Watch a video of this sermon as preached on February 11, 2024 here.

In the second season of “This Is Us,”[1] Jack Pearson does the best job of casting a compelling vision I’ve seen in a long time. He takes his family to a car dealership, in search of a family car. They can’t afford much, probably something used. The kids fall in love with a brand new Jeep Wagoneer on the dealership display floor. Their mother, Rebecca, steers Jack and the car salesman toward the used car lot, but Jack has a different vision.

Sitting across the desk from the salesman, Jack paints a picture of his family’s future. He describes in great detail how that car will get stains on the upholstery and scrapes on the paint job. He says, “That car is going to tell my family’s story just by looking at it. … I want my kids to be okay, I want my family to be okay…. I see my family ‘okay’ in that car.”

And Jack talks the car salesman into selling him the car at a price the Pearsons can afford. Jack’s clear vision was something the car salesman could understand. It might have cost him to buy into it – a lower commission on the sale, maybe – but Jack’s vision was so compelling, the car salesman wanted to be part of it.

A good vision is like that. People want to get on board. They can see themselves in the picture. They want to be part of something that makes them feel good. It just makes sense. A God vision, on the other hand, might not make sense at all. A God vision is so compelling it’s irresistible, but that doesn’t mean it feels good. In fact, a God vision is almost always terrifying. Continue reading →