Tickets for Hamilton went on sale at the Kennedy Center last week and to say that I was excited is an understatement.
How excited, you ask? I had been checking their website daily for months for an announcement of when tickets would go on sale. Then I put the date on my calendar so I wouldn’t miss it. When that day finally came, I was on their website waiting for the exact minute to strike. I waited in a digital line for six hours to get my chance – and I was prepared to wait even longer if I had to. And when I finally had my tickets, I probably told everyone I’ve ever met.
Does that ordeal give you some idea of what I think those tickets are worth? Surely, I wouldn’t put that kind of time and energy into just anything – only something I zealously had to have.
We’re all willing to pursue something when we think it’s worth it and just how hard we chase it says something about how much we think it’s worth. Maybe Hamilton does nothing for you – but something grips your affection and you’ll do what you need to do to have it. Maybe it’s stashing money away for that dream vacation. Maybe it’s setting aside your interests to help your kids pursue their passions. Maybe it’s working two jobs to put food on the table. All of us believe some things are worth chasing.
How about friendship with God? What is that worth to you? The Apostle Paul was willing to chase after it and, in Philippians 3:8-11, Paul describes his pursuit:
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”
What is Jesus worth to Paul? He was prepared to lose “all things” to gain Christ and the righteousness he offers. He was willing to suffer – even to die– to share in Christ’s life. Paul was prepared to do whatever he had to do have fellowship with Jesus because he was convinced that Jesus was worth it. The good news of new life in Jesus Christ was worth whatever it took to experience in its fullness.
This gives us a new perspective on how we think about our daily obedience. Obedience to Jesus reveals his worth to us. For example, Christians carve out one day of our weekend every week to worship him. Instead of sleeping in or going out for brunch, we gather together on Sunday mornings to hear God speak to us from his Word and have fellowship with one another. That must look crazy to an onlooking world! But that’s the point. We’re willing to say “no” to some things so we are free to say “yes” to others. Something as simple as going to church every week, giving up our time to spend time with God and with his people, says something about what we think he’s worth – and truly, he’s worth even more. There’s nothing we can possibly give up in pursuit of Christ that is more valuable than what we’ll find in him.