An author named Shelley Jackson is publishing a short story, but you won’t be able to read it in a book or a magazine.  Instead, you’ll have to look at the bodies of random people around the world.  Jackson’s story is written solely on human skin.

I am not kidding.

The story is called “Skin,” which makes sense … I guess.  It’s 2,095 words long.  According to The Associated Press (May 31, 2004), over 2,000 volunteers are getting one word from the story tattooed on their bodies.  Each person bears one word only, and the full story will be distributed only to participants. 

Rob Poulos, for example, carries the single lowercase word "back" on his left wrist.  He heard about the project from his literature professor, who also decided to participate and received the word “pen,” followed by a question mark.  

Shelley Jackson calls her story a "mortal work of art," and she says it will connect each participant to 2,094 other people.  Jackson was the first person to get tattooed, inking the story’s title to the underside of her wrist, and she quickly received more than enough volunteers to complete the project.  People have signed up from dozens of countries, from Jordan to Japan, and all the words have now been taken.  (Jeff Douglas, Associated Press, "Part of the story," The Daytona Beach News-Journal, May 31, 2004, 1D)

Is this bizarre?  Absolutely.  Impulsive and foolish?  Quite possibly.  But let’s withhold judgment for a minute and think about it.  Aren’t we, as the church, supposed to be a “mortal work of art” as well?

In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul speaks of a “mystery” (3:3) – a mystery that was made known to him by revelation.  This mystery is not a fantasy like Shelley Jackson’s story “Skin,” but instead it is the mystery of how God has been at work in the world through Jesus Christ.  What’s interesting about this mystery story is that it is, like the Shelley Jackson project, a mortal work of art -- a tale that is carried into the world by flesh-and-blood human beings.

“In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind,” writes Paul, “as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit” (v. 5).  Like the words carried out into the world by Rob Poulos and his literature professor, the good news of what God has done in Christ is carried by walking, talking, living, breathing human beings, by holy apostles and prophets, as well as by people like ourselves.

The big difference is that the gospel is more than skin deep.

So how are we doing as mortal works of art?  Are we taking seriously the story that has been given to us?  Through Jesus, God has made us “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (v. 6).  We’re not connected only to 2,095 people with tattoos – we’re linked to 2 billion fellow Christians around the world, and the latest addition to our family was Madelyn Flickinger, baptized this morning at the 8:45 service.  This relationship is made possible by Jesus, the one who came to connect us to God and to one another.  Without Jesus, there is no relationship.  Without Jesus, there is no good news.  Without Jesus, there is no story.   

But are we presenting this story to the world?

It is important for us to reflect on the quality of the story that we are telling the world, especially as we look ahead to the New Year on this first Sunday of 2005.  After all, we are the only gospel that some people will ever read, and the only sermon that some folks will ever hear.  When people look at our skin, they should see the good news of Jesus Christ being fleshed out in day-to-day human life.  They should see a sign that God reaches out to them through Jesus, and desires them to be part of his family.  They should see the message that God so loves the world that he sends his only Son – not to condemn the world, but to save it (John 3:16-17).  That’s the good news.  That’s the gospel.  

So, how will we tell this tale in the year that lies ahead?  What New Year’s resolutions will we make as the body of Christ in this place today, and what will we do to show that our commitment is more than skin deep?  This is the year to:

-         Show real warmth as we welcome visitors to our congregation, and work to strengthen the bonds of Christian community among us.

-         Demand authenticity in our Christian education, pastoral care, and personal interaction, so that we won’t settle for pat answers to difficult questions.

-         Encourage passion in our worship and mission work, so that everyone will feel our commitment to the work of our gracious and powerful God.

-         Focus on Jesus in every aspect of our church’s life, so that we will all be able to deepen our relationship with the one who is our Lord and our Savior.

Warmth, authenticity, passion, and Jesus.  These are four key characteristics of a healthy church, and they are four qualities that will be decisive for the vitality of the body of Christ in 2005 and in the years to come.  Studies show that young adults between ages 18 and 35 – the biggest gap in the membership of many churches – are looking for these exact characteristics in a community of faith: warmth, authenticity, passion, and Jesus.

Can we develop these qualities in our own bodies, and in the body that is this congregation?  Absolutely.  But we have to go more than skin deep.  We have to act in ways that show the gospel to the world.  We have to embody the “boundless riches of Christ” as we care for one another and serve our neighbors (v. 8).

Together, we can be part of the beautiful story that God is writing in the world.  An immortal work of art.  Amen.