I don’t post much religious stuff on here, but my church has been using hymns by Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan this lent. We tend to use the same songs and texts for many weeks in a row, so I’ve had a chance to sing ‘Oh, Christ Surround Me’ quite a lot.
Yesterday I was struck by the last verse.
Christ in the eyes of all who see me,
Christ in the ears that hear my voice,
Christ in the hearts of all who know me,
Oh, Christ surround me.
Christians are usually exhorted to see Christ in the people we meet, treating them as if they were as important as he is. That puts us in the position of ‘doing unto,’ which can be a little self-inflating. But these lines put me in the position of the person being done to, hoping for charity in those who hear and see me.
This verse makes me think about people being silenced, scorned, or having the worst possible constructions put on their words. Or of people who actually have done shameful things. What are we Christians being asked to see and hear in those people?
