Thinking About. . . Bumper Stickers

I was chatting with a group of guys the other day when one mentioned a popular bumper sticker inspired by the recession: Honk if I’m paying your mortgage.

In this economic crisis, marked as it is by foreclosures, bailouts, and strong feelings, the bumper sticker captures the mood of those consistent and dutiful home-owners who feel they have been burdened with paying not only for their home, but for the homes of the less dutiful.

When I heard about that bumper sticker, I thought immediately of our spiritual condition. In fact, this whole economic crisis illustrates the deeper spiritual crisis that we all face because of the broken-ness sin has brought to our lives.

We all are mortgaged by our sin and disobedience to God. We are underwater in our lives. We’ve borrowed more than we can pay or ever could pay. We are leveraged to the max.

But the good news of Jesus Christ is that despite our condition, despite the crisis we find ourselves in, he loves us enough to buy us back. We’ve been bought with a price. In other words, Jesus is paying our debt. He’s paying off our mortgage. And it’s a good thing because our spiritual debt is one that we could never pay on our own.

So now—thanks to my conversation the other day—I imagine Jesus cruising around in his car (not quite sure what make and model he would drive). And on the bumper a sticker reads: Honk if I’m paying your mortgage.

We’d all be honking.

- Erik