to watch the series. “The Chosen” is based on the life of Jesus, created, directed and co-written by filmmaker Dallas Jenkins. It is the first multi-season series about the life of Jesus, and season one was the highest crowd-funded TV series or film project of all time. The series portrays Jesus “through the eyes of those who met him”. You can see all the episodes on their app or website, but the series airs on several streaming services. I’m caught up now with all the episodes that are available through YouTube. The website is: https://watch.angelstudios.com/thechosen/watch
What I know about the real Jesus — He was a mingler. He went out of his way to engage in conversation and to cultivate relationships with His disciples and others who needed His touch. Back to the title of this blog – “Are We Minglers?” Surely, if we learned anything during the pandemic, it was we could live without being a mingler. We ordered the things we needed from Amazon or the local store or restaurants. I got used to the convenience. I saved so much time by not having to leave my home. In fact, we didn’t go to church – we watched online. But, really, was that how we want to live?
Some people prefer not having to mingle with others. They may go to church, but they sit at the back, then they’re in and out without engaging in conversation with others. They drive into their automatic-garage-door garages — so they never have to converse with their neighbors. They sit at the dinner table — and rather than being engaged with others at the table, they are texting or surfing on their cell phones. They’ve gotten lazy in their approach to relationships. They opt for less conversation and more convenience. Once upon a time, our society was about interacting, purposely engaging in conversations, getting to know each other – mingling!
Whatever happened to “relationship” building — making the effort to get to know our neighbors, our kids’ teachers, other kids’ family members, attending various groups of interest to get to know others and be a blessing to them? I’m thankful to live in a community where we have the option to mingle or not, but mingling means the opportunities to touch someone’s life with God’s love and grace. I can’t stay cooped up and withhold the goodness of God that someone is craving to have. Neither could Jesus. Neither should we.