Press What?

I've tried to write this without sounding grouchy, and I don't know that I can. So file this under "cranky pastor."

There are often phrases used in worship services that just bug me...mainly because we say things without thinking about what they mean. We say things because they "sound nice" or "sound religious" or something like that. One of those phrases has popped up recently in worship services and, apparently, in "professional worship circles" (I've heard it on at least one worship recording). And that's the phrase "pressing in."

As in: "I'm pressing in to you, Lord."

Or, "Let's all just press in to Jesus."

Huh? What in the world does that mean?

The phrase by itself (without religious connotations) has to do with molding something, forcing it into a different container...such as when you "press in" clay to a mold or when gum gets "pressed in" to the carpet. So "pressing in" has the meaning of forcing one thing into another.

Is that really the image we want in our relationship with Jesus? There are many images in Scripture of that relationship: of drawing near (a choice), of walking together, of him inviting us to follow him. But I don't recall a single place in the Scriptures where anyone is forced into following Jesus. The closest image might be the apostle Paul, who was knocked off his horse by a vision from heaven. But even then, Paul was not forced into anything. He had a choice to follow...or not. (Thank God he chose to follow!)

Some say the phrase refers to snuggling up into Jesus' lap, cuddling close to him. We "press in" to his presence...somehow. It's a warm, cozy image, but honestly, there are huge segments of the population for whom such an image is anything but inviting. It might even be repulsive or frightening. At the least, it's an image that has no real substance, because Jesus is not physically present with us. How do you "press in" to someone who is present only in Spirit and truth? Besides that, which Jesus are we talking about? Well, of course, we'd want to "press in" to the one who welcomed children on his knees, not the one who appears with a sharp double-edged sword coming out of his mouth (Revelation 1:16). Are we narrowing down the image of Jesus presented by the Bible when we choose such phrases? Or do we just not think about what we're saying? We just say it because some famous singer said it?

If I'm going to be pressed in any way, it's in the way Paul talks about, that my character would be shaped more and more into Jesus' likeness, but the imagery there is really more of a potter gently shaping a clay jar rather than a forceful pressing. Rough edges rounded off, made more and more like a useful vessel, even put through the fire in order to become stronger. Not pressed in. Shaped and renewed. Made like Jesus. That's my kind of transformation—and his, too.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old is gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)

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