The phenomenon that is known as Taylor Swift has taken over the world. Our local movie theater is showing her Eras Tour movie, and the place is packed with people of all ages in Taylor Swift outfits. Folks are disappointed that the special Eras Tour popcorn bucket was in short supply, and they missed getting it, resulting in the theater having to apologize and offer a future bucket as soon as the next shipment comes in. And Is it just me, or are all the young girls suddenly sporting bangs? I like that. I’ve been wearing bangs since before Swift was born.

According to an article in Time magazine published on August 24th, 2023, analysts estimate that the Eras Tour will likely surpass the $1 Billion mark by March of 2024, when Swift will be touring internationally. Beyond the concert sales, fans are spending a lot of money on merchandise.. The Eras Tour is projected to generate close to $5 billion in consumer spending in the United States alone. “If Taylor Swift were an economy, she’d be bigger than 50 countries,” said Dan Fleetwood, President of QuestionPro Research and Insights. This absolutely blows my mind. The scope of her influence is beyond the imagination. Her work and her image are recognized around the world.

Our passage today had me thinking about image and recognition, but in a much more humble way. One of the greatest gifts we receive from God is the gift of adoption. We are called the children of God, but the world does not recognize that:

1 John 3 (Common English Bible)

 See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us.

Like the Swifties who try to look like their icon, we will be converted into the image of Christ when he appears. We’ll be like him, and we will see him as he is. I think that being able to behold his glory will trigger that moment of complete transformation. We won’t just be dressed up … we actually will take on the image of Christ for ourselves.

² Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is. ³ And all who have this hope in him purify themselves even as he is pure.

So, our task as we wait is to purify ourselves. Christ is pure and calls us to be like him. Purity of heart, purity of mind, purity of purpose, and purity of intention are things that we can pursue while we wait. The Prince of Peace of all the eras invites us to be like him.

Show Me the Way by Kathy Schumacher